News
California Senate Urged to Vote NO on Dangerous 4 a.m. Bar Bill Experiment at Intuit Dome in Inglewood
AB 3206, Bar Bill proposed by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, would extend alcohol sales to 4 a.m. in VIP areas, risking public health and safety.
AB 3206 Places Billionaire Steve Ballmer’s Profits Over Public Health & Safety
Bar Bill
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Alcohol Justice and the California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) are calling upon the California State Senate to stop a dangerous “district” bill that will punch a hole in the protections of uniform last call and expose the entire Los Angeles area to great risk.
If passed, California AB 3206, introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), would allow the VIP lounge at the new Intuit Dome Arena to keep selling alcohol long after a Clipper’s basketball game or other event has ended – and long after the legal closing time of any other bar.
“It’s just absurd to think that the success of billionaire Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion dollar investment in the L.A. Clippers and the Intuit Dome hinges on the ability to keep selling alcohol until 4 a.m.,” stated Cruz Avila, Executive Director of Alcohol Justice. “Years of peer-reviewed research has proven that maintaining existing last call times is a key policy for reducing the harms from reckless drinking and from alcohol-related motor crashes. Extending to 4 a.m. is a fatal step in the wrong direction.”
Even one more hour of alcohol sales in just this one venue will disrupt the protections of California’s uniform, statewide 2 a.m. last call. It will expose surrounding communities–in fact the entire L.A. basin–to increased harms and costs while only the alcohol sellers in the epicenter of Ballmer’s dome see the marginal economic benefits.
In 2018, the evidence for increased harms was presented to the legislature in an Alcohol Justice/CAPA report entitled The Late Night Threat, Science, Harms, and Costs of Extending Bar Service Hours. It highlighted the existing data supporting how the acute effects of extending alcohol sales would spread to “Splash Zones” surrounding various cities in California.
More recently, another analysis was released by the respected Oakland-based Alcohol Resource Group (ARG), a project of the Public Health Institute. “The High Cost of the 4 A.M. Bar Bill” was a first of its kind cost-benefit analysis detailing the effects of changing state alcohol policy to allow later last call at bars, restaurants, and clubs. The analysis disturbingly documented the worst concerns of Alcohol Justice and CAPA that public health and safety would be severely compromised if California’s 2 a.m. last call fell.
“Since 2013, there have been six attempts to pass statewide extension of alcohol sales in bars and restaurants to 4.a.m, but California said NO to all of them because it’s a recognized, dangerous policy change,” stated Raul Verdugo, Advocacy Director at Alcohol Justice. “And now it’s time to say NO again, this time to a district bill that will benefit just one entity at the expense of the entire L.A. area. If the bill becomes law, a flood of similar district bills will demand the same privilege and soon every corner of the state will be experiencing increased early morning consumption, and ensuing costs for public health and safety harms.”
There is considerable and widespread opposition to AB 3206 throughout the state and in the Legislature…
“Despite the narrow scope of the Bar Bill, it sets a dangerous precedent,” stated Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta). “Making an exception for one venue to allow operation into the early morning hours will add drunk drivers on the roads of Inglewood and the surrounding communities, at the time that early morning commuters are getting on the road. As a retired firefighter who worked in those very communities, I cannot support AB 3206.”
“Driving under the influence kills. Enabling residents to drink into the early morning hours is dangerous, and public policy should never worsen an already deadly situation,” said Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), a retired California Highway Patrol Sergeant who has witnessed tragic, unnecessary deaths.
Despite opposition within the Legislature, AB 3206 has advanced up to now, most recently by just one vote – in a key Senate Governmental Organization Committee hearing in June. It will soon be up for a full Senate floor vote. Advocates are asking Senators to place public health and safety above Steve Ballmer’s bottom line and Vote NO on the bill.
“Though the language of this Bar bill seeks to collect an impact assessment report one year after implementation — as advocates for “communities” and the reduction of harm associated with alcohol, we firmly hold to the belief that one life lost is one life too many,” added Verdugo on behalf of the California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA). “Any effort to introduce alcohol legislation that exacerbates the life-threatening conditions impacting innocent lives — should never be considered advantageous to any city or county in our state, VIP status or not.”
“This would be another capitulation to deregulation by California, at a time when alcohol-related deaths have continued spiraling year after year,” said Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, Research Director at Alcohol Justice. “We think of our state as cutting edge, compassionate, intelligent. But we are losing our friends and neighbors to alcohol for the same reasons other localities saw horrific death tolls from COVID-19: a refusal to listen to the science, and a refusal to care about human lives.”
