Sandy

The silent majority of Californians live grass touching lives, never give entertainment award speeches or even visit San Francisco. They are kind, resilient, and not unlike your neighbors. You can hate California governance (a majority of us do too). But you don’t know us. We have more people than Canada, Australia, New Zealand, 6 times the population of Ireland. We have exponentially more people in our political minority than most red states have in their majority.

Well I guess I’ll start packing - if the camp is anything like Israel, should be fun!

@TheAtlantic @meghan_daum I’m stunned by these comments. You all do realize that the author has been LA based for years AND she actually lost her home in Altadena due to the fire? Don’t agree, fine. But you can’t deny she has had front row seats to this disaster…

Los Angeles is “fed up with leaders who tell constituents that problems happening before their eyes aren’t happening at all,” @meghan_daum argues—which might be why Spencer Pratt’s supporters have turned to him. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/…

@mkhammer Coach hog. With attitude.

Post the last photo of your pet on your phone. No cheating.

I will hide you! But shame on all of us that it has come to this. instagram.com/reel/DX4cu5MMs…

@JonahDispatch Sounds like thumb guy has a great day planned for himself, Pippa! Now what are you going to get up to?

“Hey there. It’s Saturday. You know what that means. All the things. Napping. Ball. Schnuffling. It’s all on the menu. Also, I love you.”

@Twolfrecovery @FriedrichHayek @MHurabiell @marie4sf @mwseibel I’m in Richmond District. Buzzer wails, I go downstairs and open front door with big smile to lovely young woman who asks can she talk to me about Chakrabarti. I had such a visceral recoil reaction as I said “no no no no” that I think I scared her.

If there ever was a reason to vote @MHurabiell for Congress, this is it. Look who her opponent is platforming. Disgraceful. @marie4sf @mwseibel

@yaelbt Is this about crossword? Cause you need to get over it…

I’ve been in a very bad mood, partially thanks to you idiots here, and then I went to meet my friends and remembered that they are important and you are not (except for those of you that I like). Highly recommend having friends.

@bariweiss make it happen. Judge Judy as the new Andy Rooney: fb.watch/GrZgkfxvZA/?mi…

@LizWolfeReason Met you and your and your sweet boy at dissident dialogues years ago. Have faith and pursue motherhood if that is your dream. Any child would be lucky to have you as a mother. I’ve aged out, have regrets, and don’t want that for you or any woman. Youth should not be wasted

My #1 most hated Brooklyn woman conversational pet peeve is people––esp those w some amount of LIZ CONTEXT!––saying ridiculous things like "you have time!! [to have the large number of kids you desire]." First of all, that's something they tell themselves, regardless of the truth of it, so it's not actual advice, it's self-soothing. Second of all, I'm ultra-Catholic so will not do IVF, surrogacy, any of that; I want three more earthly children MINIMUM, if God wills it, and I have a frustrating history of miscarriage, so actually in my case I feel like some amount of urgency would be wise, and waiting around assuming everything will all work out great would be very foolish. And perhaps third: No, I don't have ~time~. I don't want to waste time without my sweet future kids, or without Zev having siblings, I know how good children are so I feel URGENCY to not spend my life waiting around but rather begin to enjoy the fruits of labor as soon as I can. I understand this is different than the traditional script but my kid just died and two other babies of mine didn't make it to birth, so I don't feel like my track record is amazing and I think it's fine to earnestly yearn for and own our desires especially when they're capital-G Good. Sorry I'm capable of doing math (barely) and having actual strong preferences!

Follow this amazing lady and friend

California's pension fund pays its biggest check to its own former investment manager: $𝟰𝟱𝟯,𝟲𝟵𝟱 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. The state's pension systems owe $𝟮𝟲𝟱 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 more than they have, and taxpayers are covering the tab. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟵 𝗟𝗶𝗲 In 1999, CalPERS told the legislature that SB 400, a massive retroactive pension boost, would cost "not a dime of additional taxpayer money." They gave cops and firefighters 𝟯% 𝗮𝘁 𝟱𝟬, meaning 90% of final salary as a pension at age 50 with 30 years of service. CalPERS's own actuaries used fantasy investment returns to justify it. The result in FY2024: - 𝗖𝗛𝗣 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲: $915.6M in annual pension payouts, average full-career pension $99,832 - 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲: $426.5M in payouts, average $97,626 - 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆: $841.6M in payouts, average $100,061 "Not a dime." Now cities pay 𝟱𝟬-𝟳𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 just to cover pension contributions. That's money not going to roads, parks, or actual public safety. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 Before PEPRA reforms in 2013, employees gamed the system to inflate their pensions for life: - 𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀: One sanitary district manager cashed out 17 weeks of unused leave, spiking his pension by 37% to $217,216/year - 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: Safety employees maxed overtime in their final year to inflate the salary their pension is calculated on - 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Housing allowances, car stipends, bilingual pay, education bonuses, all counted as pensionable income - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗺: That $551,688 pension from the hook? A city administrator serving 112 residents. CalPERS eventually slashed it to ~$115,000 after finding most of it was based on non-pensionable pay The top legitimate CalPERS pension in 2024: $𝟰𝟱𝟯,𝟲𝟵𝟱/𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 to a former CalPERS investment manager. The fund's own employee gets the biggest check. You can't make this up. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 $𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗞 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 Those spiked pensions add up. The number of CalPERS retirees collecting $100,000+ pensions: - 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮: 14,650 - 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟲: 22,826 - 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬: 40,060 - 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: 173% in eight years These 40,000 retirees are 5.5% of all CalPERS pensioners but collect 19.5% of total payouts. Statewide across all pension systems, an estimated 𝟴𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬-𝟵𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 California government retirees pull six figures annually. 𝗣𝗘𝗣𝗥𝗔 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 The 2013 reform only applies to employees hired after January 1, 2013. Every "classic" employee hired before that date keeps the old formula. The $100K club tripled 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 PEPRA passed because the reform doesn't touch existing employees or retirees. The spiking-era pensions will keep paying out for decades. It gets worse: CalPERS returned 𝟲.𝟴% 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 while the S&P 500 returned 𝟭𝟬.𝟰%. If they'd just bought an index fund, the unfunded liability wouldn't exist. Instead they plow 37% of assets into "alternative investments" and rank 𝟯𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝟱𝟬 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 in 5-year returns. And that $265 billion hole? That's using CalPERS's own rosy assumptions. A private-sector discount rate makes it far worse. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘅 Every private-sector worker in America funds their own retirement through a 401(k). If the market drops, they eat the loss. Government employees get a 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 regardless of market performance, and when CalPERS comes up short, taxpayers cover the gap. The answer is simple: move new government employees to defined-contribution plans like 401(k)s. Match their contributions generously. But end the guaranteed-benefit structure that forces cities to choose between pensions and potholes. The "public employees accepted lower pay for better benefits" argument doesn't survive contact with the data. California state workers already earn 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 than private-sector equivalents in most categories, collect massive health benefits, enjoy job security private workers can only dream of, and then retire on six-figure pensions funded by people who will never see one. $𝟮𝟲𝟱 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁. $𝟱𝟭 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀. 𝟰𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘅-𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝟰𝟬𝟭(𝗸)𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀?

