- Location
- Charlotte
That gives me an idea for a snippet...
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A Golden Island To The West — California ISOT from 2018 to 1850
- Thread starter Instant Sunrise
- Start date
- Original 19th Century Supernatural
- Location
- Canada
I sense impending COCO-DE-MER... a fruit which should really be labelled "The Most Crotchety fruit".
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Chapter 37
Instant Sunrise
Queen Shit of Liesville
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Pronouns
- her/she
Headlines from California
Exclusive: Controversial Central Valley Grower Wonderful Company Has Been Hoarding Warehouses Full of Food in an Attempt to Undermine CalEFDA - Los Angeles Times, January 15th, 1852
In the San Joaquin Valley, the breadbasket of California, a series of temporary warehouses have been popping up on farmland owned by The Wonderful Company. According to statements by The Wonderful Company, these warehouses are for storing additional equipment for maintaining the farms. However, an anonymous source within The Wonderful Company alerted the Times to the fact that the tent structures are in fact being used to store food products.
Under the Emergency Food Distribution Act, the State of California, through the California Emergency Food Distribution Agency, is given first priority for buying food from agricultural producers, from there they distribute the food to various local distribution centers set up in former grocery stores. Under the terms of the EFDA, the state must accept the current market price for the goods they purchase from farmers. Since the Event threw California back into the past, the market prices for several agricultural commodities, such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables have dropped dramatically, while other staple foodstuffs have risen in price.
Documents obtained by the Times show that in the months after The Event, The Wonderful Company placed an order for a large climate-controlled tent to be constructed at one of their farms in Kings County. According to their permit application to Kings County, this facility was to be used as a rest area for farm workers. However, in speaking with several workers at the farm on the condition on anonymity, none of them have been permitted into the tent.
When asked about these tent facilities, a spokesperson for The Wonderful Company said that the tents were a temporary storage facility until CalEFDA trucks could pick up the goods. However, according to our unnamed source, the tents are built to get harvested produce off the books that Wonderful reports to CalEFDA, effectively decreasing the produce they have available to sell to CalEFDA, and raising the price and placing taxpayers on the hook for the difference.
Once CalEFDA has made their weekly purchase from the farm, other buyers will show up to purchase the stockpiled produce on the black market at reduced prices.
When asked for comment, a representative for CalEFDA expressed surprise at the results that the Times investigation had shown and promised to look further into it.
181 Fremont Street - San Francisco
Jessie Benton Fremont considered herself a fast learner to the new California. But there were still times when the things that the New Californians did would surprise her. In this case, it was that her daughter's studies at school that has surprised her this time. After all, most people don't tend to find themselves in the history books for things they haven't done yet.
But here in the books about California's Lost History was a bit about John, her husband, running for president in a few years. Oh according to the books he didn't win in 1856 but he had moved the Overton Window, as the Californians would call it, away from the idea of tacit acceptance of the most abominable of institutions.
Next year would be too early, the world was still getting over the shock of California, but in 4 years and with a lot of help from some of the Californians, John might stand a chance.
The Juneteenth Protests had opened America's eyes to the rapidly diminishing popularity of slavery, and if they could keep the slavery supporters playing defense politically for the next four years, then John and her just might have a shot at the White House.
Besides, she knew that one of the Uptime Senators from California, Kamala Harris, had been considering running for President before the Event happened. She would know how to run a 21st century campaign.
The United States Capitol - Washington D.C.
How unexpected a situation was this? He had sewn up the Leadership, but getting that accolade during the largest blue wave in history had slown his ambition. His seat was safe, but up until Midnight the caucus was down to a scant 200 members. He had been in a conference call with the White House and Mitch discussing legislative strategy when the Event happened… In a blink of an eye the rest of the world except California was gone. Sure he had been elected to congress, and he was the leader of the GOP in the Uptime Remnant congress… Yeah… all dozen members of it. With people like LaMalfa, Hunter, and others. As bad as the house looked like after the Blue Wave that was nothing compared to here. Fox News would have been going nuts over "President Pelosi". Being out of government also gave him a new perspective. Being outside of it meant he had no power. Head of the California GOP… now reduced to waiting outside the House of Representatives.
The entire Congressional Delegation for California had visited DC, and even purchased a pair of townhouses, hoping that all 53 of them would be sat. He had worked with Pelosi to try and have them all seated, but the Downtime Congress was having none of it. They had only allowed California to seat the two representatives they were allowed, and by the rules of the current congress, he didn't get a seat… Jared and Barbara got those seats. It had originally been his idea that some members of the Uptime Congressional Delegation would sit in the gallery, but the Downtime Congress was adamant… So there was a rotating cycle of congressmen who stood in the Gallery, but it was clear that this congress was no less obstinate than the one back home. Those two townhouses were likely going to become the part time congressmen sitting in the downtime Congress. Two representatives representing nearly 20 million people a piece.
Leaning against one of the pillars he was checking his phone, trying to manage the fractious and impotent GOP in California via texts, calls and phone interviews with Nunes' Newspaper while the Downtime Congress blustered about having sheep to keep the National Mall cut. He looked up when he heard the Speaker call a recess. Many Downtime Congressmen were unwilling to give them the time of day, others who thought they were important figures were miffed to find history chose otherwise, others well couldn't be associated with. Even after the post-event unity there was no way in hell he'd let a GOP member take a meeting with Jeff Davis.
Yet a southern gentleman smiled and approached him, "Ah, I take it you are one of the esteemed gentleman from California. I was wondering if we might have a few words?"
Kevin tried going through the list of Congressmen, but he didn't remember this one, but he extended his hand to shake, "Of course. I would be happy to have an opportunity to discuss the business of the House."
The southern gentleman chuckled, "I'm afraid I must inform you that you are not a congressman here. Only in your little Uptime remnant." but smiled leading Kevin to the man's office in the Capitol building. "Two whiskies, George," stated the southerner to his servant. Kevin looked at the man's office. In his own time, this room was home to Capitol police, and the nineteenth century fixtures were remodelled long ago. The stove was gone, as was the gas lamp fixtures. The wooden furniture was hard oak without any concessions to comfort. Pictures of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson decorated one wall, the rest taken up by shelves of books. "I would imagine that you are unaccustomed to offices like this. One can only imagine the wonders of comfort available in the 21st century." The servant returned with the whiskies and placed them on the table without comment, moving to leave. Kevin hastily said thanks to the man, earning him an odd look from the southern congressman, but he was more interested in pressing onwards.
"Now then, it is clear to me from perusing some of your literature that our country is truly facing dire crises, and your insertion may precipitate its acceleration" he said wrapping his knuckles on a three volume stack of work by Shelby Foote on the Civil War.
Kevin nodded, sipping his whisky… he'd gotten use to downtime whisky and uptime supplies were running out after all. "Yes, while I won't bore you with uptime politics, myself and my own party believe that the United States must remain united."
