(Reason Magazine)

The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment requires the government to pay just compensation when it takes private property for a public use. But according to a 1949 “Marketing Order Regulating the Handling of Raisins Produced from Grapes Grown in California,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture was permitted to demand a portion of each year’s California raisin crop, free of charge. The title to those raisins passes to an entity known as the Raisin Administrative Committee, which is allowed to use the raisins for its own purposes. Those purposes include giving the raisins away for free to school lunch programs or selling them for foreign export. If it sells them, it gets to use the proceeds to fund its own operations.

In a decision issued earlier this week on Monday, in Horne v. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the USDA’s raisin confiscation scheme as an unconstitutional violation of the Fifth Amendment.

“The reserve requirement imposed by the Raisin Committee is a clear physical taking,” observed Chief Justice John Roberts. “Actual raisins are transferred from the growers to the Government. Title to the raisins passes to the Raisin Committee.” That is a textbook example of an uncompensated government taking of private property, Roberts held, and it therefore must fall under the plain text of the Fifth Amendment.

Roberts’ opinion was joined in full by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito. Justice Stephen Breyer, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, concurred in part and dissented in part. Justice Sotomayor filed a solo dissent, in which she sided entirely with the USDA. “The government may condition the ability to offer goods in the market on the giving-up of certain property interests without effecting a per se taking,” Sotomayor asserted.

Monday’s ruling is a major victory for property rights and a welcome rebuke to government regulators who try to stretch their powers beyond the limits set by the Constitution.

It is the fourth year of drought and Lake McClure is showcased in this Washington Post video focusing on the extremely low Mariposa County Reservoir. Downstream, the effects hit the Central Valley.

With the high temperatures on Saturday above 100 degrees, very few people came out to watch the Copperopolis Homecoming Parade.

For the brave souls who managed to walk or slowly ride/drive along the roasting O’Byrnes Ferry Road, a crowd of about twenty or so people were on both sides of the street to clap, wave, cheer and greet them.

Editor’s note: This video was edited, and the wording that appears mounted on some of the screen images is from a source other than The Orange County Register or the Santa Ana Police Department. The profanity that appears on one of the video frames was not placed there by the Register or the Santa Ana Police Department.

Warning: Expletives Used

Warning: Expletives Used

(The Orange County Register)

The Santa Ana Police Department has launched an internal affairs investigation into the actions of several officers caught on video during a recent raid at a medical marijuana dispensary.

Clips from the May 26 raid at Sky High Collective that purport to show officers dismantling surveillance cameras, making derogatory remarks about an amputee, eating and playing darts are “concerning,” Santa Ana police Cmdr. Chris Revere said Thursday.

“We expect our officers to act in a certain way,” said Revere, who is in charge of the department’s internal affair division. “If they don’t we hold them accountable. But at the same time we have to be fair.”

Attorney Matthew Pappas, who represents Sky High Collective, provided the edited clips to the Register and other media outlets Wednesday. He could not be reached Thursday for comment.

Santa Ana Police also have attempted to reach Pappas for an unedited version of the video clips, Revere said.

“Having the whole video shortens the investigation process because we get a complete picture,” he added.

In one of the clips, armed Santa Ana officers can be seen breaking through the front door of the 17th Street dispensary and then ordering at least a half-dozen customers to the floor.

“Everybody on the ground!” one officer shouts. “Hands on your head!”

Another clip with subtitles purports to show officers making demeaning remarks about a woman in a wheelchair with an amputated left leg who was in the dispensary at the time of the raid.

“Did you punch that one-legged old Benita,” a male officer asks a female officer, apparently referring to the woman in the wheelchair.

“I was about to kick her in her (expletive) nub,” the female officer replies, according to the subtitles accompaning the video clip.

In another clip, Pappas has titled with superimposed wording: “Officers eating edibles and playing darts,” a voice can be heard asking, “What flavor?” Then an officer can be seen unwrapping a small package and putting something in his mouth.

The same clip shows an officer playing darts inside the dispensary while another clip shows several other officers removing surveillance cameras.

It’s possible the officers were removing the cameras as part of the collection of evidence in connection with a search warrant for the dispensary, Revere said.

None of the officers involved in the raid have been placed on administrative leave, he added.

The internal affairs investigation could take several weeks and will involve reviewing the videos and interviewing the officers and those present at the dispensary when the raid took place. A final report will be delivered to Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas, who will determine if the officers violated department policies, Revere said.

(NBC Bay Area)

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s president and CEO announced that his organization has pulled his ministry’s bank accounts out of San Francisco-based Wells Fargo over the bank’s recent ad featuring a lesbian couple adopting a deaf baby.

Franklin Graham took to social media to call for a boycott of the bank and other gay-friendly companies. On Friday, he posted on Facebook that he was moving all the group’s accounts out of Wells Fargo, and into another bank because of all the “moral decay” that is being “crammed down our throats.”

He also took aim at Tiffany’s, which has started advertising wedding rings for gay couples. And he urged Christians to boycott companies that promote homosexuality.

“This is one way we as Christians can speak out—we have the power of choice,” he wrote. “Let’s just stop doing business with those who promote sin and stand against Almighty God’s laws and His standards.” He asked people to share his message if they agreed. As of Tuesday morning, the post had nearly 43,000 shares and 95,000 likes.

For its part, Wells Fargo is standing by its commercial, which liberal sites, like Huffington Post, deemed “heartwarming.” According to CNN Money, this ad made Wells Fargo the first American bank to showcase a homosexual relationship in a national campaign. Since it was published on YouTube on April 23, the video has been watched more than 1 million times, and countless people have seen it on TV.