Speaking to the Jewish community in Rome, Pope John Paul II made crystal clear the teaching of the Catholic Church on 1) the brotherhood of Jews and Christians; 2) the sinfulness of anti-Jewish hatred and prejudice; and 3) the irrevocability of God's covenant with the Jewish people: "The Jewish religion is not 'extrinsic' to us, but in a certain way is 'intrinsic' to our own religion. With Judaism therefore we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers and, in a certain way, you are our elder brothers. On the basis of this brotherhood renewed by Christ, the Church rejects every form of discrimination and anti-Semitism. She condemns them as contrary to the very spirit of Christianity. She deplores all hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews at any time and by anyone.... The covenant between God and the Jewish people has never been revoked. 'The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable' (Rom 11:29).

@LizWolfeReason I’m so very sorry for your loss and so blessed to hear this loving story.

King Solomon died yesterday at two and a half months old. We loved him really well, and we don't have any regrets. We got nine days at home with him after 61 days in the NICU. Nine will never feel like enough, but we must accept what is given to us––we were never in control. Let's take stock of all God's mercies, how He worked through people: My OB, who heard my conviction about carrying Sol to term even with his disabilities, and supported it fully, with empathy and respect; the nurses in the Lenox Hill NICU, where he spent the majority of his time, who loved him so tenderly, like he was their own; his physical therapist, who saw extreme hope for him despite his disabilities, and tried to make it so; my mom, who put her own life on hold to come live in New York with us for the whole winter, to watch Zev and keep our household running; Zev, who wanted to wear matching pajamas with his brother each night he was home (and some of the nights Sol was in the NICU), who was eager to come to the hospital with us to play in the lobby even though he wasn't often allowed in the NICU, who chose not to be afraid of hospitals or tubes but to touch and kiss and snuggle his brother whenever he was able; @nwilliams030 and @rSanti97, who camped out at the hospital during Sol's final days so we would never feel alone, who watched Zev whenever our family had to dip back down to Texas; the people who covered us in prayer all over the country. Perhaps most of all, I'm grateful for my husband: He wasn't Catholic or pro-life when we met, but life experience has brought him to these beliefs. They ground us now; his faith is steadfast. He didn't leave Sol's side during those final, hardest days. He doesn't falter. Something tragic happened to our family, but we won't become permanently sad or dark; we really believe in God's promises. We're called to hope, no matter what, and the best we can do is serve our children with everything we've got. That's what we did, and in the process we got to glimpse the goodness of the Lord over and over again.

Just got her eyes done.

@yashar I’m so with you. Candace is just slightly less crazy than Kanye. Tucker is evil.

Personally, I much prefer Candace Owens’ style of Jew hatred over Tucker Carlson’s. It’s more honest. Candace is like, “Damn right I said the Jews did it.” Tucker clutches his pearls and says, “What do you mean? My religion tells me I can’t hate anyone! Except for the group, which I will not name, that murdered Jesus.”

If Vice President Vance doesn’t condemn Tucker Carlson now, that’s it. @VP @JDVance: Either you condemn this, or you forfeit your viability as a presidential candidate. The choice is yours. If you do not condemn this now, you are unfit to lead — and unworthy of the oval office.

Holy sh*t. Stop what you’re doing. Give yourself 3 minutes. Listen to this. Marco Rubio 2015. He called it. He called it word for word, like a play-by-play.

@koshercockney More important than ever to build bonds around moral priorities. Principles over politics and parties.

If any of my followers (that I don’t follow back already) support the Iranian people against the Islamic Republic, or if you are from Iran or are part of the Iranian diaspora then I want to follow you. Please comment below and I’ll follow you back. Also be sure to go through the comments yourself and follow others that comment and don’t forget to share this so it can reach more supporters. That way we can build a good community and network that are all following and sharing content, subsequently making our voices louder and supporting the people of Iran. Add each other, share each other’s voices. Let’s get a snowball effect going. I will try and follow all back, but bear in mind there are follow limits. So will continue when they get lifted. Let’s not stop talking about Iran. Let’s show Iranians that they are NOT alone. Iranians - Stay safe. Stay strong. We will not stop shouting our support. Free Iran. 🇮🇷🦁🌞

Grifted their way into obsolescence

“I repeat: I have no moral center. None.” Keir Starmer