The southern gentleman nodded, "I agree, our nation must change to enshrine certain cornerstones of our republic. I have sketched some ideas and am curious as to an uptimer perspective." he stated hading a sheaf of paper to Kevin.
Kevin began looking through it… Integration of wages for previously unpaid labor… Enshrining states rights when it pertains to local commercial and domestic affairs… Creating a set upon federal standard for citizenship, but keeping the 19th century standards of senate members and electors… Ultimately, it was what they were looking for. The GOP was trying to push the idea of remaining in the Downtime United States, but they were lacking partners in the Downtime Congress for that. This… while still a long way from a final deal that most of California would accept but could probably pass the Uptime Remnant.
"This is a good start to bridging the gap, although I'm sure this is a tough sale to the House."
The Southern gentleman nodded and smiled, "Yes, but given the alternative?" he said gesturing to the stack of books, "Many understand the outcome of their stasis. It is my hope that this bill will become the cornerstone of our UNITED States. Come 1860, I'm sure that some more of your representatives can sit. I'm sure you understand that seating 53 House members for one state is quite absurd to us, only New York has over 30.
That would be tricky… but it wasn't that unreasonable given the circumstances. One state shouldn't dictate to the nation, after all. The Southern Gentleman smiled, "In fact, I've taken to adopting the policy myself. Despite being paid wages, George still knows his place."
"George?" Kevin asked.
The southerner smiled, "Yes George, the negro who served you that fine whisky."
Kevin wasn't sure what his response to that should be, "I… see… You freed him, and are paying him wages?"
The southerner chuckled, "No… freeing a slave even for me would be a bridge too far, but as an experiment, I paid him wages instead of letting him stay in the basement. It's been remarkable for expanding my wine cellar."
Kevin swallowed, "...and where does George… live?"
The southerner smiled, "I'm not really sure, but that satisfies your states obsession with the institution, does it not?"
George knocked and answered, "Excuse me Mas- Mister Stephens. You wished to be told five minutes before the house returned to session."
Kevin's face paled… Stephens… Alexander Stephens, he'd never seen an 1850s photo of the man. The future Vice President of the Confederacy, the man who commanded much of the House votes in the South before the Civil War. Then it struck him, this bill he was proposing wasn't reform… This was appeasement to California. From that light it was easy to see how the southern states could enshrine white supremacy, put California in a box and forget about its "irregular politics". The southerners could lead the charge to a 14th amendment that established legal protection of the law based on race. Separate but Equal… in that environment? No court would ever rescind it without the 14th amendment.
Stephens began to stand, "Excuse me. This has been a fruitful meeting Mr. McCarthy and I must return to the House. Please enjoy your brandy, George will show you out when you finish." and with that Alexander Stephens left. George entered the room and began cleaning up after Stephens.
Kevin cleared his throat, "George was it?"
George immediately stopped cleaning, "Yes sir? Was I too noisy?
Kevin shook his head, "No, not at all. I was wondering if you could answer some questions?"
George paused, "I… can answer what I can, sir."
Kevin looked at him, he was wearing a suit that was extensively tailored but didn't fit him that well. Probably was one of Stephen's old suits. "Mr. Stephens said he was paying you a wage? How much do you make a day?"
"35 cents sir" George responded.
Kevin grimaced at that, that was far below average the usual daily wage for 1850s. "That's not enough for living arrangements is it? Where do you sleep?
"I live on Anacostine Island, sir."
Kevin had been in DC for years and never heard of it, "What?"
George cleared his throat, "You would know it as Theodore Roosevelt Island, sir."
He filed that piece of information away. Uptime information was proliferating rapidly downtime. Knowledge of more and more details of the future are leaking. "Are there a lot of African Americans living there?"
George looked surprised, "Never heard that term spoken before, sir, at least by your kind. Must say I like it better than most, but I suppose there are a fair amount living on Anacostine. Frederick Douglass is going to speak there Sunday."
Kevin nodded, the future was already changing the past… and the past wasn't learning from the mistakes of the future. They were learning the wrong lessons. Looking at the sheaf of papers in his hand from Stephens he knew right then, that California didn't have a future in these United States. They were simply too different. He stood and left to go back to the townhouse… There was nothing he could do in this Congress, it seemed.
Pulling out his cell phone, he fired off a quick message to a few of his Republican colleagues. Many were already losing faith in any sort of reconciliation between California and the Downtime United States. This simply proved it. There was no way that the Congress would ever allow a state that matched the rest of the states combined in population. He pondered what this new 19th century would be…. and curious if California would remain independent or take notes from Bismarck. He took a moment to admire the old dome upon the Capitol before turning to walk down the street back to the townhouses purchased by California on K Street… and for the second time that week he regretted not bringing a pair of boots on DC's muddy streets.
House Chambers (Hall E) - Moscone Center - San Francisco, January 10th, 1852
Rep. Lou Correa was tired. As a member of the so-called "Rump House," he was working himself out of a job and he knew it. When The Event happened, all the members of California's congressional delegation had quickly flown up to San Francisco and had commandeered the Moscone Center and turned the convention center into an impromptu Capitol Building. Their immediate job had been to keep the lights on for all the federal agencies in California. As a result, this had decimated the House Delegation in order to fill cabinet positions in the Moscone Government's executive branch.
The aim of the Legal Rationalization Project on paper was very simple, go through all the various federal laws and agencies present in California, and identify a state equivalent and how it differs, and then send a bill to his colleagues in Sacramento yo modify the state law to match the federal law if the state law was more lenient, and repeal the relevant federal law. The end result was a simplified single legal code for California that allowed business to continue as usual in spite of the uncertainties over downtime versus uptime governance.
It was a unique quirk of California that they would often–for lack of a better term–beta test many of the more landmark pieces of federal legislation, and the state equivalent laws were often more stringent than the corresponding federal laws. Before there was the Clean Water Act there was Porter-Cologne, before there was the Clean Air Act there was Mulford-Carrell, etc… So many of the changes ended up being very subtle amendments to the existing laws, followed by a repeal of the relevant federal law.
Taken out of context, President Pelosi appeared to be the biggest deregulator in American history, having cut federal programs that uptime Republicans had long wanted to eliminate in favor of beefing up the relevant state law. In practice, very little would actually change.
In front of him was the results of his part of the project, the Americans with Disabilities Act. Like in other cases, California had passed their own variation of the ADA before Washington. And while the two laws were broadly similar, there were still thousands of minute differences. Most of these had already been amended and changed to conform to the ADA in cases where Washington learned from California's experience and made the relevant adjustments, but there were still a few difference to hammer out. Those had now been passed by the state legislature, and now the ADA had been rendered moot.
As the new speaker of the house gave him the floor, Correa brought the proposed bill to the floor.
