Newsom's Gun Constitutional Amendment Going Nowhere

Commiefornia Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed gun constitutional amendment is going nowhere among other blue (Democrat) states.   

This is not too surprising since this year is an election year and the Democrats (at least the ones with some sense) don't want pro-Second Amendment people panicked enough to go to the polls in November.

According to the Mercury News:

Recent ads from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political action committee continue to push his effort to shake up the national gun debate with a constitutional amendment that would nationalize key California firearm restrictions.

“If Congress and the courts will not take action to help make our communities safer from gun violence, then we — the people — must do it ourselves,” say the ads on social media from Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy.

The California Legislature in September approved a resolution in support, and Newsom said 33 other states must do likewise to call a constitutional convention and consider the amendment. But even among the 18 other U.S. states with legislatures led by Newsom’s Democratic Party, none has done so.

Political observers aren’t surprised, noting the nation’s political landscape, amendment rules and the risks that could come with Newsom’s proposed path of calling a constitutional convention.

 To read the full article, go here.

Travel To Hawaii During COVID-19, What You Need To Know

Above, a Waikiki sunset. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Travel to anywhere by ship or plane is getting more complicated again, thanks to the hysteria over the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Our post office clerk just returned to work yesterday after a bout with omicron. She said that it was like a bad cold. We lost our previous clerk due to coronavirus back in September. She wasn't vaccinated, but our present clerk was and she weathered it well (it helped that she's young, too).

As the omicron variant is spreading, Hawaii travel is getting more complicated as well.

The Mercury News has posted an article on what one needs to know for Hawaii travel.

They start with:

If you’re planning to travel to Hawaii, here’s what you’ll need to know and expect if you want to visit during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The basics

Hawaii has aligned its entry policy for international travelers with federal policy for air travelers that went effect on November 8, 2021, requiring international arrivals to be fully vaccinated and have a negative Covid-19 test result.

Since December 6, all inbound international travelers 2 and older are required to test within one day of departure for the United States, regardless of vaccination status. This does not affect domestic travel.

It’s part of a general tightening of US travel rules because of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Hawaii has ended its pre-travel testing and quarantine requirement for domestic travelers if they’ve been fully vaccinated for Covid-19 in the United States.

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite Campground Lottey Opens This Week

Above, The Beast at North Pines Campground in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yosemite National Park's new campsite lottery system opens this week.

Frustrated by the previous system of securing a campsite in a Yosemite Valley campground, a test lottery system is being implemented to ease some of that frustration.

The campground involved with the test is North Pines. I stayed at North Pines in 2016.

The Mercury News reported:

In an attempt to address “frustration and disappointment” over the Yosemite reservations process, the national park this year is testing a lottery for spots at one of its campgrounds.

From 7 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, Jan. 18, to 8 p.m. on Feb. 6,  potential campers can submit their names at the Reservations.gov site for early-access booking of North Pines with arrival dates of July 21 through Sept. 14.

On Feb. 10, 640 selected applicants will be emailed a time slot to make a reservation online, starting the following week.

There is a non-refundable $10 fee to enter the lottery, and campsites cost $36 a night.

To read more, go here. 

Newsom Abolishes Single-Family Zoning In California

One of the reasons (of several) why I decided to move out of Commiefornia was that I knew Gavin Newsom would become the next governor and he would be a total disaster.

Hardly a month goes by (sometimes even just days) when some action by Newsom and the Democrats in control of both houses of the legislature have proven me right in my decision.

Here we go again. 

From the Mercury News:

In one of his first actions after surviving an election seeking to oust him from office, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday essentially abolished single-family zoning in California — and green-lighted a series of bills intended to bolster the state’s housing production.

By signing Senate Bill 9 into law, Newsom opened the door for the development of up to four residential units on single-family lots across California. The move follows a growing push by local governments to allow multi-family dwellings in more residential neighborhoods. Berkeley voted to eliminate single-family zoning by Dec. 2022, and San Jose is set to consider the issue next month.

While opponents fear such a sweeping change will destroy the character of residential neighborhoods, supporters hail it as a necessary way to combat the state’s persistent housing crisis and correct city zoning laws that have contributed to racial segregation.

