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Trump picks Chavez-DeRemer for Labor sec. President-elect Donald Trump picks Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor secretary 02:12 Washington — Former GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination to lead the Labor Department under President Trump is all but certain to be advanced Thursday with the help of Democrats.  The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is set to vote Thursday morning to consider moving her nomination forward.  Facing opposition from Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican member of the committee, Chavez-DeRemer’s path to confirmation once appeared in doubt. Paul had said he would oppose her because of her previous support for pro-labor policies.  Chavez-DeRemer was one of only three Republicans who supported the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, in the last Congress, which did not advance past introduction. The bill would have made it easier for workers to unionize. During her confirmation hearing last week, the former lawmaker addressed her prior support for the bill, saying it was “imperfect” and she backs right-to-work laws, which allow workers to choose whether or not to join a union.  Without Paul, Chavez-DeRemer needs at

A Lompoc brewery is making some changes in an effort to grow with demand. In a social media post, Cold Coast Brewing Company says theyre shifting their license to operate as a tavern. The change will allow them to update brewing equipment, get another cold storage unit and, down the road, a canning line, so they can become stronger and be able to distribute. Tasting room manager Nathan Navarro says in the meantime, theyll be selling and serving beers from other breweries at their Ocean Avenue location. Navarro says the change is a positive one, giving people more options. He also is hoping more people find out about their brewery. That way, when we go back to brewing, they already know about us,” he said. Cold Coast Brewery has been able to brew more than 80 beers depending on available ingredients. Our flagships are usually the tropical IPA, cold classic, the double IPA. We are going to be keeping the cold classic, the tropical IPA, and our salty, our Salty Boy, which is, just a non-flavored seltzer that we put some syrup in and, like

Scammers are getting smarter, but you can stay one step ahead. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving the Tri-Counties, in partnership with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is hosting a free educational webinar on March 4 at 11 a.m. “Unmasking Impostor Scams: Key Strategies to Protect Yourself” is a webinar that will teach attendees how to spot and avoid scams, protect their identity, and safeguard their finances. Experts will share real-life case studies and provide practical tips to help businesses and consumers recognize red flags. Richard Copelan with the BBB said the event will be particularly useful for small business owners who are often targeted by fraudsters. You risk losing everything financially if scammers get ahold of your financial information, Copelan said. Theres also the issue of a data breach. A business could have its data held for ransom. I recently had a colleague go through that, and it was an absolute nightmare. Its shocking how much detail scammers can gather about you and your employees through a data breach. Registration is now open at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3972165420219669343. The webinar is free, but space is limited. WATCH:

Three people were killed in a fiery crash Wednesday involving four vehicles that closed multiple lanes of the Riverside (91) Freeway in Anaheim Hills. California Highway Patrol officers were called to the eastbound freeway and the Coal Canyon Road off-ramp around 12:50 a.m. Wednesday and found the victims and the vehicles, CHP Officer Sergio Rivera said. An Infiniti sedan was stopped in the No. 2 lane of the freeway for an unknown reason, causing a Honda to also stop before a Hyundai slammed into the rear of the Honda, which burst into flames, killing the three occupants, Rivera said. A Toyota passing by also sustained some minor damage, he added. The other drivers complained of pain, but otherwise there were no other serious injuries besides the three who were killed. It will take time for investigators to confirm the identities of those killed in the Honda, Rivera said. The CHP issued a Sigalert that closed all lanes of the 91 Freeway for several hours while they investigated the cause of the crash.

A former top state oil regulator can proceed with retaliation claims in a lawsuit in which he says he was forced out by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration for objecting to orders that he implement a law that was about to be placed on hold because of an industry-funded voter referendum. Former State Oil and Gas Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntuk alleges in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit brought in September 2023 that he was forced to resign a little more than a week after filing a whistleblower complaint with the state Department of Conservation that also raised concerns about the legality of a plan to halt all new drilling permits statewide without the proper authority. Judge Gail Killefer heard arguments on the Attorney General’s Office’s dismissal motion Friday, took the case under submission and issued her final ruling Tuesday. The judge did dismiss Ntuk’s causes of action for wrongful and constructive termination as well as whistleblower protection and state Labor Code violations. Ntuk is a former engineer with Chevron whose oil-field moratoriums and other actions drew strong criticism from oil and gas producers. The suit deals