BAlright, let's switch gears entirely. There's a legal battle brewing in California over an election subpoena.
BYeah, Shasta County. They've refused to release a subpoena they apparently received about the June 2026 election results.
BAnd CalMatters, the news organization, is suing to get a copy of the document.
BSo the county won't even confirm what the subpoena is about. That's the concerning part for transparency.
BThe public should know if a government is being investigated over an election. That's not a partisan thing. That's basic sunlight.
BBut the county has a reason for everything. Maybe they think releasing it compromises an ongoing investigation.
BThen say that. 'We can't release it because it's part of an active case.' That's a normal thing to say. Refusing to even acknowledge it exists is the part that smells.
BI don't disagree. Shasta County has a history of election disputes. This is exactly where you want the press pushing for records.
BAnd the courts will decide. But the fact that a newsroom has to sue just to see a piece of paper about a public election is a bad sign.
BSpeaking of public fights, Florida's incoming Senate Majority Leader is already throwing down the gauntlet.
BNick DiCeglie says local governments are 'not gonna circumvent the will of the people' after Amendment 3 passed.
BRight, Amendment 3 is the property tax exemption that's supposed to rise over the next few years. Big savings for homeowners, but it cuts revenue for cities and counties.
BAnd local governments are scared. They're already looking for ways to make up that lost money. Fee increases, special assessments, that kind of thing.
BDiCeglie is saying, essentially, don't try to get around the voters. If they wanted you to have that revenue, they wouldn't have voted to cut your funding.
BI think that's a fair warning. The will of the people isn't a suggestion. It's the whole point of the ballot measure.
BBut you also can't pretend local governments don't have to pave roads and pay firefighters. If the money's gone, the money's gone.
BThen they need to cut spending. That's what the voters are saying. Cut the fat, not the services.
BAnd you think local budgets are just full of fat waiting to be trimmed?
BI think there's always more than they admit. And when push comes to shove, they find it.
BI'm less sure. This is going to be a bloodbath in some counties. Police, schools, parks. It's not all waste.
BI'm not pretending it's painless. But the voters made a choice. And DiCeglie is right to say they should get what they voted for.
BWe'll see if he has the spine for it when the first Florida mayor is on television screaming about layoffs.
BMaybe that's the fight he wants. He's already framing it as the people versus the politicians.
BA classic. And it works until someone actually loses their job.
BLast one, and it's the kind of post that makes me roll my eyes. A guy on X calling Trump 'Criminal Filth' and saying the majority wised up.
BYeah, Paul Edward Hieronymus Jr. Very formal name for such an angry sentence.
BThis is the problem with political discourse right now. Nothing in that post is an argument. It's just name-calling.
BAnd the temptation is to just ignore it. But it reflects a real chunk of the electorate that is still furious.
BFurious is fine. I want people to be passionate. But 'Criminal Filth' doesn't persuade anyone. It just makes the poster feel better.
BThe election was not stolen, and he says that. But then he goes right into the same kind of garbage he's complaining about.
BHypocrisy is the currency of social media. He's not trying to win an argument. He's trying to get a dopamine hit from likes.
BAnd he got one. One like. The system works, apparently.
BI'd rather have a hundred thoughtful replies than one like on a rage post.
BBut you're not the one running for office. The people who are, they read this stuff and think this is where the energy is.
BThen they're misreading the room. Anger is loud, but it's not a majority. Tuesday proved that.