Don't be surprised if this move makes more people to get the hell out of Commiefornia. This is what happens when a radical socialist party has a stranglehold on the state's government. California is a one-party state. 

To read more, go here. 

5 Best National Parks For Family Trips

Above, a herd of elk group together for safety in Grand Teton National Park, Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Summer is a little more than a month away and people are wondering where to go for their smmer vacation trip.

If one is leaning towards visiting national parks and have families (i.e., kids), Parents magazine has a list of five of them they consider the "best" for them.

In an article from Mercury News, they wrote:

Contemplating a vacation for you and the extended family? Parents magazine just announced its family travel awards, which include the top 20 U.S. getaways for 2021.

It’s a list, says editor in chief Julia Edelstein, that showcases “destinations that bring families close to nature, offer lots of adventure and above all else, provide a safe environment for the entire family.”

The lineup includes beach towns, adventure resorts, camping destinations and National Parks — and all five of the latter are in the Western U.S., so if you’re not ready to board a plane yet, you’re in luck. Road trip!

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite National Park To Build New Visitor Center

Above, the current Yosemite Visitor Center and Theater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yosemite National Park in California will be getting a new visitor center in Yosemite Village.

The new Visitor Venter will be next to the Village Store.

Mercury News reported:

In a typical year, more than 4.5 million people visit Yosemite National Park, many of them first-time visitors from other states and countries who are looking to find their bearings and figure out how best to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of one of America’s most storied landmarks.

Now, park officials and a leading Bay Area environmental group are working to make their experience a little easier by building a new $10.4 million visitor center in the heart of Yosemite Valley.

Construction is planned to begin this fall, with the new facility expected to open by the end of 2022 or early 2023.

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite National Park Reopening Date Decided

Above, Half Dome as seen from North Pines Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The powers-that-be in California have decided that Yosemite National Park will be ready for reopening next week.

According to the Mercury News:

After being closed for more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Yosemite National Park is ready to reopen as soon as next Wednesday or Thursday, but the plan hinges on state health officials granting approval for campsites and hotels to reopen in the surrounding communities to handle many of the overnight visitors. 

A June 1 letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health officials from the leaders of Mariposa, Mono, Tuolumne and Madera counties urges approval, and says that under a plan developed by park officials, Yosemite is prepared to reopen “on or about June 11.” 

The park, an international tourist destination renowned for its massive water falls, granite rock walls and Sierra forests, closed March 20. The first major step to welcoming back visitors begins Friday, when parks officials will allow people with overnight wilderness backpacking permits and permits to climb Half Dome, to enter the park.

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite Targeting June Reopening, With Limits

Above, Upper Yosemite Falls. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yosemite National Park is hoping to reopen sometime in June, and when it does, it comes with some limits.

The Mercury News reported:

Yosemite National Park may finally reopen as early as June, but with major changes: Visitors who want to spend the day at the famed Sierra Nevada destination would need a reservation and crowds would be limited to roughly half of normal. 

Aimed at reducing the risk of spreading the coronavirus, the plan drafted by Yosemite park officials has not been made widely public and still needs approval from the Trump Administration’s Department of the Interior. 

Yosemite’s pending move comes as several prominent national parks throughout the United States —  including Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Joshua Tree — reopened in a limited way this week, some without hotels or restaurants. 

Yosemite, which drew 4.4 million visitors last year, closed on March 20 as the coronavirus pandemic widened.

Park officials do not have an exact reopening date. But under their plan, when the park reopens — likely sometime in the next few weeks — park shuttle buses would not run in Yosemite Valley due to concerns from local health officials about crowds of people sitting in close quarters. 

Visitors — who would be encouraged, but not required, to wear masks or face coverings — should expect changes. Many trails would be one-way. Bathrooms would be cleaned more often. And social distancing signs would be up at grocery stores and gas stations. 

The Ahwahnee Hotel and Yosemite Valley Lodge would fully reopen, as would at least two campgrounds in Yosemite Valley. Curry Village would reopen at half capacity, and Housekeeping Camp would remain closed.

