DIAMOND BAR, California, Sept. 24 -- The Specialty Equipment Market Association issued the following news release: * * * The Competition Will Showcase the Craftsmanship of Six Automotive Restylers at the SEMA Show * * * The SEMA Professional Restylers Organization (PRO), a SEMA Council dedicated to advancing the automotive restyling market, has announced the six finalists that will compete in the 2024 PRO Cup Challenge. The competition, now in its fifth year at the SEMA Show, challenges auto  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Sept. 24 -- The California Public Interest Research Group issued the following statement on Sept. 23, 2024: * * * SAN FRANCISCO - The state of California announced on Monday that it is suing ExxonMobil. In a press release (https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-sues-exxonmobil-deceiving-public-recyclability-plastic), the state Attorney General's office alleges that the ExxonMobil carried out "a decades-long campaign of deception that caused and ex  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Sept. 24 -- The California Public Interest Research Group issued the following statement on Sept. 22, 2024: * * * California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1053 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1053) on Sunday, banning plastic bags from being provided at grocery store checkouts. This move turns off the tap to a notable source of needless plastic waste in California: the plastic grocery bag. In 2014, California was t  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Sept. 24 -- The California Manufacturers and Technology Association issued the following statement on Sept. 23, 2024: * * * Late Friday evening, California Governor Gavin Newsom returned AB 52 (Grayson) to the Legislature without his signature. This bill would have provided an investment tax credit for the purchase of manufacturing equipment. In his veto message, Governor Newsom stated this bill would have a significant impact on the state general fund and should be co  more

LOS ANGELES, California, Sept. 24 -- CodePink, a grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S.-funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, issued the following statement on Sept. 23, 2024: * * * CODEPINK STATEMENT: U.S. TROOPS OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST NOW! * * * The U.S. must immediately cease its dangerous military escalations in the Middle East. On Monday, the Pentagon announced the deployment of more troops to the region amidst Israel's latest acts of t  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Detention Watch Network issued the following news release on Sept. 23, 2024: Today, a delegation of immigrant justice advocates and people who have experienced immigration detention representing Arizona, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Virginia and Pennsylvania will meet with their elected officials and key members of Congress to discuss the alarming abuses in immigration detention, negative impact of the detention and immigration enforcement system on local communiti  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 [Category: Environment] -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release: SAN FRANCISCO, California -- Today, a coalition of non-profit environmental organizations including the Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, and San Francisco Baykeeper, filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil ("Exxon"), the world's largest producer of single-use plastic polymers. The complaint, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, alleges violations of California nuisance law and   more

SANTA MONICA, California, Sept. 24 (TNSres) -- Rand issued the following excerpts of a commentary on Sept. 23, 2024, to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: * * * Will Charging the Parents of School Shooters Help Prevent School Shootings? By Andrew R. Morral This month, Georgia officials charged Colin Gray, the father of the suspected Apalachee High School shooter, with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of cruelty to children. These ch  more

SANTA MONICA, California, Sept. 24 -- Rand issued the following news release on Sept. 23, 2024: A new online tool (https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA3010-1.html) allows state policymakers and other stakeholders to estimate the potential cost of expanding state health insurance programs to include individuals who do not qualify solely due to immigration status, a strategy already adopted by many states as a way to extend health coverage to more people. The RAND tool can generate state-level es  more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Sept. 24 -- SETI Institute, a research and education organization whose mission is to lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the Universe, issued the following news release: The SETI Institute's AIR program announced the recipients of its Cosmic Consciousness residency for mid-career and emerging artists: * Open (Mid-Career) category: The recipients are the artist team of Bart Kuipers, Julie Michele Morin, and danie  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 [Category: Business] -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued the following news release: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced its endorsement of candidate Sam Liccardo to represent California's Sixteenth Congressional District. The U.S. Chamber endorses candidates for federal office who will stand up for free enterprise, including by vigorously advocating for public policy solutions that will spur economic growth, support jobs, and promote businesses of all sizes' ability   more