Jezebel: California

Thanks to Catholic Church, 200 Suspected Child Molesters Are Roaming Free

Cassie Murdoch — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:30:00 EST

At this point, we have pretty strict measures for keeping track of the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders once they've served their time. But unfortunately there's one large organization that's managed to circumvent these rules and seems to be fine with some 200 suspected child molesters living more or less unchecked and within range of other potential victims: it's the Catholic Church, no surprise. More »

This Time Rick Warren Is Late to the Birth Control Outrage Game

Cassie Murdoch — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST

Megapastor Rick Warren is always preaching loudly about some crusade or another, but it looks like this time he picked the wrong issue to take a stand on. He's come out swinging against Obama's contraception mandate, even though it offers exemptions for religious institutions. The only problem? His church, which is based in California, has been following the same mandate on a state level for some time. So he's about 13 years late to the outrage game. More »

Appeals Court Strikes Down California's Bigoted, Pointless Gay-Marriage Ban

Anna North — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:33:55 EST

A federal appeals court in California decided today that Proposition 8, which would ban gay marriage in the state, is unconstitutional. More »

World's Worst Teacher Is Arrested for Semen 'Tasting Game'

Cassie Murdoch — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:40:00 EST

It's been a bad week for sick child abuse "games" in California. First came news of the teacher who played the terrible "lollypop game" with a student, and now Mark Berndt, a teacher at Miramonte Elementary School in Florence-Firestone, California, has been arrested for playing the "tasting game," in which he got sexual pleasure from spoon-feeding his semen to his students. What's even more horrifying is that he is believed to have abused at least 23 students, both boys and girls, between the ages of seven and ten. More »

God Thinks You Could Stand to Lose a Few Pounds

Cassie Murdoch — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:20:00 EST

Have you ever thought about whether God thinks you're fat? Well, maybe you should start. At least that's what Pastor Rick Warren — bestselling author and pastor at one of the largest megachurches in the nation — thinks. He's got a new diet plan that he's pulled from scripture, and he's poised to lead his whole congregation to the promised land where everyone has a healthy body mass index and no one eats too many carbs. You know, just like in the Bible. More »

Soon You'll Be Able to Get Wasted at Starbucks

Cassie Murdoch — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST

As if their complete control over your morning addiction wasn't enough, Starbucks has now announced it's going to start selling booze at some of its cafes during the evening. Oh, this is going to be good—you'll be able to get hammered at night and then sober up on a venti caramel macchiato the next morning. (Or if they really go all out, a venti bloody mary.) The only bummer is that you'll probably have to wait a little while before you can start getting sloshed at your local Starbucks. More »

After 77 Years Of Waiting, A 94-Year-Old Woman Finally Meets The Baby She Had To Give Up

Cassie Murdoch — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:15:00 EST

It seems almost impossible that you could be separated from someone for 77 years, and then all of a sudden, with a single lucky phone call, they could be back in your life. But that's exactly what happened to Minka Disbrow. More »

Awesome 17-Year-Old Girl Invents Nanoparticle That Kills Cancer Cells

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:20:00 EST

What were you doing when you were 17? Playing video games with your friends? Smoking outside the back door of your high school? Well, unless you answered "curing cancer," prepare to feel like an underachiever compared to Angela Zhang. The impressive 17-year-old from Cupertino, California just won the $100,000 Grand Prize of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology for a project called, "Design of Image-guided, Photo-thermal Controlled Drug Releasing Multifunctional Nanosystem for the Treatment of Cancer Stem Cells." Not too shabby, right? More »

Effort To Repeal Gay History Law Fails

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:30:00 EDT

The group Stop SB48 has been working to repeal a new California law that requires public schools to teach social studies lessons on the contributions of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, but yesterday it failed to collect the signatures necessary to put the issue on the ballot. That means the law will go into effect on January 1, but Stop SB48 is expected to keep working to repeal the measure in the November 2012 election. If there's one thing that's worth protesting in the U.S., it's kids spending 20 minutes learning about Harvey Milk. More »

8 Killed In Shooting At California Hair Salon

Margaret Hartmann — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:14:00 EDT

Action movies have us prepped for villains to attack a national monument or set a bomb to go off in a stadium, but some of the most horrifying attacks are those that take place in entirely mundane locations. This year we've already seen shootings and a pharmacy on Long Island, and of course the Arizona grocery store where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was holding a meet-and-greet. Today another gunman opened fire on people who were just going about their day-to-day business, and now eight people are dead and one is critically injured. More »