"Madam Speaker, as part of the legislative rationalization program, I am introducing a new bill before the Congress." He spoke up. "H.R. 5835, Americans with Disabilities Act Rationalization."
He struggled to wince at the bill's title and prayed that he hadn't just sunk his political career if somebody took that statement out of context.
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - October 2nd, 1851
The Roosevelt, after 10 weeks of sailing, had arrived at Pearl Harbor. Her arrival had been hyped for a while for many reasons, the prince being on board being one of them. As it entered the harbor, onlookers started rushing in to watch the impossibly gigantic ship. The ship had started to slow down as it came close to the harbor, when a strange cigar shaped craft unfurled its wings and what looked like large fans, and flew off of the deck of the ship and made its way to the beach.
The craft's fans tilted, accelerating it faster towards the beach. As soon as it neared the beach, the fans tilted back up, slowing it to a hover. It gracefully landed on the beach where the assembled throng of Hawaiians were gathered.
The rear of the craft opened up into a ramp. From the ramp came a good number of people, a couple of uptime Californians, the Hawaiian entourage, three identical tan vehicles, or Humvees as the uptimers had called it, and the crown prince of Hawaii, Prince Liholiho.
The uptimers, entourage, and the prince all boarded the Humvees and drove towards the palace.
'Iolani Palace
"-and that's where we plan on setting up the airstrip."
King Kamehameha was listening to a presentation from a Gensler executive. As she went through the presentation, the King was impressed and saddened by the future.
That Hawaii would be subject to US imperialism saddened him, but he was amazed at the advancements made in the future. At this point, he had already witnessed some of the miracles of California when the USNS Mercy came into port almost a year ago, but the miracles themselves still haven't lost their wonder.
"So, where will the airport be located?" He asked.
"It's most likely to be in Honolulu, but there's going to be more surveys to determine the best location for the airport to allow for expansions in the future."
The King pondered for a moment before accepting the airport proposal, before the exec was dismissed. After that, he started planning a visit to the Roosevelt the very next day.
Vallco Shopping Mall / CRC Center Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties - Cupertino, California - October 2nd, 1851
Before the Event, this mall was slated for demolition, a ballot measure and a developer unwilling to pay out of their own pocket had created a mall that simply had no stores at all in it. Odd considering that right across the freeway was Apple Park, yet that was the situation at the heart of Silicon Valley. After the event the mall stayed closed for a few weeks before the California Redevelopment Corps seized the mall and it became a one-stop job center for San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Thousands of tech workers and other employees were out of jobs and as a result the mall had become a sort of non-stop job fair. The old JCPenney's over the year had become the Administrative offices for the CRC of the two counties, the old Macy's had become (with several temporary partitions) classrooms, or conference rooms, and the old Sears became known as the "Hopper". It was never officially called that, but the Hopper was where the queue began and you would receive your number for job evaluation and placement. Some days it was as bad as the DMV, others not so much and it was sadly a reality that the job market after a year was still as erratic as it was that the CRC stayed busy at least in the big cities. In Silicon Valley there was an over abundance of college educated tech workers, and Google, Apple and other simply didn't need that many programmers anymore, their teams were dedicated to handling the globe, and after the event… Google was valued at less than 400 million, and had left the Googleplex for cheaper offices. Apple was trying to keep things going but it had some layoffs especially in retail. While CRC centers like the ones at Vallco were within almost throwing distance of Apple, they had no job listings for tech workers. There were however many job listings for apprenticeships for electricians, linemen and other such jobs.
"This is taking too damn long," said Erin Sanchez.
The intercom rang out in the waiting area, "Now serving X-566 at Window number 23" briefly being louder than the CNN on the TVs in the waiting room. It had been a year since the event and finding work had been difficult, her job vanished only a month or so afterwards. What was the point of a shipping manager when all the ports and shipments her company got were from overseas, or to customers across the country.
"Finally. It's been three hours."
Erin had come here once before, and they asked her stuff about what she did before the event as well as about her hobbies, those being working on her car and fixing old tech. She made her way to the window, and sat down at the chair.
The man behind the counter smiled, "Morning Ms. Sanchez, you've brought your appropriate IDs today, correct?" he asked, starting to pull up her information. "You got your California ID or Driver's License? We also take passports, pre-Event Out of State IDs, and Social Security cards. Thankfully you were born in California so you should have been able to get your birth certificate at the very least."
"Got my ID," Erin said, as she pulled out her California Driver's License. "Made sure I brought my passport just in case. Even got my birth certificate."
"Good, good, you also took the skill proficiency exams. I swear CRC's probably rented out half the hotel event centers in the state for us." He began typing the information onto the screen. "All right, so it's been a year since the event, what brings you back to us?"
"I'm currently out of a job and can't afford to help provide for my wife and kid after the next month. My last job was in retail, you could imagine how well that turned out."
The man grimaced. Big Box stores failed only a month or so after the Event, once the initial buying blitz past, there was no new product coming in. Samsung was gone, Walmart Trucks weren't going up and down I-5, Best Buy and Electronics stores went first, but after 3 months even WalMarts, and other stores were closing up. It had led to a huge glut in real estate, as strip malls laid empty. "Yeah I see. Worked for Dick's Sporting Goods but I'm guessing the regional manager finally consolidated your store out of existence. I myself worked for a brokerage firm before the event, before getting this job." He folded his hands and looked at her, "How far away from your place of residence can you work? Further out the more options, and we aren't obligated to place you if there's no job available if your specified area is too small."
"I can do about an hour from home at most. Good thing that traffic has decreased since the Event."
The man flipped through pages on his computer. "Well… UC Mountain View is full. Unfortunately a lot of the tech jobs that are around would involve moving to Barstow, Redding or out near Castle AFB… Downtime Survey Corps is always hiring. The Bay Area itself…" he kept pressing buttons. "Ok. You mentioned you had background in mechanical engineering and drafting right? You got 70% on CAD proficiency, I see. How's San Ramon for a commute?"
"I can do that."
He printed out the proper forms and handed it to Erin. "Well, better go and wow them. Chevron's just a little bit past the old theaters, try and ignore the old Optometry signage." he said, "Anything else?"
"Other than health insurance coverage and agreeable hours, I'm good."
Erin proceeded out into the mall proper, where this previously was a nearly abandoned mall, storefronts were opened with simple waterproof banners over the old signs. Victoria's Secret was now home to the AFL-CIO reps, an old set of Game stores was home to Bechtel, and a few smaller employers were set up in the kiosks. Once passing the old theaters and the still closed Cold Stone Creamery, she arrived at one of the larger storefronts for Chevron. She ignored that the banner was plastered over an old Optometry sign, and proceeded to reception.
"Hi, welcome to Chevron. We have several positions available all across the state for Security, Drivers, and Refinery Technicians. Would you like a brochure?" the receptionist said grabbing a set of brochures from the desk.
