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.
121 years ago, Benjamin Holt had a bright idea. Read on to learn more about the history of the first Caterpillar tractor, invented and built in Stockton.
(03/11/2025) Manteca Bulletin
With a force currently consisting of 80 officers, Manteca Police Chief Stephen Schluer makes the case for hiring six more by mid-2026. Read on to learn more.
(03/11/2025) Manteca Bulletin
There are an estimated 250 vacant commercial buildings in Stockton, and the city council is discussing how to encourage their use or development as a means of fighting blight. Read on to learn what measures are under consideration.
(03/11/2025) Stocktonia
Voters passed Measure A to fund new classrooms and upgrade schools. Read on to learn about three projects currently underway.
(03/10/2025) Manteca Bulletin
Courtesy notifications will be going out in the mail to a whopping 688 Manteca red light runners. Read on to see when offenders will start to get automated tickets at $490 a pop.
(03/07/2025) Manteca Bulletin
Read on to learn how you can apply for an open seat on the Tracy Environmental Sustainability Commission and help guide the city to a greener future.
(03/07/2025) Tracy Press
In a closed session during their March 4 meeting, the Manteca City Council discussed the purchase of a parcel for the location of a future city park. Read on to learn where the parcel is located.
(03/06/2025) Manteca Bulletin
Read on for more information about the recent homeless sweep which resulted in 15 arrests by City of Manteca Police.
(03/06/2025) Manteca Bulletin
Read on to learn more about the approval by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors of additional staff and how it is expected to improve the county permitting process.
(03/05/2025) Manteca Bulletin
Read on for more information about the recently opened Sutter health care center in Manteca, and plans for another in Lathrop.
(03/05/2025) Manteca Bulletin
In their March 4 meeting, the Stockton City Council approved over $200,000 to fund increased security at City Hall. Read on for details.
(03/05/2025) Stocktonia
Read on to learn more about a recent workshop help by the Manteca City Council which considered the top priorities for the city fire department. (Rethinking the automatic aid with the Ripon Consolidated Fire District is one of them...)
(03/04/2025) Manteca Bulletin
Read on to learn more about how the Lathrop Gateway Arches project is progressing.
(03/04/2025) Manteca Bulletin
Read on to learn more about the services provided to the hundreds of pet owners who drove in to the free mobile pet clinic on the first weekend of March at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.
(03/04/2025) Stocktonia
Read on for details of the millions awarded in lawsuit settlements recently reached with San Joaquin County.
(03/04/2025) LodiNews
Read on to learn more about discounts to Manteca residents 60 years and older for waste, sewer and water rate discounts.
(03/03/2025) Manteca Bulletin
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
