In February, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, D-Santa Rosa, introduced Senate Bill 512.

The legislation, quite blandly, pertained to the timing of how the Office of Emergency Services goes about selling “firefighting apparatus and equipment to public agencies outside of California, the federal government, and Indian tribes.”

It went through the committee process in March and passed the Senate floor in April. It was approved unanimously, unsurprising given how innocuous the subject matter.

But that bill was subject to a gut-and-amend. As CalMatters columnist Dan Walters once explained of the gut-and-amend tactic, “Suddenly — usually in the final, hectic hours of a legislative session — a dormant bill is stripped of its contents and entirely new language is inserted. The new measure is quickly enacted, sometimes before legislators can even read it.”

As of Monday, the bill is now no longer from Sen. McGuire, but Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Alhambra.

Senate Bill 512 is no longer about firefighting equipment, but “An act to amend Section 9300 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.”

“This bill would authorize the voters of any district that has authority to impose a transactions and use tax for transportation purposes to impose a retail transactions and use tax by an initiative measure,” the bill reads.

In other words, they are trying to make it easier for taxes to be raised for transportation purposes. If passed, this would make it easier for taxes to be hiked via citizens initiative with a simply majority vote.

As Jon Coupal from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has previously explained in these pages, “The Upland loophole has allowed special interest groups to write initiatives that raise taxes, direct the money to themselves, and pass them with just a simple majority. The same tax increase proposed by a City Council or County Board of Supervisors would require a two-thirds vote of the electorate to pass.”

The Democratic supermajority seemingly operates on the belief that government doesn’t do enough and doesn’t have enough of your money. They will go to any length to get more of your money.

This must stop.

By MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a stunning setback to transgender rights.

The justices’ 6-3 decision in a case from Tennessee effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to the one in Tennessee.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority that the law does not violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same.

“This case carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field. The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound,” Roberts wrote. “The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements. Nor does it afford us license to decide them as we see best.”

In a dissent joined by her liberal colleagues, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the majority “abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.”

The decision comes amid a range of other federal and state efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use. In April, President Donald Trump’s administration sued Maine for not complying with the government’s push to ban transgender athletes in girls sports.

The Republican president also has sought to block federal spending on gender-affirming medical care for those under age 19 — instead promoting talk therapy only to treat young transgender people. In addition, the Supreme Court has allowed him to kick transgender service members out of the military, even as court battles continue. The president also signed another order to define the sexes as only male and female.

Trump’s administration has also called for using only therapy, not broader health measures, to treat transgender youths.

The justices acted a month after the United Kingdom’s top court delivered a setback to transgender rights, ruling unanimously that the U.K. Equality Act means trans women can be excluded from some groups and single-sex spaces, such as changing rooms, homeless shelters, swimming areas and medical or counseling services provided only to women.

Five years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that transgender people, as well as gay and lesbian people, are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace. That decision is not affected by Wednesday’s ruling.

But the justices on Wednesday declined to apply the same sort of analysis the court used in 2020 when it found that “sex plays an unmistakable role” in employers’ decisions to punish transgender people for traits and behavior they otherwise tolerate. Roberts joined that opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, who also was part of Wednesday’s majority.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on social media called the ruling a “Landmark VICTORY for Tennessee at SCOTUS in defense of America’s children!”

There are about 300,000 people between the ages of 13 and 17 and 1.3 million adults who identify as transgender in the United States, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. The Williams Institute is a think tank that researches sexual orientation and gender identity demographics to inform laws and public policy decisions.

When the case was argued in December, then-President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration and families of transgender adolescents had called on the high court to strike down the Tennessee ban as unlawful sex discrimination and protect the constitutional rights of vulnerable Americans.

They argued that the law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

Tennessee’s law bans puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors, but it allows the same drugs to be used for other purposes.

Soon after Trump took office, the Justice Department told the court that its position had changed.

A major issue in the case was the appropriate level of scrutiny courts should apply to such laws.

The lowest level is known as rational basis review, and almost every law looked at that way is ultimately upheld. Indeed, the federal appeals court in Cincinnati that allowed the Tennessee law to be enforced held that lawmakers acted rationally to regulate medical procedures, well within their authority.

The appeals court reversed a trial court that employed a higher level of review, heightened scrutiny, which applies in cases of sex discrimination. Under this more searching examination, the state must identify an important objective and show that the law helps accomplish it.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

By JUSTIN SPIKE and ILLIA NOVIKOV

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Emergency workers pulled more bodies Wednesday from the rubble of a nine-story Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28.

The building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during the deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv this year. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building. The remaining five died elsewhere in the city.

Workers used cranes, excavators and their hands to clear more debris from the site, while sniffer dogs searched for buried victims. The blast blew out windows and doors in neighboring buildings in a wide radius of damage.

The attack overnight on Monday into Tuesday was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year.

Russia has launched a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 620-mile front line and has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas.

At the same time, U.S.-led peace efforts have failed to grain traction. Also, Middle East tensions and U.S. trade tariffs have drawn world attention away from Ukraine’s pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Russia.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said the attack clashed with the attempts by the administration of President Donald Trump to reach a settlement that will stop the fighting.