FACTS
- AB 3206 will allow extending alcohol sales to 4 a.m. in the VIP lounge at Steve Ballmor’s Intuit Dome Arena where his L.A. Clippers will play.
- The risks of extended service times apply to VIPs the same as they do to anyone else, POSSIBLY MORE—consumption tends to increase with wealth. Rich people running into working-class people.
- These “VIP” areas are notoriously devoid of accountability and incentivized to cover up violence, sexual assault, and injury, much more so than bars open to the public
- Keeping consumption confined in a “VIP” area creates a space even more devoid of accountability than most late-night bars and clubs
- AB 3206 trades the public health and safety of the greater Los Angeles area for enhancing an Inglewood corporation’s profits
- AB 3206 will subsidize and reward nightlife alcohol-sellers at tax-payer expense
- AB 3206 concentrates profit while spreading risk, disruption and harm
- Aside from the risk of assault, accidental injury, and motor vehicle crashes, drinking until 4 a.m. creates conditions where exhaustion + alcohol becomes more deadly than either would be alone
- AB 3206 would create a slippery slope to strip away statewide uniform protections of 2 a.m. last call
- A later last call does not fill any need expressed by any reasonable adult, and granting this will make every major venue with a “VIP” room demand the same
- AB 3206 disregards 40 years of peer-reviewed, public health research on the dangers of extending last call
- AB 3206 would cost cities and towns in the Inglewood/L.A. “Splash Zones” millions in harm, disruption, and additional police and ambulance service
- Alcohol-related deaths are out of control in California, climbing from 70% in only six years. (From 10,800 deaths annually in 2015 to 19,335 in 2021. Esser et al. 2020; Jiménez, Demeter & Pinsker 2023)
- Alcohol-related driving fatalities also continued to rise, from 966 in 2019 to 1370 in 2021. (California Office of Traffic Safety 2023)
- AB 3206 ignores $35 billion in annual alcohol-related harm in California
- A 4 a.m. last call anywhere in Los Angeles is a threat to all of Los Angeles
“We keep forgetting that, when someone gets wasted and crashes their car, they often crash into someone else,” added Benowitz-Fredericks. “AB 3206, like so many ill-conceived alcohol free-for-alls that are so popular in Sacramento, might make one extraordinarily wealthy person’s night a little more fun, earn one billionaire another couple thousand dollars. And the cost? The life of an innocent early-morning commuter who never asked for any of this, never benefitted from it, never voted for it, and leaves a family behind.”
CAPA Member Organizations
- Alcohol Justice
- Alcohol-Narcotics Education Foundation of California
- ADAPP, Inc.
- ADAPT San Ramon Valley
- Bay Area Community Resources
- Behavioral Health Services, Inc.
- CA Council on Alcohol Problems
- CASA for Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods
- Center for Human Development
- Center for Open Recovery
- Eden Youth & Family Center
- Institute for Public Strategies
- FASD Network of Southern CA
- FreeMUNI – SF
- Friday Night Live Partnership
- Koreatown Youth & Community Center
- Laytonville Healthy Start
- L.A. County Friday Night Live
- L.A. Drug & Alcohol Policy Alliance
- L.A. County Office of Education
- Lutheran Office of Public Policy – CA
- MFI Recovery Center
- Mountain Communities Family Resource Center
- National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse
- Partnership for a Positive Pomona
- Paso por Paso, Inc.
- Project SAFER
- Pueblo y Salud
- Reach Out
- San Marcos Prevention Coalition
- San Rafael Alcohol & Drug Coalition
- SF DogPAC
- SAY San Diego
- Saving Lives Drug & Alcohol Coalition
- South Orange County Coalition
- Tarzana Treatment Centers, Inc.
- The Wall Las Memorias Project
- UCEPP Social Model Recovery Systems
- Women Against Gun Violence
- Youth For Justice
Jeanne Shimatsu, Prevention Director at the Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP) stated, “Our organization has long partnered with the Inglewood community to provide treatment services, including educating, informing, and advocating a safer and healthier environment for youth and families. We want to emphasize that extended bar service hours are detrimental to Inglewood’s community wellness. A few drinks after 2 a.m. can cost more than material damage—it will cost lives.”