"Sure" said Erin, as she takes the brochure and reads through it. The brochure was bland, and likely was stockpiled in a box before the Event, if the map of "Chevron Fuel Centers" on the back across the United States was any indication, but the canary yellow paper handouts were printed after the event, as they listed jobs for securing trucks from obstacles on the Long 5.
"I'd like to take a job in San Ramon as a Refinery Technician." said Erin to the receptionist.
"Of course you can use the application termina-" before she noticed the paper from the CRC in Erin's hand. "I'm sorry did you have a specific listing in mind? May I?" she said asking for the paper.
"Go ahead" said Erin, as she handed the CRC paper to the receptionist.
The receptionist looked over the paperwork, "Oh. Just a moment" and walked to one of the offices, and emerged with a person in a business suit, "Ms. Sanchez, welcome to Chevron. I hear you met the requirements for the jobs in Oil Exploration and Development. Please come in and we can begin the interview." she said, escorting Erin to one of the old doctor's offices, which had been fitted with a 4 person conference table and two briefcases and a laptop at one end.
"Thanks. I am hoping to get a job as a Refinery Technician, preferably at San Ramon."
The recruiter smiled, "Actually we have a position that involve utilizing your CAD skills. How'd you like to be part of a team that designs the multi million pieces of pipe segment we need to get to Houston, once we get the surveying done?"
"That would be great."
Maryland Court of Appeals
The Maryland Court of Appeals was packed today, as this case, although it was one of many related cases, was an important one for many reasons.
First, it was to be the most publicized court case in the downtime world up to that point, and near the airfields, people flocked to TVs to watch the case in real time.
Second, it concerned the Airlines, specifically their practice of filling in seats with escaping slaves from the south.
Third, this case could decide the path California takes,although some were claiming that it was a foregone conclusion.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen," said the judge. "Please state your names for the record."
And so the first trial for the future began…
The Cannonball Runners - Jalopnik - October 2nd, 1870
In the days immediately after the Event, logistics companies like FedEx and UPS were in a very serious financial situation. Like everyone else in California, the Event had cut them off from the rest of the Uptime world. While they were adapting to the new situation, and before their merger into the new Californian Airlines, they found ways to maintain theirefficiency, deliver at affordable costs to smaller businesses, and remain afloat, if only for a little while longer.
One of these ways was the use of subcontractors to deliver packages between cities and towns as soon as possible. These subcontractors often used their own cars to deliver packages along highways. And since the California Highway Patrol were busy with border control, it resulted in a minimal presence at most on the highways, attracting the street racing crowd to those jobs. With modified performance cars, taking advantage of reduced traffic immediately after the Event, these drivers sped along the highways to deliver packages as fast as possible to their destinations. And not even fuel rationing or driver restrictions would stop these drivers from doing their jobs, as they would often alternate between cars for this exact purpose. These drivers became known as Cannonball Runners, after the road rallies and films in Lost History.
As the freeways grew northward and eastward into the downtime territories, the Cannonball Runners followed. They were able to ferry medical supplies, mail, and small packages very quickly in a time where air and rail travel were hampered by a lack of infrastructure. Eventually, the construction of new airports and rail lines supplanted the Cannonball Drivers.These drivers, now out of work, kept racing on the freeways, forming the first post-event car culture: Highway Racing. - This segment no longer canon.
As Criticism of PG&E Mounts, California Public Utility Commission Announces Plans to Nationalize Electrical Grid - SFGate.com
USS Roosevelt Arrives In Hawaii - LA Times
New Gerald Desmond Bridge Finishes Construction, Bridge to be Renamed the "Ernest S. McBride Sr. Bridge" After Civil Rights Leader. - Long Beach Press Telegram
UCLA, CalTech and California Space Agency Launch Weather Satellite to Monitor Pacific Ocean. - Pasadena Daily Star
First New Solar Panels and Batteries Roll off the Lines at Victorville GigaFactory. - Desert Sun
Marin County Smallpox Outbreak Reaches 250 Victims. Public Health Officials Urge Vaccinations - San Jose Mercury News
Infill Development is about to get easier in the state, Weiner's CEQA Overhaul Bill Passes Assembly and Senate, heads to Governor Newsom's Desk - SF Weekly
California Semiconductors Plans new 32nm Fabrication Plant on Site of Former Sunnyvale Costco - Curbed SF
LA 2028 to be Reorganized Into "California Expo," a Showcase of California's Scientific and Technological Innovation. - Los Angeles Daily News
USS Roosevelt Arrives In Hawaii - LA Times
New Gerald Desmond Bridge Finishes Construction, Bridge to be Renamed the "Ernest S. McBride Sr. Bridge" After Civil Rights Leader. - Long Beach Press Telegram
UCLA, CalTech and California Space Agency Launch Weather Satellite to Monitor Pacific Ocean. - Pasadena Daily Star
First New Solar Panels and Batteries Roll off the Lines at Victorville GigaFactory. - Desert Sun
Marin County Smallpox Outbreak Reaches 250 Victims. Public Health Officials Urge Vaccinations - San Jose Mercury News
Infill Development is about to get easier in the state, Weiner's CEQA Overhaul Bill Passes Assembly and Senate, heads to Governor Newsom's Desk - SF Weekly
California Semiconductors Plans new 32nm Fabrication Plant on Site of Former Sunnyvale Costco - Curbed SF
LA 2028 to be Reorganized Into "California Expo," a Showcase of California's Scientific and Technological Innovation. - Los Angeles Daily News
Exclusive: Controversial Central Valley Grower Wonderful Company Has Been Hoarding Warehouses Full of Food in an Attempt to Undermine CalEFDA - Los Angeles Times, January 15th, 1852
In the San Joaquin Valley, the breadbasket of California, a series of temporary warehouses have been popping up on farmland owned by The Wonderful Company. According to statements by The Wonderful Company, these warehouses are for storing additional equipment for maintaining the farms. However, an anonymous source within The Wonderful Company alerted the Times to the fact that the tent structures are in fact being used to store food products.
Under the Emergency Food Distribution Act, the State of California, through the California Emergency Food Distribution Agency, is given first priority for buying food from agricultural producers, from there they distribute the food to various local distribution centers set up in former grocery stores. Under the terms of the EFDA, the state must accept the current market price for the goods they purchase from farmers. Since the Event threw California back into the past, the market prices for several agricultural commodities, such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables have dropped dramatically, while other staple foodstuffs have risen in price.
Documents obtained by the Times show that in the months after The Event, The Wonderful Company placed an order for a large climate-controlled tent to be constructed at one of their farms in Kings County. According to their permit application to Kings County, this facility was to be used as a rest area for farm workers. However, in speaking with several workers at the farm on the condition on anonymity, none of them have been permitted into the tent.