“This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump’s call to stop the killing and end the war,” the embassy posted on social platform X.

Kyiv authorities declared Wednesday an official day of mourning. Mourners laid flowers on swings and slides at a playground across the street from the collapsed building. On Tuesday, a man had waited hours there for his 31-year-old son’s body to be pulled from the rubble.

Valentin Hrynkov, a 64-year-old handyman in a local school who lived on the seventh floor of a connected building that did not collapse, said he and his wife woke up to the sound of explosions followed by a pause, and then another blast that rattled their own building.

He said his wife had shrapnel injuries in her back and his legs and feet were cut by broken glass. The damage trapped them in their apartment for around 30 minutes before rescue workers could free them, he said.

He felt an overwhelming sense of “helplessness and primal fear” during the attack, he told The Associated Press.

By dawn on Tuesday, residents of buildings in the densely populated neighborhood could be seen huddled in ground-floor entryways to seek shelter from the ongoing drone assault.

Drones were striking every few minutes within hundreds of meters of the building hit by the missile. The continuing attack forced firefighters and rescue teams to delay the rescue operation.

Relatives and friends of the destroyed building’s residents later gathered outside in shock, many crying and calling out names, hoping survivors might still be found beneath the rubble.

Vasilisa Stepanenko and Oleksandr Babenko contributed from Kyiv, Ukraine.

The City Council has decided to make the Promenade on Forest a permanent pedestrian plaza where people can continue to dine, gather and shop while enjoying the downtown’s tree-lined forest ambiance.

A resident group had appealed the Planning Commission’s earlier support for a proposed design for the permanent features that would be built on Forest Avenue, but the council at its meeting last week denied that appeal and also declared the road from Glenneyre Street to Coast Highway a “slow street” so the city could go ahead with permanently closing it off to parking and traffic.

Born out of the pandemic as a lifeline for local businesses who could move customers outside, the Promenade on Forest has become a town gathering and shopping spot with temporary chairs, tables and a few structures surrounded by restaurants, boutiques, art shops and specialty stores. Making it permanent would include removing the curbs, sidewalks, and parking, replacing them with decorative pavers and unique landscape features.

Now a design for the promenade will be finalized, which, importantly, officials said, will help with determining a budget for the project. If all goes as planned, construction could begin in January.

“In two years, the community will celebrate the 100th anniversary” of Laguna Beach, Mayor Alex Rounaghi said. “That demands reflection on how we’ve become this unique and special place that we all love. We have to be willing to have a vision and not do things the way they’ve always been done.”

The future of Forest Avenue and the promenade has been the topic of numerous council meetings, starting in 2021 when the idea to make the promenade permanent was first considered. City leaders have solicited ideas for what the area could look like and discussed what it would take to convert it into the destination with the vibe they envisioned.

There were also at least two public workshops held to get residents and business owners’ input, and a council ad-hoc committee made up of council members Sue Kempf and Mark Orgill met with business owners twice in 2024 and once this year.

“I don’t know of any other issue that’s generated this level of interaction,” said City Manager Dave Kiff.

Some residents have been concerned about the long-term impact on traffic from closing the street, the permanent loss of 48 parking spots and the potential for negatively impacting businesses. Several have also said Forest Avenue is the historical gateway to the city’s downtown from Coast Highway and that shouldn’t be lost.

A 2022 traffic study by a city consultant said there likely wouldn’t be a “significant impact on the parking conditions throughout the weekday and weekend because the combined utilization rate of the on-street and off-street parking facilities remained under 85%.”

In April, the Planning Commission agreed closing down the street wouldn’t be an issue and approved the design concepts, but Village Laguna, a local advocacy group, appealed that decision to the City Council.

“We come from a place of truly loving Laguna Beach and wanting residents and business owners to thrive,” Merril Anderson, the group’s president, told councilmembers, adding that he and others are disappointed the council didn’t consider options other than closing off the street. “Resident engagement was limited, and business needs were ignored.”

Ann Christoph, a resident, board member of Village Laguna and former mayor, said the group initially did not take a position on the idea of the promenade because “pedestrian-oriented spaces are appealing.”

However, it became apparent during the last few years that losing the parking along the street is not ideal, she said.

“Over 100 business owners in and around Forest have signed a petition asking you not to complete this project,” she said, also raising concerns with the parking solutions the Planning Commission approved. “Losing 48 parking spaces in a parking-straved downtown cannot be replaced by using after-hours parking spaces at the library or 10 temporary spaces at the new surf museum, or some mythical program to lease private spaces elsewhere.”

She also noted that Forest Avenue, framed in its forest of eucalyptus trees, is the traditional entrance to downtown.

“Our downtown is simple, traditional and unique to Laguna,” she said. “No pedestrian mall will compensate for the loss of our historic main street.”

Christoph added concerns about flooding impacts to the area, which she said has had three “hundred-year floods” in the last 55 years.

City officials said that hydrology studies for the proposal show no negative impacts and that trench drains would capture any excess water, which would then flow to the nearby Laguna Channel and out to the ocean at Main Beach Park.