TAKE ACTION to STOP AB 3206 https://www.votervoice.net/AlcoholJustice/Campaigns/115851/Respond
Or Text PUBLICSAFETY to 50457
For More Information go to: https://alcoholjustice.org/projects/california-alcohol-policy-alliance/ or https://alcoholjustice.org/
SOURCE Alcohol Justice and the California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA)
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Woman Charged With Felony Animal Cruelty in Santa Ana Puppy Killing
Santa Ana Puppy Killing: Prosecutors have filed felony charges against a 75-year-old Anaheim woman accused of deliberately running over and killing her puppy, Blackey, in Santa Ana.
Last Updated on October 3, 2026 by Daily News Staff
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 75-year-old Anaheim woman accused of deliberately running over and killing her puppy on a Santa Ana street has now been formally charged with felony animal cruelty, marking a major development in a case that drew widespread attention after surveillance video was released by police.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday, October 2, that Hanh Minh Nguyen, 75, of Anaheim, has been charged with one felony count of animal cruelty, one felony count of animal abuse by a caretaker, and a felony enhancement alleging the personal use of a weapon — a vehicle — to kill the animal.
Nguyen was arrested by Santa Ana police on Thursday, October 1, after investigators used automated license plate reader technology to identify the green Honda Odyssey seen in surveillance footage from the September 8 incident. Police subsequently located Nguyen and found the minivan at her Anaheim residence.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Nguyen was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail. She is scheduled to appear at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana on November 2, 2026, in Department C55.
Surveillance video led to investigation
The case began on September 8 at approximately 9:15 a.m., when Santa Ana Animal Services officers responded to a report of a dead black-and-white male pit bull-mix puppy on West Park Lane.
Surveillance footage obtained during the investigation showed a woman removing the puppy from a minivan and placing food near the driver’s side of the vehicle. Authorities allege the woman then slowly drove forward as the puppy approached the food, running over the animal with the vehicle’s rear tire before leaving the scene.
The puppy, identified by authorities as Blackey, died.
The District Attorney’s Office describes Blackey as a 9-week-old puppy. Earlier statements and local news reports described him as approximately 9 months old.
Santa Ana police released surveillance footage of the incident on September 30 and appealed to the public for help identifying the driver.
Within a day, investigators said automated license plate reader technology helped them trace the Honda Odyssey to Nguyen. Police found the vehicle in her garage and took her into custody.
Police previously said Nguyen acknowledged owning and abandoning Blackey. According to the Los Angeles Times, a Santa Ana Police Department spokesperson said Nguyen told detectives she had left the puppy because he had been annoying her boyfriend by biting his shoes and belongings. Police said she acknowledged abandoning the dog but did not admit to intentionally running him over.
Prosecutors file felony charges
The filing of felony charges moves the case beyond the initial police investigation and into the Orange County court system.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the alleged killing in announcing the charges and said his office intends to prosecute acts of violence against animals.
Deputy District Attorney Danica Drotman of the Orange County District Attorney’s Animal Cruelty Unit is prosecuting the case.
Nguyen is accused of the offenses and has not been convicted. The allegations against her will now be addressed through the court process.
Her next scheduled court appearance is November 2.
STM Daily News will continue following the case and provide updates as additional information becomes available.
Source and Related Links
- Orange County District Attorney — October 2 charging announcement
- The DA’s release is the strongest source for this update. It provides case number 26CF4923, the exact charges, $20,000 bail, November 2 court date and the prosecutor assigned to the case. Orange County District Attorney
- For corroborating coverage, CBS Los Angeles reports the arrest, use of automated license-plate readers and the subsequent felony charges. CBS News
- CBS Los Angeles — arrest and charges update
- NBC Los Angeles — felony charges update
College Life
Is College Worth It? New U.S. News Rankings Put More Weight on What Graduates Earn
Is college worth it? MIT has taken the No. 1 spot in the 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, ending Princeton’s 15-year run. But a new Earnings by Major metric could be even more important for families asking whether college is worth the investment.
For millions of students and families, choosing a college increasingly comes down to a basic question: Is college worth it?
The latest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings are attempting to provide another piece of information to help answer that question.
The 2027 rankings place the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at No. 1 among National Universities, ending Princeton University’s 15-year run at the top. But perhaps the bigger story for prospective students isn’t which university occupies the No. 1 position.
It’s a significant change in how U.S. News measures the value of attending college.