California Minors Now Allowed To Get STD Vaccines Without Parents' Permission

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:45:00 EDT

California Governor Jerry Brown just signed legislature that allows minors in the state to receive anti-STD vaccines without parental consent. More »

California Bans Minors From Using Tanning Beds

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:05:00 EDT

You have to feel bad for Katy Perry. All she wanted to do was create generic pop musical about a magical land where ladies sport Daisy Dukes and shoot whipped cream out of their boobs, but now she's getting flak for promoting a soon-to-be illegal practice. Though she lists "sun-kissed skin" as one of the main attributes of California girls, as of January 1, girls in the state won't be able to pursue the look using an artificial method that promotes skin cancer. More »

Have You Heard About Marijuana Wine?

Cassie Murdoch — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:15:00 EDT

Sometimes two things that you love combine to form something even more amazing—like when your best friends got married and had the cutest baby ever, or like when people started putting lots of delicious salt into already delicious caramels! Now it seems that another of these magical combinations has just been discovered: marijuana wine! Whoaaa, dude, are you serious? Totally, man. Pot brownies are one thing, but pot wine is, like, on a whole different level. More »

California Bill Would Allow Vaccines For All STDs Without Parental Consent

Anna North — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:05:00 EDT

A bill passed by the California legislature this month would allow clinicians to vaccinate kids against HPV without their parents consent — and it could apply to other STDs too. More »

After A Million Shitshows, Meg Whitman To Take Over HP

Irin Carmon — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:55:00 EDT

HP is apparently about to name former eBay CEO and failed California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman their CEO. Just in case you needed to understand the crapfests that led us here, a brief recap. More »

State Won't Pay For Transgendered Prisoner To Have Sex Change

Cassie Murdoch — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:55:00 EDT

Yesterday, Lyralisa Stevens, a transgender prisoner in California, lost her bid to compel the state to pay for her to have sex-change operation. Stevens, a 42-year-old who was born a male but identifies as female, is currently serving a sentence of 50 years to life for killing a woman with a shotgun. More »

The Real Help

Irin Carmon — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:40:42 EDT

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Whatever you think about The Help, at least it's sparked a larger conversation about domestic workers' lives — and maybe even their rights. More »

The Lesbian Juror Who Could Change The Course Of Discrimination Cases

Irin Carmon — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:50:53 EDT

A gay Nigerian inmate said he was just trying to hug a prison guard, but he was charged with assault after the guard fell. In jury selection for the case, the dismissal of a lesbian may change whether sexual orientation is protected by the constitution. More »

Female Wrestlers Score Title IX Victory, Kind Of

Irin Carmon — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:25:00 EDT

Ten years ago, female wrestlers Arezou Mansourian, Lauren Mancuso and Christine Wing-Si sued the University of California, Davis for, they said, violating Title IX in offering equal opportunity to female athletes. Today, they got their ruling, a mixed one in which both sides claimed victory. More »

Woman Disposes of Husband's Penis in Garbage Disposal

Erin Gloria Ryan — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:30:00 EDT

Women acting crazy? Penises? Divorce? California? Well, this should give Jay Leno enough material to get him through the end of the 2014 TV season. More »

City Bans "Lingerie Cafes" From Showing Underboob

Anna North — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:45:00 EDT

A California city is cracking down on "lingerie cafes," coffee shops that feature scantily clad women and possibly illegal gambling. More »

For $42M, Jennifer Aniston's Insanely Gorgeous Bachelorette Pad Could Be Yours

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:00:00 EDT

Famous single gal Jennifer Aniston used to be married to this guy who was into architecture. Then they got divorced. Years later, she set upon the task of building her own damn dream house. The Bali-inspired surroundings took 2½ years to perfect, and involve reflecting pools, wood harvested from fallen trees, city-to-ocean views, five bedrooms, 8.5 baths, a pool with a cabana, a game room, a Japanese spa, a powder room, and an office. But Ms. Aniston is giving up this California oasis…to move to the mecca of overpriced real estate, New York. More »

Pro-Prop 8 Activists Try To Use Judge's Sexuality Against Him

Irin Carmon — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:17:25 EDT

ProtectMarriage, the group backing California's Proposition 8 limiting marriage to a man and a woman, has asked a district court to overturn Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling against the law. More »

Cross-Sex Strip Search Ruled Unconstitutional

Sadie Stein — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:08:00 EST

A strip-searches by a prison guards has been ruled unconstitutional after an inmate awaiting trial described his search at the hands of a female guard as "a humiliating event." More »