When asked about these tent facilities, a spokesperson for The Wonderful Company said that the tents were a temporary storage facility until CalEFDA trucks could pick up the goods. However, according to our unnamed source, the tents are built to get harvested produce off the books that Wonderful reports to CalEFDA, effectively decreasing the produce they have available to sell to CalEFDA, and raising the price and placing taxpayers on the hook for the difference.
Once CalEFDA has made their weekly purchase from the farm, other buyers will show up to purchase the stockpiled produce on the black market at reduced prices.
When asked for comment, a representative for CalEFDA expressed surprise at the results that the Times investigation had shown and promised to look further into it.
181 Fremont Street - San Francisco
Jessie Benton Fremont considered herself a fast learner to the new California. But there were still times when the things that the New Californians did would surprise her. In this case, it was that her daughter's studies at school that has surprised her this time. After all, most people don't tend to find themselves in the history books for things they haven't done yet.
But here in the books about California's Lost History was a bit about John, her husband, running for president in a few years. Oh according to the books he didn't win in 1856 but he had moved the Overton Window, as the Californians would call it, away from the idea of tacit acceptance of the most abominable of institutions.
Next year would be too early, the world was still getting over the shock of California, but in 4 years and with a lot of help from some of the Californians, John might stand a chance.
The Juneteenth Protests had opened America's eyes to the rapidly diminishing popularity of slavery, and if they could keep the slavery supporters playing defense politically for the next four years, then John and her just might have a shot at the White House.
Besides, she knew that one of the Uptime Senators from California, Kamala Harris, had been considering running for President before the Event happened. She would know how to run a 21st century campaign.
The United States Capitol - Washington D.C.
How unexpected a situation was this? He had sewn up the Leadership, but getting that accolade during the largest blue wave in history had slown his ambition. His seat was safe, but up until Midnight the caucus was down to a scant 200 members. He had been in a conference call with the White House and Mitch discussing legislative strategy when the Event happened… In a blink of an eye the rest of the world except California was gone. Sure he had been elected to congress, and he was the leader of the GOP in the Uptime Remnant congress… Yeah… all dozen members of it. With people like LaMalfa, Hunter, and others. As bad as the house looked like after the Blue Wave that was nothing compared to here. Fox News would have been going nuts over "President Pelosi". Being out of government also gave him a new perspective. Being outside of it meant he had no power. Head of the California GOP… now reduced to waiting outside the House of Representatives.
The entire Congressional Delegation for California had visited DC, and even purchased a pair of townhouses, hoping that all 53 of them would be sat. He had worked with Pelosi to try and have them all seated, but the Downtime Congress was having none of it. They had only allowed California to seat the two representatives they were allowed, and by the rules of the current congress, he didn't get a seat… Jared and Barbara got those seats. It had originally been his idea that some members of the Uptime Congressional Delegation would sit in the gallery, but the Downtime Congress was adamant… So there was a rotating cycle of congressmen who stood in the Gallery, but it was clear that this congress was no less obstinate than the one back home. Those two townhouses were likely going to become the part time congressmen sitting in the downtime Congress. Two representatives representing nearly 20 million people a piece.
Leaning against one of the pillars he was checking his phone, trying to manage the fractious and impotent GOP in California via texts, calls and phone interviews with Nunes' Newspaper while the Downtime Congress blustered about having sheep to keep the National Mall cut. He looked up when he heard the Speaker call a recess. Many Downtime Congressmen were unwilling to give them the time of day, others who thought they were important figures were miffed to find history chose otherwise, others well couldn't be associated with. Even after the post-event unity there was no way in hell he'd let a GOP member take a meeting with Jeff Davis.
Yet a southern gentleman smiled and approached him, "Ah, I take it you are one of the esteemed gentleman from California. I was wondering if we might have a few words?"
Kevin tried going through the list of Congressmen, but he didn't remember this one, but he extended his hand to shake, "Of course. I would be happy to have an opportunity to discuss the business of the House."
The southern gentleman chuckled, "I'm afraid I must inform you that you are not a congressman here. Only in your little Uptime remnant." but smiled leading Kevin to the man's office in the Capitol building. "Two whiskies, George," stated the southerner to his servant. Kevin looked at the man's office. In his own time, this room was home to Capitol police, and the nineteenth century fixtures were remodelled long ago. The stove was gone, as was the gas lamp fixtures. The wooden furniture was hard oak without any concessions to comfort. Pictures of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson decorated one wall, the rest taken up by shelves of books. "I would imagine that you are unaccustomed to offices like this. One can only imagine the wonders of comfort available in the 21st century." The servant returned with the whiskies and placed them on the table without comment, moving to leave. Kevin hastily said thanks to the man, earning him an odd look from the southern congressman, but he was more interested in pressing onwards.
"Now then, it is clear to me from perusing some of your literature that our country is truly facing dire crises, and your insertion may precipitate its acceleration" he said wrapping his knuckles on a three volume stack of work by Shelby Foote on the Civil War.
Kevin nodded, sipping his whisky… he'd gotten use to downtime whisky and uptime supplies were running out after all. "Yes, while I won't bore you with uptime politics, myself and my own party believe that the United States must remain united."
The southern gentleman nodded, "I agree, our nation must change to enshrine certain cornerstones of our republic. I have sketched some ideas and am curious as to an uptimer perspective." he stated hading a sheaf of paper to Kevin.
Kevin began looking through it… Integration of wages for previously unpaid labor… Enshrining states rights when it pertains to local commercial and domestic affairs… Creating a set upon federal standard for citizenship, but keeping the 19th century standards of senate members and electors… Ultimately, it was what they were looking for. The GOP was trying to push the idea of remaining in the Downtime United States, but they were lacking partners in the Downtime Congress for that. This… while still a long way from a final deal that most of California would accept but could probably pass the Uptime Remnant.
"This is a good start to bridging the gap, although I'm sure this is a tough sale to the House."
The Southern gentleman nodded and smiled, "Yes, but given the alternative?" he said gesturing to the stack of books, "Many understand the outcome of their stasis. It is my hope that this bill will become the cornerstone of our UNITED States. Come 1860, I'm sure that some more of your representatives can sit. I'm sure you understand that seating 53 House members for one state is quite absurd to us, only New York has over 30.
That would be tricky… but it wasn't that unreasonable given the circumstances. One state shouldn't dictate to the nation, after all. The Southern Gentleman smiled, "In fact, I've taken to adopting the policy myself. Despite being paid wages, George still knows his place."
"George?" Kevin asked.
The southerner smiled, "Yes George, the negro who served you that fine whisky."
Kevin wasn't sure what his response to that should be, "I… see… You freed him, and are paying him wages?"
The southerner chuckled, "No… freeing a slave even for me would be a bridge too far, but as an experiment, I paid him wages instead of letting him stay in the basement. It's been remarkable for expanding my wine cellar."