For the first time, the rankings include an Earnings by Major factor designed to examine what graduates earn after leaving school — and to compare those earnings with graduates who studied the same subjects elsewhere.
Is College Worth It? U.S. News Looks Beyond Graduation
College has traditionally been promoted as an investment in a person’s future. But as families confront tuition, housing expenses and the possibility of student debt, simply earning a degree may no longer be enough information when deciding where — or whether — to attend.
Students increasingly want to know what happens after graduation.
The new U.S. News Earnings by Major metric examines graduate earnings four years after graduation using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
Importantly, the system doesn’t simply compare the average salary of graduates from one university with another.
Instead, earnings are compared within specific academic disciplines.
That distinction matters.
A university graduating large numbers of engineers, computer scientists or students entering other relatively high-paying occupations could otherwise appear to produce stronger financial outcomes simply because of the subjects its students choose to study.
Comparing graduates within similar fields is intended to provide a clearer picture of how graduates from different institutions fare financially.
From Student Debt to Graduate Earnings
The new Earnings by Major metric replaces the Graduate Indebtedness factor previously used by U.S. News.
That represents an important shift in perspective.
Instead of focusing primarily on how much debt students accumulate, the new measure looks at one aspect of what students may receive financially from their education after entering the workforce.
The metric examines employed federal financial aid recipients whose highest degree is a bachelor’s degree.
According to U.S. News, the approach is intended to reduce the influence of family financial advantages and provide a better indication of the economic value institutions may contribute to graduates.
That doesn’t mean earnings alone determine whether a college education is worthwhile.
But for a student potentially investing tens of thousands of dollars — and several years of their life — knowing how graduates in a particular major perform economically can be an important part of the decision.
MIT Takes the No. 1 Spot
Against that changing methodology, MIT moved into the No. 1 position among National Universities in the 2027 rankings.
The top three are:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Princeton University
- Harvard University
Princeton’s move to second place ends a run at No. 1 that began with the 2012 edition of the rankings.
Among National Liberal Arts Colleges, Williams College remained No. 1, followed by Amherst College at No. 2. Bowdoin College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College and Swarthmore College tied for third.
Nearly 1,700 institutions were evaluated in the 2027 edition.
Outcomes Are Becoming a Bigger Part of the Equation
The addition of graduate earnings is part of a broader emphasis on student outcomes in the U.S. News methodology.
U.S. News says outcomes now account for more than half of a school’s total score.
Institutions can be evaluated using as many as 17 weighted measures, including graduation and retention rates, social mobility for lower-income students, post-graduate earnings, faculty resources and academic peer assessments.
The shift reflects a changing conversation surrounding higher education.
For generations, students were often encouraged to focus heavily on getting into the most prestigious college possible. Today’s students may also be asking more practical questions:
How much will it cost?
How much financial aid will I receive?
How much debt might I have when I graduate?
What do graduates in my intended major earn?
And perhaps most importantly:
Will the investment pay off for me?
College Value Isn’t Just About Salary
Graduate earnings can provide useful information, but salary shouldn’t be treated as the sole measurement of the value of higher education.
Different careers have dramatically different compensation structures.
A graduate pursuing teaching, public service, social work, the arts or nonprofit work may earn less than someone entering engineering, finance or technology while still considering their education worthwhile.
There are also benefits of higher education that are difficult to capture in a salary statistic.
That’s why students comparing schools may want to look beyond an institution’s overall ranking and examine factors such as net price after financial aid, scholarships, graduation rates, student debt, internship opportunities, career placement, location and the strength of the program they actually intend to study.
The best-known university isn’t automatically the best financial or educational choice for every student.
Economic Diversity Also Gets Attention
The 2027 rankings also highlight economic diversity among highly ranked institutions.
According to U.S. News, MIT and Princeton rank third and fourth, respectively, among the top 25 National Universities in the percentage of students receiving federal Pell Grants.
Pell Grants generally assist undergraduate students with significant financial need and typically do not have to be repaid.
Among the top 25 National Liberal Arts Colleges, Amherst College ranked highest for economic diversity under the U.S. News measure.
A New Ranking Looks at In-State Value
U.S. News is also placing additional attention on affordability for students considering public universities.
The 2027 edition introduces a Best Value Schools for In-State Students ranking, which evaluates public universities based on academic quality and affordability for residents.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill took the No. 1 position in the inaugural ranking.