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite's Tioga Road Opens Tomorrow, For Two Hours

Above, the driver's view of Tioga Road. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tomorrow is the first day of summer and it has been announced that Yosemite National Park's Tioga Road will be opening starting tomorrow.

The Mercury News reported:

Yosemite’s Tioga Road will open on Friday, the first day of summer, but initially only for two hours a day. 

The park announced that motor vehicles and bicycles will be allowed on the trans-Sierra route from 10 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. daily. 

No parking will be allowed, and the day-use facilities and other visitor services along it remain closed.  Opening dates have not been determined for those. 

The limited hours are necessary because crews need to continue clearing snow and doing other roadwork.

To read more, go here. 

Everything You Need To Know About Yosemite National Park

Above, Upper Yosemite Fall. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that the government shutdown is over, operations are returning to normal (at least normal for the winter season) at Yosemite National Park.

But, before going, check the road conditions first.

The Mercury News has posed "everything you need to know" about Yosemite.

They begin with:

The majestic peaks and snow-dusted landscapes of Yosemite National Park never fail to inspire wonder. But they inspired concern, too, during the recent 35-day government shutdown. The park kept most of its gates open and fires still crackled in the grand Ahwahnee-era fireplaces of the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, but even Yosemite was not immune to the effects of the shutodwn. 

Now the portions of the park that were shuttered during those five long weeks — the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, for example, and some snow play areas — have reopened. Rangers returned to their posts this week. And it’s time to head for the wilderness once more. 

Park admission is $35 per car for a weeklong pass. (Hang on to that receipt. You’ll have to show it again every time you enter or exit the park.) An annual pass is $70, but if you’re going that route, go all in and get the $80 American the Beautiful pass which grants you a year’s admission to all the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands.

To read more, go here. 

California Wants To Tax Text Messages

The Looney Left Report

Commiefornia, oops, excuse me, California is increasingly making it more expensive to live in the state with their high taxes, cost of living (rents, vehicle registration, licenses, etc.), fuel and other things. And now there's a new scheme to gouge people out of their money.

The state's regulators now want to impose a surcharge on text messages!

According to The Mercury News:

Texting your sweetheart that you’re on your way home? California may soon charge you for that. 

This is no LOL matter, critics say. 

State regulators have been ginning up a scheme to charge a fee for text messaging on mobile phones to help support programs that make phone service accessible to the poor. The wireless industry and business groups have been working to defeat the proposal, now scheduled for a vote next month by the California Public Utilities Commission. 

“It’s a dumb idea,” said Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council business-sponsored advocacy group. “This is how conversations take place in this day and age, and it’s almost like saying there should be a tax on the conversations we have.” 

It’s unclear how much individual consumers would be asked to pay their wireless carrier for texting services under the proposal. But it likely would be billed as a flat surcharge per customer — one of those irksome fees at the bottom of your wireless bill — not a fee per text. 

Business groups, including the Bay Area Council, California Chamber of Commerce and Silicon Valley Leadership Group and others opposing the idea, calculated the new charges for wireless consumers could total about $44.5 million a year.

Actor James Woods had this to say about the scheme:

California wants to tax text messages now, to fund free phones for illegals- uh, sorry - “low income” users...

Since Commiefornia is a one-party state, you know darn well who has the power of appointing Public Utilities Commission members! The Democrat Party, of course!

To read more, go here. 

Sunspot Solar Observatory Closure: Even The Washington Post Is Wondering, Etc.

Above, a historical front page from 1947. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Sunspot Solar Observatory and a nearby post office remains locked up. Nobody has said why, which is leading to all kinds of speculation.

Does it have something to do with Robert Mueller? Did the Russians hack the telescope? Aliens? Are there artifacts from the Roswell crashed UFO there?

Even the liberal Washington Post is wondering what's going on.

They wrote:

SUNSPOT, N.M. — At a small solar observatory tucked away in the woods of a national forest here, scientists and other personnel were commanded last week to leave at once. A week later, the facility remains vacant, and no one is willing to say why. 

The mysterious and lengthy evacuation, in a state known for secretive military testing and a suspected UFO crash, has spawned a wealth of speculation. 