Dozens of people spoke for close to two hours at the recent City Council meeting, and more than 500 wrote in giving their opinions.

Support for the permanent mall came from the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, with its director envisioning a “vibrant town center where visitors can enjoy year-round events,” and residents can enjoy outdoor dining and a “community hub.”

Several merchants on the street spoke in support and one resident called the permanent promenade, “A vote for today and a vote for the future.”

Rick Conkey, who runs the Cultural Arts Center, said Forest Avenue is the town’s “true gathering spot.” A permanent promenade could provide more opportunities for performance and music events, he said.

Another resident group, Friends of Forest Avenue, represented by resident Pat Menna, raised many of the same concerns as well as the impact on business from the construction time and criticized city staff for not having clear cost estimates. Some questioned the city’s overall process and criticized that there were no other considerations for something that was not permanent.

Kiff explained the project’s cost is determined by the final design, which once ready will be put out for bids — that could happen later this year, he said.

He also added that if the project became too costly, the council could still nix it entirely.

Councilmember Hallie Jones agreed that local affected businesses would need support and hoped to squash a rumor that the area would be primarily devoted to restaurants.

“I want to make sure we have a really robust mix of retail and restaurants,” she said.

Councilmember Bob Whalen, who with Kempf, promoted the concept for the promenade during the pandemic, said he has always been a fan of the area being free of cars.

“It’s difficult when you have to pick a side,” he said. “We’ve been at this for a number of years. In the end, you’re left with, “Do you want cars or not?” he said. “I don’t want to see cars there.”

My beautiful daughter always wanted to become a hairdresser, which I thought was great, because she’s smart, sociable, artistic and likes working for herself. But then her OCD kicked in, and she decided she could no longer stand the disgusting thought of putting her hands into other people’s hair.

So she decided to become a funeral director, and be around dead people all day. That’s not weird, is it?

Now, let me explain that she’s hardly ever actually been around any dead people, except maybe my dad who died and had an open casket when she was a girl. But somehow she has now decided to make a profession of this, despite her utter and complete lack of knowledge about what she’s getting into. And, yes, I told her to watch “Six Feet Under.” I don’t know if she did.

Let me make it clear that I’m not opposed to Curly Girl choosing this as a career. She could be a star. She loves to talk to people, listen to their problems and comfort them. She does this all day as a bartender, and her customers love her to death. Well, so to speak.

And she knows something about death, even though she’s only 25. I adopted her when she was age 3, but she always wanted to meet her birth father, who abandoned her mother. I later found him online, living in the Simi Valley, where he was a successful tattoo artist. She planned to go introduce herself to him when she was 18.

Unfortunately, he was fatally shot by the police before she got the chance, in what some people called a “suicide by police.” This is apparently not uncommon — you do something so heinous that the cops have to shoot you. Anyway, even though she hadn’t seen her father since she was a baby, she still grieved terribly over her lost opportunity.

Also, even though we live in a middle-class, otherwise boring suburban neighborhood, two of her high school friends died from overdoses, wounding her deeply. This really makes me shake my head, because I didn’t know anyone who died when I was a teenager. Life is harder nowadays for kids, I think.

Anyway, she knows about grief and impromptu counseling, so I think she would be a good funeral director. And she has a weird ghoulish streak, too, that probably attracts her to it as well. (Luckily this doesn’t manifest as any goth makeup or clothing, although she’s got enough piercings that I’m always afraid water will pour out of her when she drinks anything.)

We talked to my acquaintance, Jill Ann Lloyd, who’s a funeral celebrant, also known as a death doula. She thought it sounded like a good idea.

But, back to the OCD issue. (Which stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, for those of who who live in a cave.) She started developing this when she was a teenager, along with panic attacks and anxiety. It’s not terrible, although she always insists on setting the radio volume to an even number and she won’t let her foods touch each other.

I just can’t help thinking that she should actually spend some time around corpses (sorry, I couldn’t immediately think of a more polite word for them. Stiffs?) before she decides to go to school to work with them. I mean, she won’t even shampoo other people’s hair. Don’t you agree? I tried to talk her into getting a job at a funeral home, to test it out before we (meaning me) shell out big bucks for school. But, no, she doesn’t want to. So then, I told her she needs to at the very least job shadow a funeral director for a day, just to make sure she actually likes it. She muttered under her breath about that one, but I hold the purse strings, so we’ll see what happens.

Did I mention that she wants to do most of her schooling online? So, theoretically, she could almost be done with her degree before she even touches a dead body. I just don’t think that’s a good idea.

Online classes would be a good idea, because she has two babies in diapers at home so it would be hard for her to go to class. But what if she finally gets to the embalming class —which you might be stunned to learn must be done in person — and then she’s horrified and can’t do it?

Now, as I’ve told you in the past, my daughter knows infinitely more than I do, so she frequently rolls her eyes and ignores my advice. But this time, she really can’t ignore me, at least not if she wants me to sign checks from her college fund I set up years ago.

Do you agree with me? Do you own a funeral home? Don’t you think she should check it out first? How did you end up in the business? Let me know what you think. I’m at mfisher@scng.com.