That category could be particularly relevant to families deciding whether the prestige associated with attending a private or out-of-state university justifies potentially higher costs compared with attending a public institution in their home state.
The Rankings Look Different This Year
There is another important caveat when comparing the 2027 results with previous years.
Changes to the Carnegie Classification framework resulted in approximately 20% of previously ranked institutions moving into different U.S. News categories.
Because some colleges are now being compared against different groups of institutions, their 2027 rankings may not be directly comparable with previous years.
The changes also expanded eligibility, allowing additional institutions specializing in areas such as engineering, business and health to enter the rankings.
U.S. News also introduced an undergraduate economics specialty ranking while continuing rankings covering areas such as social mobility, innovation, historically Black colleges and universities, artificial intelligence programs, internships, undergraduate research and study-abroad opportunities.
Public Universities, HBCUs and Social Mobility
Among public National Universities, the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA tied for the No. 1 position, followed by the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.
The top three Historically Black Colleges and Universities were:
- Spelman College
- Howard University
- Tuskegee University
For social mobility among National Universities, Florida International University and the University of California, Riverside tied for No. 1, with Oakland City University ranked third.
These categories illustrate another reason students may want to look deeper than a school’s overall national position. Different rankings can reveal institutions performing particularly well in areas that may matter more to an individual student.
So, Is College Worth It?
There isn’t one answer that applies to every student.
The cost of attending, financial aid, chosen major, career goals, likelihood of graduating and potential debt can dramatically change the financial equation.
A college with a famous name and high national ranking could be a poor financial choice for one student while a less prominent public university with generous financial aid could be an excellent investment for another.
That’s what makes the addition of Earnings by Major noteworthy.
Instead of asking only “Which college ranks highest?”, prospective students now have another reason to ask a much more personal question:
“What am I paying for — and what could I realistically get in return?”
MIT replacing Princeton at No. 1 makes the headline.
But for students and parents trying to decide whether college is worth the cost, the growing emphasis on outcomes, affordability and post-graduation earnings may ultimately be the more important story.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, 2027 Best Colleges rankings, released September 22, 2026.
U.S. News & World Report press release:
MIT Claims No. 1 Spot in U.S. News 2027 Best Colleges Rankings PR Newswire
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Forgotten Genius Fridays
Sarah Boone Improved the Ironing Board by Thinking About the Sleeve
Sarah Boone didn’t invent the first ironing board. The New Haven dressmaker patented a clever improvement shaped for pressing sleeves and fitted clothing.
Forgotten Genius | STM Daily News
Try ironing a sleeve on a wide, flat board. The fabric bunches, the seams curve, and pressing one side can leave a crease on the other. For dressmaker Sarah Boone, that everyday frustration presented a problem she could solve.
Working in New Haven, Connecticut, Boone designed an ironing board shaped for sleeves and fitted garments. Her board was narrow enough for a sleeve to slip over it, allowing one side to be pressed without flattening the other. Its curved edges followed the lines of a sleeve’s seams, while its supports helped position the board for different uses.
Boone filed her patent application in 1891. On April 26, 1892, she received U.S. Patent No. 473,653 for her improvement.
Boone did not invent the first ironing board. What she patented was a thoughtful redesign for a particular task. That distinction makes her achievement more interesting: she understood how the tool was used, recognized where it fell short, and changed its shape to make the work easier.
The patent drawing brings her idea to life. Instead of the broad surface most people picture when they hear “ironing board,” Boone’s design looks almost like the part of a garment it was meant to support. It is a practical solution from someone who knew the job firsthand.
That is the heart of Sarah Boone’s story. Invention does not always begin with an entirely new machine. Sometimes it begins when a person doing familiar work asks a better question: What would this tool look like if it truly fit the task?
Boone answered with a design—and secured a place in the history of Black innovation.
References:
Sarah Boone’s Original Ironing Board Patent — U.S. Patent No. 473,653, granted April 26, 1892. Includes her description, construction details, and original drawings.
USPTO: Beyond Baker’s List—Black Innovation Then and Now — Identifies Boone as a New Haven dressmaker who patented an improved ironing board shaped for bodices and sleeves.
USPTO: Found on Baker’s List — Background on Henry Baker’s work documenting Black patent holders, providing historical context for the Forgotten Genius series.
Explore more inventors and innovators in STM Daily News’ Forgotten Genius series.
Sources: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Sarah Boone’s original 1892 patent, available through Google Patents.