Did the researchers spot something extraterrestrial? Was the solar telescope hacked by a foreign power and deployed to spy on, say, the state’s missile testing range? Or is there an innocuous explanation, suppressed only because of corporate and government resistance to transparency?

On Friday, the entrance to the National Solar Observatory was blocked by yellow crime scene tape and two security guards, who said even they had been kept in the dark. The guards, from Red Rock Security & Patrol in Las Cruces, N.M., did not give their names but said it was the first day the company was guarding the entrance and that only the “director and an assistant” were allowed in. There was no obvious sign of law enforcement activity.

To read more, go here.

And from the Mercury News:

Under the banner headline: Observatory mystery: ‘It definitely wasn't aliens'

An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, referring questions about the matter to the consortium that manages the buildings. Shari Lifson, an AURA spokeswoman, said in a statement that her group was “addressing a security issue” and had “decided to temporarily vacate the facility as a precautionary measure.” She said they were “working with the proper authorities on this issue,” although she declined to specify who those authorities were. 

Lifson also declined to specify the security issue, other than to dispute the idea aliens were involved. 

The solar observatory is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Roswell, New Mexico, the site of a now infamous crash in 1947 that the Air Force later claimed was an experiment designed to detect Soviet nuclear activity by monitoring sound waves. The incident sparked so much interest that there is now a UFO museum in the city.

To read more, go here. 

3 Californias: Who Gets Yosemite?

Above, an early morning view of Yosemite Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The ballot proposition asking voters whether to split California into three states will be on the November ballot.

But one wonders, "What state gets what?" Who gets Big Sur? Who gets Yosemite? Who gets Disneyland?

The Mercury News has an article that answers those questions.

They begin with:

I’ll trade you a piece of Yosemite Valley and all of the Napa wine country for Disneyland and the Santa Monica Pier. 

For the first time since before the Civil War, California voters will decide this November whether to spilt the Golden State into three entities, dubbed California, Northern California and Southern California. An initiative to divide the state, pushed by Silicon Valley venture capital investor Tim Draper, received enough signatures to qualify it for the November ballot. Supporters say splitting the state would lead to improvements in infrastructure and education while lowering taxes. 

But the idea’s passage is a long shot at best: voters polled overwhelmingly disapprove of the idea; and even if the measure does pass in November, the proposal must still be approved by Congress.

To read more, go here. 

Deaths On Half Dome

Above, a morning view of Half Dome. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since I was never fond of heights or hiking, I would never be one of those who would climb up Yosemite National Park's Half Dome, even in my younger days.

But many people have climbed Half Dome successfully, but there has been a few fatalites.

The Mercury News takes a look at the fatalities that took place on Half Dome over the years.

They begin their article with:

The last segment of the hike up Yosemite’s Half Dome is memorable — and, to many, nerve-wracking — but deaths there are rare. 

The fatal fall of a hiker last week has turned attention to the safety of the cable route up the national park’s iconic rock. 

In the almost 100 years since cables were installed to help hikers climb the steep pitch of the dome, eight people have died from falling on that stretch. Of those fatal falls, four occurred when the rock was wet and at least one was caused by a hiker’s collapse from illness.

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite During Memorial Day Weekend: Are You Crazy?

Above, Yosemite's Bridal Veil Fall. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

People are crazy if they are planning a trek to Yosemite National Park during Memorial Day weekend, at least that's according to an article by the Mercury News.

They have an article on do's and don'ts if you head there this weekend.

It begins with:

Yes, Yosemite’s gorgeous this – and virtually any other – time of the year. 

But you’ve got to be a glutton for punishment if you intend to head up there this Memorial Day weekend, one of the busiest times to take in this spectacular national treasure. If you insist on going, and if you’ve already booked a place to stay in the valley, then godspeed!

If you’re heading up and you DON’T have lodging, may that same god have mercy on your soul.

To see more, go here. 

The Super-Volcano Below Yellowstone

Above, a volcano-fueled hot spring. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As scientists learn more about the super-volcano that lies below Yellowstone National Park, what could happen makes them worried.

The Mercury News reported:

Yellowstone National Park sits squarely over a giant, active volcano. This requires attention. 

