California Democrats hammered for pushing special session to oppose Trump policies while Los Angeles continues to burn



Democrats in the California legislature are facing criticism for continuing with a plan for a special session to oppose the policies of the upcoming Trump administration while Los Angeles continues to burn.

Republicans have called on Democrats to focus on the wildfires spreading destruction through Southern California rather than continue with the anti-Trump scheme.

'We shouldn’t be focusing on Trump-proofing California, we should be focusing on fire-proofing California.'

“We have so much bigger issues right now that we really need to tackle,” said California assemblymember James Gallagher to reporters Thursday.

Democrats in California announced their plot to become a haven of resistance after Trump won the 2024 election and Republicans gained full control of the U.S. Congress. They want to allocate millions of dollars to the state attorney general's office for lawsuits against the incoming Trump administration.

“We shouldn’t be focusing on Trump-proofing California,” said Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones. “We should be focusing on fire-proofing California.”

On Wednesday, state assemblymember Bill Essayli called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to call a special session to address the wildfires instead of the Trump administration.

Ashley Zavala pressed California Assembly speaker Robert Rivas, a Democrat, on why they were pushing forward with the special session when they had the power to oppose Trump without one.

"Rivas would not answer my questions," Zavala said.

She posted video of her questioning Rivas on her X account.

More than 2,000 structures have burned down in the fires, and at least five people are believed dead, though officials say far more fatalities are expected from the disaster. Some firefighters are reporting that fire hydrants are running out of water, prompting angry residents to demand full accountability from local leaders, most of whom are Democrats.

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The growing list of lawmakers ditching the Democratic Party



The Democratic Party is hemorrhaging not just voters, but lawmakers too.

Most recently, Florida state Rep. Hillary Cassel announced Friday that she would be switching her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican because she believes in "their vision for a better, more prosperous Florida."

There is no greater evidence of this shift than the overwhelming loss Democrats endured on November 5, especially among constituents and voting demographics that have reliably voted blue for decades.

"As a mother, I want to help build a world where our children are judged on their character and their actions, not on their labels," Cassel said. "As a proud Jewish woman, I have been increasingly troubled by the Democratic Party's failure to unequivocally support Israel and its willingness to tolerate extreme progressive voices that justify or condone acts of terrorism.

"I'm constantly troubled by the inability of the current Democratic Party to relate to everyday Floridians," Cassel continued. "I can no longer remain in a party that doesn't represent my values."

Although she is switching her affiliation, Cassel points out that her values won't necessarily always be in line with the entire Republican conference.

"I know I won't always agree on every detail with every Republican, but I do know that I will always have input, collaboration, and respect," Cassel said. "The House Republican Conference empowers members to find common-sense solutions to real issues facing all Floridians. They welcome different ideas and collaboration, which is the cornerstone of effective government. Those are my values."

Cassel is the second Florida lawmaker to switch her party affiliation this December. Recently re-elected Florida state Rep. Susan Valdes also announced that she will be changing her affiliation from Democrat to Republican in a statement echoing Cassel's.

"In the House, I have long known that no one has a monopoly on good ideas," Valdes said. "I will not waste my final two years in the Florida Legislature being ignored in a caucus whose leadership expects me to ignore the needs of my community."

"I want to roll up my sleeves and work," Valdes continued. "I want to be a part of solving problems for West Tampa. I'm tired of being the party of protesting when I got into politics to be part of the party of progress. I know that I won't agree with my fellow Republican House members on every issue, but I know that in their caucus, I will be welcomed and treated with respect."

This change of heart from Valdes and Cassel is not an isolated incident. California state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil also announced in August that she would be abandoning the Democratic Party and switching to the Republican Party.

“In the past two years that I’ve been working in the Senate, I have not recognized the party that I belong to,” Alvarado-Gil said. “The Democratic Party is not the party that I signed up for decades ago.”

Among the lawmakers and voters who have increasingly rejected the Democratic Party, the common thread has been the fact that the party has become unrecognizable. There is no greater evidence of this shift than the overwhelming loss Democrats endured on November 5, especially among constituents and voting demographics that have reliably voted blue for decades.

Whether Democrats decide to correct course for the sake of political viability is yet to be seen.

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Democratic state senator switches parties to Republican in deep blue state



A Democratic state senator is switching parties to become a Republican in the far-left state of California.

Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil had flipped the seat in the 4th Senate District from red to blue, but according to a Politico report, she's changing her political affiliation.

'I don’t tend to follow the race train. I’m looking at society as a whole.'

Alvarado-Gil has been known as a moderate Democrat who has challenged the Democratic Party on many issues, including bills related to retail theft, a growing concern in California.

She also represents a Republican-leaning district that would be difficult to defend when she comes up for re-election in 2026. About 39% of the residents in the district are registered as Republicans while only 34% are registered as Democrats, according to state records.

Politico cited two sources with direct knowledge of the decision but said Alvarado-Gil's office had not confirmed the report.

The 4th State Senate District includes the counties of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne. The district has about a million residents.

In comments to the Sacramento Bee, she said she was upset that Democrats were pressuring her to blindly follow and support their decrees.

“I would get asked,’ How can you side with the DAs? This is going to put more Black and brown people in jail. I don’t tend to follow the race train. I’m looking at society as a whole. I also understand that if we don’t hold people accountable for their actions, there is a domino effect," she said.

"Not only in our prisons system, our education system, our economic system, our housing system and whether or not Californians see themselves as part of communities or they are packing their bags and leaving," she added.

Alvarado-Gil's defection to the Republicans is unlikely to change legislation in the blue state as the legislature is in firm control of the Democrats.

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‘Depraved’ California Democrats vote to keep illegal immigrant pedophiles in America



California State Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R) recently proposed a bill that would have bypassed California's sanctuary state laws only for illegals who harm children.

While it seemed like a shoe in, every single state Democrat voted against the motion.

“I was inspired by two specific cases that we had coming out of the state of California,” Essayli tells Glenn Beck.

In one of those cases, a Colombian illegal immigrant raped a 14-year-old girl. While ICE wanted to deport the illegal, under California law it is illegal for the sheriff or any law enforcement to honor an ICE request or cooperate in any way with immigration officials.

The immigrant was picked up later in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was eventually deported.

“That’s what first inspired this bill. I said why does the state of California’s laws protect pedophiles? Why would we do this?” Essayli explains, adding, “All the law says is we’re rolling back sanctuary state as it applies to child sex offenders. If you’ve been convicted of committing a sex offense against a minor, you are required to comply with immigration official orders.”

The law wouldn’t open up the sanctuary state for anything else other than convicted pedophiles.

“Of course, if I was running the place I’d reverse the whole policy, but I said you know what, we’re only 18 out of 80 in here, we’re not controlling policy. Let’s get them on record, let’s expose the Democrat Party for who they are,” Essayli continues. “They are more concerned about protecting illegal immigrant pedophiles than they are about doing the right thing and protecting American citizens.”

Just last week, Essayli recalls, there was an illegal immigrant driving up and down the streets of LA, picking up women and young children and raping them in a “rape van.”

“He’s an illegal immigrant, and he is currently protected under our state laws from deportation,” Essayli says, disturbed.

Glenn agrees, telling Essayli that “California has just become depraved.”

“The only way to describe what is happening is true evil,” he adds.


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