State

Azusa Pacific University (“APU”), a Christian university in Southern California, is being sued by an employee who allegedly suffered severe and unlawful retaliation after complaining about anti-gay violence and harassment. Mahesh Pradhan, a chef and supervisor at APU, alleges that he was subjected to repeated physical violence and verbal abuse by other APU employees who perceived him as gay.  Mr. Pradhan alleges that he was physically assaulted in a restroom, had a large wooden paddle repeatedly thrust between his buttocks, and was called faggot and other derogatory terms. According to Pradhan’s attorney, Arthur Kim, APU refused to take disciplinary action […]

An ordinance by San Diego Councilmember Chris Ward (District Three) establishing Equal Pay standards for city contractors was approved Monday on a unanimous 9-0 vote. “For San Diego to fulfill its responsibility as a place where anyone has a fair chance to work hard and succeed, we have to use our legal and economic power to ensure that nobody is at a disadvantage because of their gender or ethnicity,” said Councilmember Ward. “Today San Diego became the largest city in the country to pass an Equal Pay Ordinance, building on San Diego’s long-standing commitment to equal opportunity, and establishing the […]

There are an estimated 27 LGBTQ community centers in the state of California and until just recently, Oakland was the only major city in the state without an LGBTQ community center. Founders Jeff Myers and Joe Hawkins sat in the future multi-purpose room of the new LGBTQ community center, a space they share with other startups, filled with hope and pride. “For the first time in history, Oakland will have an official LGBTQ community space that serves the diversity of our community regardless of age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, but focused on the most vulnerable among us.” Hawkins said. Myers, […]

Covered California unveiled proposed rates for the 2018 individual market, announcing that all 11 of its participating health insurance companies will be returning for the upcoming year. Covered California continues to be a stable marketplace where consumers can find affordable coverage. “Covered California remains robust and strong, and we are pleased to welcome back all 11 plans to compete in regions across the state,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “While there is ongoing uncertainty and a lack of clarity at the federal level, consumers who need affordable health insurance will continue to have good choices in Covered […]

A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday refused to reinstate President Donald Trump’s executive order to cut funding from cities that limit cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities. The U.S. Department of Justice had asked U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick to reverse his own injunction in April against Trump’s executive order. The injunction was issued in response to lawsuits by San Francisco and Santa Clara County. Judge will reconsider ruling blocking sanctuary cities order Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a memo in May saying the executive order should be applied narrowly to a small number of grants and to […]

A lawsuit has been filed against Rep. Susan Davis, (D-San Diego) and three of her colleagues for displaying rainbow flags outside of their offices. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., by Chris Sevier, who describes himself as a lobbyist and Iraq War veteran reports the CW San Diego. The other defendants name are Alan Lowenthal, (D-Long Beach), Donald Beyer, (D-Virginia), and Earl Blumenauer, (D-Oregon). In his complaint, Sevier said he was offended by Davis and the other defendants displaying the banner, a symbol of gay and lesbian pride, outside their offices. Commenting on the lawsuit Davis […]

During congressional testimony on Wednesday night, Duncan Hunter made a series of disturbing remarks concerning trans men and women serving in the military. The five-term incumbent, currently under a congressional investigation for allegedly using tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to pay for family vacations to Hawaii, private school tuition for his children, and video games, said that he ‘could not imagine having to share berthing or showers with somebody who was a girl and didn’t have the surgery to become a man but kept the girl stuff and now she’s with a bunch of guys’. You can […]

Nine bills authored by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) have moved forward in the state Assembly: SB 179, the Gender Recognition Act, has cleared the Assembly Judiciary Committee and has been sent to the Assembly Transportation Committee. The bill creates a third gender marker on state-issued identification documents for people who identify as nonbinary – neither male nor female – and streamlines the process for transgender, intersex and nonbinary Californians to obtain identification documents that accurately reflect their gender. SB 214 has cleared the Assembly National Resources and Appropriations committees. The bill strengthens the capacity of the San Diego River […]

California’s state budget could take a $30 billion annual hit if health care legislation proposed by U.S. Senate Republicans is passed, state officials said Wednesday. An analysis by the state Department of Health Care Services concludes the bill would have a $114.6 billion cumulative impact on California’s budget between 2020 and 2027. It would initially add $3 billion in costs in 2020 and increase to $30 billion by 2027. The costs would come largely from reductions in federal Medicaid funding. One in three Californians are on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program that provides health coverage to the poor. More than […]