Kevin swallowed, "...and where does George… live?"
The southerner smiled, "I'm not really sure, but that satisfies your states obsession with the institution, does it not?"
George knocked and answered, "Excuse me Mas- Mister Stephens. You wished to be told five minutes before the house returned to session."
Kevin's face paled… Stephens… Alexander Stephens, he'd never seen an 1850s photo of the man. The future Vice President of the Confederacy, the man who commanded much of the House votes in the South before the Civil War. Then it struck him, this bill he was proposing wasn't reform… This was appeasement to California. From that light it was easy to see how the southern states could enshrine white supremacy, put California in a box and forget about its "irregular politics". The southerners could lead the charge to a 14th amendment that established legal protection of the law based on race. Separate but Equal… in that environment? No court would ever rescind it without the 14th amendment.
Stephens began to stand, "Excuse me. This has been a fruitful meeting Mr. McCarthy and I must return to the House. Please enjoy your brandy, George will show you out when you finish." and with that Alexander Stephens left. George entered the room and began cleaning up after Stephens.
Kevin cleared his throat, "George was it?"
George immediately stopped cleaning, "Yes sir? Was I too noisy?
Kevin shook his head, "No, not at all. I was wondering if you could answer some questions?"
George paused, "I… can answer what I can, sir."
Kevin looked at him, he was wearing a suit that was extensively tailored but didn't fit him that well. Probably was one of Stephen's old suits. "Mr. Stephens said he was paying you a wage? How much do you make a day?"
"35 cents sir" George responded.
Kevin grimaced at that, that was far below average the usual daily wage for 1850s. "That's not enough for living arrangements is it? Where do you sleep?
"I live on Anacostine Island, sir."
Kevin had been in DC for years and never heard of it, "What?"
George cleared his throat, "You would know it as Theodore Roosevelt Island, sir."
He filed that piece of information away. Uptime information was proliferating rapidly downtime. Knowledge of more and more details of the future are leaking. "Are there a lot of African Americans living there?"
George looked surprised, "Never heard that term spoken before, sir, at least by your kind. Must say I like it better than most, but I suppose there are a fair amount living on Anacostine. Frederick Douglass is going to speak there Sunday."
Kevin nodded, the future was already changing the past… and the past wasn't learning from the mistakes of the future. They were learning the wrong lessons. Looking at the sheaf of papers in his hand from Stephens he knew right then, that California didn't have a future in these United States. They were simply too different. He stood and left to go back to the townhouse… There was nothing he could do in this Congress, it seemed.
Pulling out his cell phone, he fired off a quick message to a few of his Republican colleagues. Many were already losing faith in any sort of reconciliation between California and the Downtime United States. This simply proved it. There was no way that the Congress would ever allow a state that matched the rest of the states combined in population. He pondered what this new 19th century would be…. and curious if California would remain independent or take notes from Bismarck. He took a moment to admire the old dome upon the Capitol before turning to walk down the street back to the townhouses purchased by California on K Street… and for the second time that week he regretted not bringing a pair of boots on DC's muddy streets.
House Chambers (Hall E) - Moscone Center - San Francisco, January 10th, 1852
Rep. Lou Correa was tired. As a member of the so-called "Rump House," he was working himself out of a job and he knew it. When The Event happened, all the members of California's congressional delegation had quickly flown up to San Francisco and had commandeered the Moscone Center and turned the convention center into an impromptu Capitol Building. Their immediate job had been to keep the lights on for all the federal agencies in California. As a result, this had decimated the House Delegation in order to fill cabinet positions in the Moscone Government's executive branch.
The aim of the Legal Rationalization Project on paper was very simple, go through all the various federal laws and agencies present in California, and identify a state equivalent and how it differs, and then send a bill to his colleagues in Sacramento yo modify the state law to match the federal law if the state law was more lenient, and repeal the relevant federal law. The end result was a simplified single legal code for California that allowed business to continue as usual in spite of the uncertainties over downtime versus uptime governance.
It was a unique quirk of California that they would often–for lack of a better term–beta test many of the more landmark pieces of federal legislation, and the state equivalent laws were often more stringent than the corresponding federal laws. Before there was the Clean Water Act there was Porter-Cologne, before there was the Clean Air Act there was Mulford-Carrell, etc… So many of the changes ended up being very subtle amendments to the existing laws, followed by a repeal of the relevant federal law.
Taken out of context, President Pelosi appeared to be the biggest deregulator in American history, having cut federal programs that uptime Republicans had long wanted to eliminate in favor of beefing up the relevant state law. In practice, very little would actually change.
In front of him was the results of his part of the project, the Americans with Disabilities Act. Like in other cases, California had passed their own variation of the ADA before Washington. And while the two laws were broadly similar, there were still thousands of minute differences. Most of these had already been amended and changed to conform to the ADA in cases where Washington learned from California's experience and made the relevant adjustments, but there were still a few difference to hammer out. Those had now been passed by the state legislature, and now the ADA had been rendered moot.
As the new speaker of the house gave him the floor, Correa brought the proposed bill to the floor.
"Madam Speaker, as part of the legislative rationalization program, I am introducing a new bill before the Congress." He spoke up. "H.R. 5835, Americans with Disabilities Act Rationalization."
He struggled to wince at the bill's title and prayed that he hadn't just sunk his political career if somebody took that statement out of context.
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - October 2nd, 1851
The Roosevelt, after 10 weeks of sailing, had arrived at Pearl Harbor. Her arrival had been hyped for a while for many reasons, the prince being on board being one of them. As it entered the harbor, onlookers started rushing in to watch the impossibly gigantic ship. The ship had started to slow down as it came close to the harbor, when a strange cigar shaped craft unfurled its wings and what looked like large fans, and flew off of the deck of the ship and made its way to the beach.
The craft's fans tilted, accelerating it faster towards the beach. As soon as it neared the beach, the fans tilted back up, slowing it to a hover. It gracefully landed on the beach where the assembled throng of Hawaiians were gathered.
The rear of the craft opened up into a ramp. From the ramp came a good number of people, a couple of uptime Californians, the Hawaiian entourage, three identical tan vehicles, or Humvees as the uptimers had called it, and the crown prince of Hawaii, Prince Liholiho.
The uptimers, entourage, and the prince all boarded the Humvees and drove towards the palace.
'Iolani Palace
"-and that's where we plan on setting up the airstrip."
King Kamehameha was listening to a presentation from a Gensler executive. As she went through the presentation, the King was impressed and saddened by the future.
That Hawaii would be subject to US imperialism saddened him, but he was amazed at the advancements made in the future. At this point, he had already witnessed some of the miracles of California when the USNS Mercy came into port almost a year ago, but the miracles themselves still haven't lost their wonder.
"So, where will the airport be located?" He asked.
