Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti delivers testimony on the fiscal year 2025 budget request at the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense hearing in Washington D.C., April 16, 2024.
Chris here, thinking of Admiral Lisa M. Francetti, the former Chief of U.S. Naval Operations and the first woman to serve in that capacity and to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
And frankly, reading her biography on Wikipedia, I'm angry.
I'm angry that someone so capable, so tested and so proven, who spent her career in the service of this country, was fired from her position as the head of the United States Navy a few weeks ago—on February 21—because in the end that wasn't good enough for the current administration. She was a woman and she had to go.
I could go on, but the national scene is outside of our lane here at California Local, where we (try to) stay focused on our state, our counties and our communities.
It's Women's History Month, and this issue of The Newsletter salutes the women who shaped California and continue to work tirelessly to make their communities better and the Golden State shine a little brighter.
Sisters, rock on.
Groundbreakers
The history of Women's History Month goes back to 1911 here in the United States with the first celebration of International Women's Day.
By 1969, International Women's Day was almost forgotten and rarely celebrated. A women's rights advocate who called herself Laura X led a march in Berkeley, California, to raise awareness, and the rest, as they say, is history. Or rather, herstory.
Below, we present three articles celebrating some groundbreaking women.
Get to Know a Group
Supporting local singers by building, promoting, and nurturing vocal music programs, the Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus hosts two annual concert series that feature music from a range of genres, such as classical, Broadway, and contemporary hits.
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"Hope and History" is the theme for the 2025 Sierra Poetry Festival coming this spring. Read on to learn more.
(03/10/2025) YubaNet
A town hall held by a staff member of Representative Kevin Kiley on March 10 was attended by hundreds of Nevada County residents, and they had a lot to say. Read on to learn more.
(03/10/2025) YubaNet
Communication from the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County to local Firewise Communities has sparked confusion about a grant application. Read on for details.
(03/10/2025) YubaNet
A lot of work goes into your clean drinking water. Read on to take a peek behind the scenes of a seemingly mundane but important task regularly performed by Nevada Irrigation District crews.
(03/08/2025) YubaNet
A survey of the snowpack of the Nevada Irrigation District watersheds is looking good following a cold, wet February. Read on for details.
(03/07/2025) YubaNet
Read on for an update on the progress by PG&E on repairs to the Spaulding 1 powerhouse.
(03/07/2025) The Union
Read on to learn more about the fuel reduction work along Gracie Road in the Banner Mountain area of Nevada County.
(03/06/2025) YubaNet
Read on for more information about a proposed public art project on Broad Street in Nevada City.
(03/06/2025) The Union
Read on to learn more about how to harden your home against wildfire at a free Second Saturday Home Hardening Workshop in Nevada City.
(03/06/2025) The Union
Read on to learn how you can view and comment on the new Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map for Grass Valley, recently released by the Office of The State Fire Marshal.
(03/06/2025) YubaNet
Read on to learn what's new at Sierra Harvest, including a move to a new location and their upcoming 10th Annual Soup Night on March 21.
(03/05/2025) The Union
Read on for more information about upcoming free green waster drop-off days coming in April and May for Nevada County residents. Don't burn it, let the county compost it.
(03/04/2025) YubaNet
Read on for more information about the 17 parcels being declared as surplus lands by the Nevada Irrigation District and what happens next.
(03/03/2025) The Union
Read on to learn why Tri Counties Bank is suing the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County for being in default of $806,301.30 in obligations.
(03/03/2025) YubaNet
A new conservancy will oversee work to improve vegetation, water quality and natural habitat in the Salton Sea. Will nearly half a billion dollars in projects be enough?
(03/11/2025) CalMatters
California Assembly Bill 247 would significantly raise the hourly wage of inmate firefighters. Read on to learn more.
(03/11/2025) Los Angeles Times
From pushing for oversight of the FAIR Plan to providing tax breaks for premiums, California lawmakers try to fix insurance market problems.
(03/10/2025) CalMatters
It’s legal in California to evict tenants for nonpayment even when they can pay all their overdue rent. A proposal pending in the Legislature seeks to change that.
(03/09/2025) CalMatters
In these hyper-partisan times, less than 1% of the more than 2,000 bills California lawmakers filed this year have bipartisan coauthors. Here are some of the issues on which Republicans and Democrats agree.
(03/09/2025) CalMatters
Los Angeles Assemblymember Rick Zbur says he wants to narrow the standards for justifiable homicide. Critics say he wants to make self-defense illegal.
(03/06/2025) CalMatters
Five years ago, as COVID-19 hit the state, legislators cancelled a hearing to discuss a state audit that found the state’s office of emergency services and at least three California counties weren’t prepared to help vulnerable people during natural disasters.
(03/06/2025) CalMatters
Gov. Gavin Newsom called it “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to participate in girls' sports today — a notable change in his position that thrust the Democratic governor into the center of a national maelstrom. It was unclear whether he will act on his new position as Republicans urged him to follow conservative states in banning transgender athletes from girls' sports.
(03/06/2025) CalMatters
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to see tangible results from the $6.4 billion mental health bond voters approved last year. Moving fast carries a risk of neglecting under-resourced communities.
(03/05/2025) CalMatters
The Fremont city council has revised a new city camping ordinance, removing what had become a controversial clause — first reported on by CalMatters — that could have punished those “aiding and abetting” encampments.
(03/05/2025) CalMatters
This appears to be the first such injunction since the U.S. Supreme Court let cities crack down on homeless encampments in California and beyond.
(03/04/2025) CalMatters
Since 2016, the DMV has collected more than $8 million from nearly 5,300 car sales, according to a CalMatters analysis.
(03/03/2025) CalMatters
Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks said lawmakers will soon see 20 bills to speed up housing construction, along with more on energy, water and transit.
(03/03/2025) CalMatters
The governor’s announcement affects most of the state workforce and will take effect on July 1.
(03/03/2025) CalMatters