There are no plans to kill the ad, or alter it in any way. In fact, most people like it, according to the bank.

“The coverage to date has been overwhelmingly positive,” Valerie Williams, a Wells Fargo vice president and communications consultant told CNBC. “It exceeded our expectations. We weren’t naïve in terms of what to anticipate in terms of response.”

Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Center, wasn’t at all worried by the boycott. In fact, she called the move “desperate,” proof that the same-sex movement is winning over the “hearts and minds” of the public, as well as gaining ground in political polls and the courts.

“I just see this as a last ditch effort to stir up a campaign of hate,” she told NBC Bay Area. “I think the ad is great. Wells Fargo really understands its diverse customer base. The ad is a warm representation of family.”

After going through a few years of seemingly nothing but bad news in the town of Twain Harte, the town has turned to outhouses for an economic revival.

Mike Lawrence and Terry Northcutt of the Twain Harte Rotary were Friday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”.

After a successful debut last year, the 2nd Annual Royal Flush Crapper Derby returned to Twain Harte on Saturday June 6th, from 9 AM through 5 PM.

Spokesperson Lawrence explained, “Over the past few years, Twain Harte was hit hard by the economic recession, the lack of snow, the smoke and threat of the Rim Fire in the summer of 2013, the Government shutdown of Yosemite National Park and most recently the loss of Twain Harte Lake. We wanted to do something new.. something that would bring the crowds back to our beautiful town.”

Northcutt chimed in, “We wanted to do something completely different. No poker race or golf tournament. We knew there could be very little more original, unique and fun than to hold outhouse races. And the result? Last year, 12 teams participated and the crowds were enthusiastic and we knew we had ourselves an annual event.”

The event captured the attention of the statewide media including the Los Angeles Times newspaper. Last Tuesday June 2nd, KMAX television (channel 31) from Sacramento broadcast live segments during the morning from Twain Harte.

This year, the entire day was filled with numerous events, music, crafts, food, races and a parade.

The majority of the events took place in and near Eproson Park and it’s a fundraiser for Twain Harte Rotary.

The Parade, announced by Mark Corona of KKBN 93.5 FM, began at 9 am in downtown Twain Harte and followed the same route as the Twain Harte Christmas Parade.

During the day, there was a Mr. & Mrs. Tidy Bowl Contest, a Toilet Seat Toss and Children’s Activities.

Numerous vendors were on hand and live music will filled the air.

During all of this, two outhouses at a time raced throughout the day until a winner was crowned during a 5 p.m. ceremony.

The first place winner received a paid entry to the World Championship Outhouse Races in Virginia City, Nevada, this October.

Outhouse racing teams consist of a driver (or rider) and two pushers. Race rules and outhouse specifications are located on www.twainharterotary.com.

The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM.

The debate is considered the biggest political fight of President Barack Obama’s final few years in office. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Roseville, spoke to KCRA 3 anchor Edie Lambert on Tuesday, saying passing this deal would be a win for the President and the American economy. Some of those who are opposed to this agreement include conservatives, consumer groups and those who simply don’t trust Obama.

On Memorial Day, there were numerous events honoring and remembering those who lost their lives while serving our country.

This video was shot at Murphys Community Park on Monday evening. The Calaveras Community Band was performing in the gazebo.

(SF Weekly)

November 15, 2013 was the day when the entire city of San Francisco collaborated to help Miles Scott live out his fantasy of being Batkid.

Scott, for those who don’t remember, is the then-5-year-old leukemia survivor whose love of superheros inspired the Make-A-Wish Foundation to transform San Francisco into Gotham City for a day. Everyone from the mayor to the police chief to President Obama to local media got involved in making Miles’s dream come true.

Warner Brothers is releasing a documentary about Batkid’s special day on June 26, and yesterday the company released a trailer.

(KCRA)

She’s only been in the race for Barbara Boxer’s US Senate seat for three days now, but Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is making waves for what she said and what she has now done.

The candidate was explaining how she recently received an invitation from someone with the Indian American caucus.

“I’m going to his office, thinking I’m going to meet with … ” Sanchez then clapped her hand in front of her mouth and made a whooping sound.

She appeared to be making a joke about the difference between Indian-Americans and Native Americans.

The man who filmed Sanchez said several people in the room described the comments as insensitive and undemocratic.

“I was shocked and appalled that she’d make the disparaging comments about Native Americans that way,” said Uduak-Joe Ntuke of Long Beach.

Sanchez’s opponent, California Attorney General Kamala Harris (Democrat), said she was also shocked.

“You know, I don’t know what to say to that,” Harris said while laughing. “That’s shocking.”

“I think making a comment like that in a meeting is just disrespectful, disrespectful of the diversity which makes our country so great,” said Ken Johnson, a delegate from Manteca.

When KCRA 3’s David Bienick approached Sanchez for comment about the gesture, she ran away and slipped into a building.

Questioned later by reporters, Sanchez said American Indians have “a great presence in our country and many of them are supporting our election.”

Earlier in the day, Sanchez, the representative from Santa Ana, claimed she was a victim of pressure tactics from Democrats who didn’t want her to run for the U.S. Senate seat.

“Let’s just say there were plenty of phone calls asking me not to,” Sanchez said prior to being asked about her comment. “There were plenty of sort of threatening things,” she said.

Sanchez also declined to name any names in regards to the threats.