"It's most likely to be in Honolulu, but there's going to be more surveys to determine the best location for the airport to allow for expansions in the future."
The King pondered for a moment before accepting the airport proposal, before the exec was dismissed. After that, he started planning a visit to the Roosevelt the very next day.
Vallco Shopping Mall / CRC Center Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties - Cupertino, California - October 2nd, 1851
Before the Event, this mall was slated for demolition, a ballot measure and a developer unwilling to pay out of their own pocket had created a mall that simply had no stores at all in it. Odd considering that right across the freeway was Apple Park, yet that was the situation at the heart of Silicon Valley. After the event the mall stayed closed for a few weeks before the California Redevelopment Corps seized the mall and it became a one-stop job center for San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Thousands of tech workers and other employees were out of jobs and as a result the mall had become a sort of non-stop job fair. The old JCPenney's over the year had become the Administrative offices for the CRC of the two counties, the old Macy's had become (with several temporary partitions) classrooms, or conference rooms, and the old Sears became known as the "Hopper". It was never officially called that, but the Hopper was where the queue began and you would receive your number for job evaluation and placement. Some days it was as bad as the DMV, others not so much and it was sadly a reality that the job market after a year was still as erratic as it was that the CRC stayed busy at least in the big cities. In Silicon Valley there was an over abundance of college educated tech workers, and Google, Apple and other simply didn't need that many programmers anymore, their teams were dedicated to handling the globe, and after the event… Google was valued at less than 400 million, and had left the Googleplex for cheaper offices. Apple was trying to keep things going but it had some layoffs especially in retail. While CRC centers like the ones at Vallco were within almost throwing distance of Apple, they had no job listings for tech workers. There were however many job listings for apprenticeships for electricians, linemen and other such jobs.
"This is taking too damn long," said Erin Sanchez.
The intercom rang out in the waiting area, "Now serving X-566 at Window number 23" briefly being louder than the CNN on the TVs in the waiting room. It had been a year since the event and finding work had been difficult, her job vanished only a month or so afterwards. What was the point of a shipping manager when all the ports and shipments her company got were from overseas, or to customers across the country.
"Finally. It's been three hours."
Erin had come here once before, and they asked her stuff about what she did before the event as well as about her hobbies, those being working on her car and fixing old tech. She made her way to the window, and sat down at the chair.
The man behind the counter smiled, "Morning Ms. Sanchez, you've brought your appropriate IDs today, correct?" he asked, starting to pull up her information. "You got your California ID or Driver's License? We also take passports, pre-Event Out of State IDs, and Social Security cards. Thankfully you were born in California so you should have been able to get your birth certificate at the very least."
"Got my ID," Erin said, as she pulled out her California Driver's License. "Made sure I brought my passport just in case. Even got my birth certificate."
"Good, good, you also took the skill proficiency exams. I swear CRC's probably rented out half the hotel event centers in the state for us." He began typing the information onto the screen. "All right, so it's been a year since the event, what brings you back to us?"
"I'm currently out of a job and can't afford to help provide for my wife and kid after the next month. My last job was in retail, you could imagine how well that turned out."
The man grimaced. Big Box stores failed only a month or so after the Event, once the initial buying blitz past, there was no new product coming in. Samsung was gone, Walmart Trucks weren't going up and down I-5, Best Buy and Electronics stores went first, but after 3 months even WalMarts, and other stores were closing up. It had led to a huge glut in real estate, as strip malls laid empty. "Yeah I see. Worked for Dick's Sporting Goods but I'm guessing the regional manager finally consolidated your store out of existence. I myself worked for a brokerage firm before the event, before getting this job." He folded his hands and looked at her, "How far away from your place of residence can you work? Further out the more options, and we aren't obligated to place you if there's no job available if your specified area is too small."
"I can do about an hour from home at most. Good thing that traffic has decreased since the Event."
The man flipped through pages on his computer. "Well… UC Mountain View is full. Unfortunately a lot of the tech jobs that are around would involve moving to Barstow, Redding or out near Castle AFB… Downtime Survey Corps is always hiring. The Bay Area itself…" he kept pressing buttons. "Ok. You mentioned you had background in mechanical engineering and drafting right? You got 70% on CAD proficiency, I see. How's San Ramon for a commute?"
"I can do that."
He printed out the proper forms and handed it to Erin. "Well, better go and wow them. Chevron's just a little bit past the old theaters, try and ignore the old Optometry signage." he said, "Anything else?"
"Other than health insurance coverage and agreeable hours, I'm good."
Erin proceeded out into the mall proper, where this previously was a nearly abandoned mall, storefronts were opened with simple waterproof banners over the old signs. Victoria's Secret was now home to the AFL-CIO reps, an old set of Game stores was home to Bechtel, and a few smaller employers were set up in the kiosks. Once passing the old theaters and the still closed Cold Stone Creamery, she arrived at one of the larger storefronts for Chevron. She ignored that the banner was plastered over an old Optometry sign, and proceeded to reception.
"Hi, welcome to Chevron. We have several positions available all across the state for Security, Drivers, and Refinery Technicians. Would you like a brochure?" the receptionist said grabbing a set of brochures from the desk.
"Sure" said Erin, as she takes the brochure and reads through it. The brochure was bland, and likely was stockpiled in a box before the Event, if the map of "Chevron Fuel Centers" on the back across the United States was any indication, but the canary yellow paper handouts were printed after the event, as they listed jobs for securing trucks from obstacles on the Long 5.
"I'd like to take a job in San Ramon as a Refinery Technician." said Erin to the receptionist.
"Of course you can use the application termina-" before she noticed the paper from the CRC in Erin's hand. "I'm sorry did you have a specific listing in mind? May I?" she said asking for the paper.
"Go ahead" said Erin, as she handed the CRC paper to the receptionist.
The receptionist looked over the paperwork, "Oh. Just a moment" and walked to one of the offices, and emerged with a person in a business suit, "Ms. Sanchez, welcome to Chevron. I hear you met the requirements for the jobs in Oil Exploration and Development. Please come in and we can begin the interview." she said, escorting Erin to one of the old doctor's offices, which had been fitted with a 4 person conference table and two briefcases and a laptop at one end.
"Thanks. I am hoping to get a job as a Refinery Technician, preferably at San Ramon."
The recruiter smiled, "Actually we have a position that involve utilizing your CAD skills. How'd you like to be part of a team that designs the multi million pieces of pipe segment we need to get to Houston, once we get the surveying done?"
"That would be great."
Maryland Court of Appeals
The Maryland Court of Appeals was packed today, as this case, although it was one of many related cases, was an important one for many reasons.
First, it was to be the most publicized court case in the downtime world up to that point, and near the airfields, people flocked to TVs to watch the case in real time.
Second, it concerned the Airlines, specifically their practice of filling in seats with escaping slaves from the south.