Yellowstone has been a national park since 1872, but it was only in the 1960s that scientists realized the scale of the volcano – it’s 44 miles across – and not until the 1980s did they grasp that this thing is fully alive and still threatens to erupt catastrophically. Yellowstone is capable of eruptions thousands of times more violent than the Mount St. Helens eruption of 1980. The northern Rockies would be buried in multiple feet of ash. Ash would rain on almost everyone in the United States. It’d be a bad day. Thus geologists are eager to understand what, exactly, is happening below all those volcano-fueled hot springs and geysers.

Maybe people should see Yellowstone National Park now, while there is still a Yellowstone.

To read more, go here. 

Hiking Through Sequoias and Redwoods

Above, the General Grant tree in Sequoia National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one likes to hike and who would also like to visit giant sequoias and redwood trees, a new article by the Mercury News may be enticing.

They write about the five epic hikes among California's redwoods and sequoias.

It begins with:

Giant sequoias and towering, ancient redwoods once covered California’s landscapes. Today, only a small fraction of those groves remain. 

Here are five spectacular hikes, where you can walk among these 2,000-year-old trees, drink in the sights and serenity, and offer up thanks to the conservationists who made this possible.

To read more, go here.

Yosemite's Starbucks Plan Ignites Petition Brouhaha

Above, Degnan's, one of the current eateries in Yosemite Village. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When it was reported the other day that Starbucks Coffee will be joining the food court at Yosemite National Park, it set off a petition brouhaha.

According to The Mercury News:

Starbucks in Yosemite?  

Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? 

Well, after the Fresno Bee reported the other day that the park’s concessionaire was in talks with the coffee chain, a great hue and cry went out across the land. 

To many of those who signed the petition, a Starbucks in Yosemite Valley is the beginning of the end. 

“This could start a trend that has already seen the introduction of corporate sponsors like Budweiser, REI, and Subaru for the NPS,” Freddie Brewster told The Fresno Bee, conjuring up images of the Nike symbol plastered over El Capitan and Big O Tires billboards going up in Tuolumne Meadows.

To read more, go here. 

No More Oval Office Striped Wallpaper!

Above, the replica Oval Office at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last summer, President Trump did something that I had been clamoring for: he got rid of the horrid striped wallpaper Barack Obama installed in the Oval Office.

According to the Mercury News:

As much as Donald Trump was derided for initially taking himself away for a 17-day golf vacation, his long absence from the White House was necessary for an important reason. 

It allowed a team of more than 200 people from multiple agencies to complete much-needed renovations on the West Wing and the home’s interior. 

The main work on “the people’s house” involved not very glamorous updates: replacing an overworked heating and air conditioning system, refreshing floors, woodworking and paint and repairing the South Portico steps for the first time since the Truman administration, CNN reported, following a tour the White House gave to reporters Wednesday. 

Of course, the most intriguing site of renovation work was the Oval Office, the seat of power in the America and the free world.

The Oval Office looks a lot better now that the striped wallpaper is gone.

To see what the Oval Office looks like today, go here. 

Fodor's Top Vacation Destinations For 2018

Above, Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the world's leading travel information sources, Fodor's comes out with their annual lists of destinations to go to and destinations to avoid.

The Mercury News has their list of top vacation destinations for 2018.

They begin with:

Last week, we brought you Fodor’s NO list, which featured 10 destinations to avoid in 2018. Now we’re exploring Fodor’s wanderlust-inspiring GO list of 52 destinations to explore in the coming year. If you’re thinking what we’re thinking (who gets to take 52 vacations in a year??), think of it this way: Armchair travel is fun, too. 

The list includes not only destination information, but hotel suggestions, insider tips and even book recommendations. Heading for Marrakesh, Morocco? Fodor’s travel experts call it a “romantic desert oasis,” suggest you get lost in the mazelike medina, hike in the Atlas Mountains and read Paul Bowles’ “The Sheltering Sky” to get in the mood. 

Prefer blues, barbecue and Elvis Presley? Memphis is No. 6 on the list, with recommendations for where to hear great music (Beale Street), indulge your Presley fandom (Graceland), indulge in barbecue (Corky’s) and read (pretty much anything by John Grisham).

To read more, go here.