Meet The Anti-Palin

Irin Carmon — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 15:44:00 EST

That would be newly-minted California attorney general Kamala Harris, according to enthusiastic Democrats. She's also been called the female Obama. Politico interviews her about her positions — and the hype. More »

Sexual Assault Charges For High School Wrestler's "Butt Drag"

Irin Carmon — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:05:55 EST

A seventeen-year-old wrestler has been charged with misdemeanor sexual battery and suspended from school for what he did to a fourteen-year-old last summer. But Preston Hill claims it was a legal wrestling move. That move? The butt drag. More »

California's Gay Marriage Challenge Resumes

Irin Carmon — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:28:00 EST

Arguments for and against California's Proposition 8, banning gay marriage, have reached the Ninth Circuit as of today. Next stop, probably, Supreme Court. More »

Californians Gear Up For Historic Recreational Marijuana Vote

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:32:00 EDT

Voters in The Golden State are reportedly deadlocked on Proposition 19, a referendum that would legalize your freshman year of college. Dude. If you're in California, on Tuesday you should totally vote. More »

Coming Soon: Full Employment Rights For New York's Domestic Workers

Irin Carmon — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:28:40 EDT

Within a few weeks, thanks to their own organizing efforts, domestic workers in New York State will be the first nationally to get basic employment rights such as "overtime pay, paid leave and protection from workplace discrimination." California may follow. More »

The Inexplicable Refusal Of Women To Vote For (Certain) Women

Irin Carmon — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:01:00 EDT

This is an mailer that Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski sent to appeal to women voters. But not everyone is buying it. Meanwhile, women voters are unimpressed by Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina. What's wrong with you chicks? More »

Sarah Palin Snubbed By Mama Grizzlies In California

Megan Carpentier — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EDT

Though Sarah Palin is making the rounds in California this weekend, appearances with Palin-endorsed Senate candidate Carly Fiorina and gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman aren't on the agenda. Apparently, conservative popularity has its downsides, even for Palin. [Salon] More »

"This Is Flippin' Fun": The Trailer For Sarah Palin's Alaska

Irin Carmon — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:04:04 EDT

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"I'd rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office," Sarah Palin says in the new trailer for her reality show. "I'd rather be out here being free." Promise? More »

Political Memo: "Whore" Is No "N-Word"

Melissa Gira Grant — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:11:00 EDT

California's gubernatorial race has momentarily shifted from Brown vs. Whitman to slur vs. slur. Go go Oppression Olympics! More »

Fiorina Is Team McCain

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:27:00 EDT

Carly Fiorina would rather appear alongside John McCain than Sarah Palin. Snap? More »

Creative Campaign Aide Suggests Calling Meg Whitman A "Whore"

Irin Carmon — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:08:23 EDT

An aide to California Democratic candidate Jerry Brown was caught on tape suggesting that they call opponent Meg Whitman a whore over a perceived concession on police pensions. Unsurprisingly, this is turning into a problem. More »

Now Meg Whitman Has Her Own Undocumented Employee Scandal

Irin Carmon — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:59:51 EDT

Today, with Gloria Allred at her side, Nicky Diaz Santillan held a press conference to declare that gubernatorial candidate — her former boss — Meg Whitman "exploited, disrespected, humiliated and emotionally and financially abused" her. What are the charges? More »

SoCal Girl Stays One Step Ahead Of The Heat

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:22:00 EDT

[Los Angeles, September 27: Natalie Voroyan, 4, plays with the water jets in the fountain of the Hollywood and Highland shopping complex. The heat wave continues to bring hot temperatures to the Southland. Image via Getty.]

Another Reason You're More Likely To Have A Cesarean

Irin Carmon — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:02:58 EDT

Of all the complex factors that go into having a cesarean birth, one California report finds evidence that one influences than the rest: whether the hospital is non-profit and for profit. C-sections bring in up to twice the revenue. More »

Pot-Smoking, Hair-Snarking California Election Kicks Into High Gear

Irin Carmon — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:21:20 EDT

"She called my hairstyle, and I quote, 'Soooooo yesterday.' Well you know — it might be true, and I admit I've had my share of bad hair days. But my policies?" Are not yesterday." Welcome back to the California election. More »

The Scary Kate Moss Video That Sparked A Paparazzi Crackdown

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:42:00 EDT

Yesterday California passed a bill that would fine paparazzi $5,000 for breaking traffic laws or interfering with a celebrity's car. This unnerving (though unsurprising) footage of paparazzi harassing Moss and her daughter at LAX was a key exhibit. More »