Third, this case could decide the path California takes,although some were claiming that it was a foregone conclusion.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen," said the judge. "Please state your names for the record."
And so the first trial for the future began…
In the days immediately after the Event, logistics companies like FedEx and UPS were in a very serious financial situation. Like everyone else in California, the Event had cut them off from the rest of the Uptime world. While they were adapting to the new situation, and before their merger into the new Californian Airlines, they found ways to maintain theirefficiency, deliver at affordable costs to smaller businesses, and remain afloat, if only for a little while longer.
One of these ways was the use of subcontractors to deliver packages between cities and towns as soon as possible. These subcontractors often used their own cars to deliver packages along highways. And since the California Highway Patrol were busy with border control, it resulted in a minimal presence at most on the highways, attracting the street racing crowd to those jobs. With modified performance cars, taking advantage of reduced traffic immediately after the Event, these drivers sped along the highways to deliver packages as fast as possible to their destinations. And not even fuel rationing or driver restrictions would stop these drivers from doing their jobs, as they would often alternate between cars for this exact purpose. These drivers became known as Cannonball Runners, after the road rallies and films in Lost History.
As the freeways grew northward and eastward into the downtime territories, the Cannonball Runners followed. They were able to ferry medical supplies, mail, and small packages very quickly in a time where air and rail travel were hampered by a lack of infrastructure. Eventually, the construction of new airports and rail lines supplanted the Cannonball Drivers.These drivers, now out of work, kept racing on the freeways, forming the first post-event car culture: Highway Racing.
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Instant Sunrise
Queen Shit of Liesville
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Pronouns
- her/she
Special thanks to @Firebringer2077 @Rise Comics and others for their contributions to this update
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Ah, look at all the slave owners desperately scrambling to try and keep their wealth and power upon realizing that no, in fact the utter obscenity that is the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade won't last forever.
Also nice to see Kamehameha grabbing opportunity with both fists, by all accounts he was an unusually competent leader and Hawaii really did get shafted OTL. Hopefully uptime support will change that this time around.
Also nice to see Kamehameha grabbing opportunity with both fists, by all accounts he was an unusually competent leader and Hawaii really did get shafted OTL. Hopefully uptime support will change that this time around.
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- Location
- Misty Lake of Gensokyo
I loved how accurate your description of Vallco was. Having gone there my whole life it is surreal to see someone use it as a setting in their story.
GiovanniBlasini
Transhumanist Nutcase from Niops IX
- Location
- San Diego, CA, USA, Sol III
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ditto.
And while I suspect local hospital networks aren't going to get rid of their ECSAs, if by some odd chance one particular one did, I suspect there'd be an overpowered yellow '66 Bug with an Autobot symbol on the roof tearing ass down the freeways with the Cannonballers.
- Location
-
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I found the mention that Google had to move offices to be strange, as with the glut of empty commercial and office buildings, there's little point is selling it. I believe they own it outright, so the only cost of keeping it is property taxes and the assessed value of their complex should crash as no one would buy it for a fraction of its old value. They're going to be a much smaller company, but that just means they can rent out or sell the parts they aren't using without disrupting their workers any more.
- Location
- [REDACTED]- United States of America
The update is great especially after the long silence, but this is something I wholeheartedly agree with. Why move? The facility is great, and they can just mothball buildings they don't need. its not like they are paying rent or anything and unless the buildings are unreasonably power-hungry they should be fine to keep running google from.
Lots of Red Flags before, but this is likely the dealbreaker. Too bad no counteroffer what presented.
- Location
- Canada
Hold on a second. 10 weeks in a nuclear-powered carrier is enough to TOUR THE ENTIRE PACIFIC RIM, assuming you stop for a day or two in most populated ports (besides China and Japan where the port density is absurdly high).
What sort of route did they take???
Slowboating to confuse potential enemies of their mobility?
- Location
- Canada
10 weeks isn't slowboating so much as "Went to some unpopulated bay somewhere and anchored for 2 months"...
Yeah... any realistic lawful apportionment in 1860 would have California get over one hundred representatives, not "some more of" 53. Which is probably a reason why keeping it in the US would never really have been viable.
Instant Sunrise
Queen Shit of Liesville
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Pronouns
- her/she
It went to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta first.
ComissarPancakes
Pan-Galactic Motivational Officer
- Location
- The State of Golden Fires
If it was actually still around in the 1850s, it's already illegal since that thing was banned by the Great Powers in 1807.
I would say that the Googleplex move would doubly make little sense given Google's Googleplex is Big on Solar | Solar Power Authority details that it would be one of the few facilities that could shutter some operations and be able to supply local power requirements at a profit, if they wanted. This is also assuming that they would not get state discounts to keep people employed to exploit some of their side projects and current capabilities into other resource opportunities.
Also, with M(r)s Sanchez, even if the white collar CAD position failed, they would probably find her work experience as a shipping manager to be extremely valuable, considering their positioning to become a potential world fuel oil supplier in the relatively near future.
I do think that more flags should have been raised in Kevin-no-last-name's mind when A) a Southern Gentleman asked to speak to him, B) codification of state rights that basically tells the Fed to completely butt-out comes up, and C) that "freeing a slave was a bridge too far." On the other hand, it's nice to see morals trumping Real Politik in a politician about the viability of remaining in the current US "Union."
Also, with M(r)s Sanchez, even if the white collar CAD position failed, they would probably find her work experience as a shipping manager to be extremely valuable, considering their positioning to become a potential world fuel oil supplier in the relatively near future.
I do think that more flags should have been raised in Kevin-no-last-name's mind when A) a Southern Gentleman asked to speak to him, B) codification of state rights that basically tells the Fed to completely butt-out comes up, and C) that "freeing a slave was a bridge too far." On the other hand, it's nice to see morals trumping Real Politik in a politician about the viability of remaining in the current US "Union."
Kevin McCarthy - his name is mentioned once in the piece, and even if it weren't, it'd be clear anyway from who he is in OTL.
Given that I have actually done that in a Naval vessel, that takes less than a week to get to Mazatlan direct at a slow 12-13 knot cruising speed. The usual transit time from San Diego to Pearl Harbor is one week, including training evolutions that take the ship in question significantly "off route." This would indeed be VERY slow-boating for a nuke carrier, even allowing for one to two weeks at each port for any sort of negotiations.
Tried reviewing it for the name and couldn't find it, thank you.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Sure, but it was the primary source of all those slaves and the slave owners have basically just been riding on the profits their ancestors reaped from it. Slavery in America was very much a product and direct descendant of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, which is why it was such an egregiously horrible form of slavery even by the usual low standards of the institution.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Wasn't slave trade still hanging on strong between Spanish colonies in the Caribbean and CSA (geographically speaking) despite its illegality?
USN's ability to control its coastline at the time was marginal at best.