I have these Black Panthers up here with guns on the 2nd floor. Is this the way the racist government works? Don’t let *** man, uh, exercise his, his, his constitutional rights. They never gave the party credit for anything. We were the boogeymen. It’s become, um, you know, *** very complicated, interesting area of law. Is it about who has the guns, who has the guns, you know, it’s, it’s plain to see. It’s what we call *** sentinel event. It’s not just that the event happened, it’s that that event was in everybody’s living room. There’s another one in California, and that was the mass shooting at Cleveland School in Stockton. Shortly before 120 Tuesday. *** lone gunman, Patrick Edward Purdy, walked onto the playground at Cleveland Elementary armed with 2 pistols and *** semi-automatic rifle. 18 bullets came through my wall. The whole room turned white. Mass shootings were not *** thing. School shootings were unheard of. I tried to find out where they were where they were hit. I tried to stop the bleeding. Her leg was shattered. All her bones in her leg was shattered, but this year there’s an all-out push by certain lawmakers to ban all semi-automatic military-type weapons. From my cold dead hands. Like this one, the Soviet designed AK-47 assault rifle. There is absolutely no reason why out on the street today *** civilian should be carrying *** loaded weapon. The Constitution says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. You can turn back in time and you can say right there. It’s where the course of events change.
Watch the trailer for the KCRA 3 documentary “Liberty and Limits: Guns in California”
Our documentary looks at two major California events that have shaped how we talk about and regulate guns in the U.S.
On May 2, 1967, the Black Panther Party came to the California State Capitol armed in protest of a bill eliminating open carry in California.On Jan. 17, 1989, Patrick Purdy opened fire on a Stockton schoolyard, killing five children and injuring dozens. The dates of two of Northern California’s biggest historical events may seem unrelated but they both inform a discussion about one thing: guns.The KCRA 3 documentary “Liberty and Limits: Guns in California” looks at how these two events, decades apart, have rippled across time to inform us still today. In 1967, then-Gov. Reagan was on the steps of the California Capitol pushing for gun control. He switched his position in the 1980s. The documentary also shows how the tragic killing of schoolchildren may have helped reduce the death rate in California.”Liberty and Limits: Guns in California” takes a look at the impact on the law and the U.S. Constitution that came as a result of each event. How the Black Panthers were talking about the Second Amendment right to bear arms, leading to a law we’re still debating today: open carry. The first internationally known school shooting, in Stockton, would push lawmakers across the country to reflect on gaps in regulations.Our documentary, airing Sunday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m. on KCRA 3, explores how these events continue to inform us and the legacy the people involved are leaving for others.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
On May 2, 1967, the Black Panther Party came to the California State Capitol armed in protest of a bill eliminating open carry in California.
On Jan. 17, 1989, Patrick Purdy opened fire on a Stockton schoolyard, killing five children and injuring dozens.
The dates of two of Northern California’s biggest historical events may seem unrelated but they both inform a discussion about one thing: guns.
The KCRA 3 documentary “Liberty and Limits: Guns in California” looks at how these two events, decades apart, have rippled across time to inform us still today. In 1967, then-Gov. Reagan was on the steps of the California Capitol pushing for gun control. He switched his position in the 1980s. The documentary also shows how the tragic killing of schoolchildren may have helped reduce the death rate in California.
“Liberty and Limits: Guns in California” takes a look at the impact on the law and the U.S. Constitution that came as a result of each event. How the Black Panthers were talking about the Second Amendment right to bear arms, leading to a law we’re still debating today: open carry.
The first internationally known school shooting, in Stockton, would push lawmakers across the country to reflect on gaps in regulations.
Our documentary, airing Sunday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m. on KCRA 3, explores how these events continue to inform us and the legacy the people involved are leaving for others.
“Strawberry smoothie!, I found it!” shrieks a high-pitched 10-year-old voice.
“I need the Baby Face serum,” says another 5th-grade girl.
“It’s right here,” says a third. “Oh, it’s actually kind of cute,” she adds, referring to the baby pink packaging.
That’s just some of the audio recorded when CBS News California Investigates Correspondent Julie Watts sent her 5th-grade daughter and some classmates (with parents’ permission) undercover shopping for skincare products to see what would happen when the kids tried to buy products that, according to dermatologists, contain anti-aging ingredients that could harm their young skin.
From bubblegum cleansers to Sephora Barbie to kid-fluencers promoting viral brands, the skincare industry is cashing in on the so-called “Sephora kids” trend, named after one of the trendy cosmetic stores that sells the viral skincare brands, though Sephora didn’t create the trend.
Nielsen data show Gen Alpha (kids under 12) households spend billions of dollars a year on skincare and makeup. However, dermatologists warn that many viral products, which are sold in brightly-colored packaging and appear to be marketed to kids, often contain hidden anti-aging ingredients that can harm young skin.
The industry says it doesn’t market adult skincare to kids, but most shoppers wouldn’t know that by looking at the shelf or even the fine print on the fruit-shaped and brightly colored packaging with product names like “strawberry smooth” and “baby facial.”
“Do you think it smells like blackberries?” one girl asked when selecting a retinol product in a blackberry-shaped bottle that comes in a fruit-covered box. “Probably,” another girl responded.
In a recent interview with Fortune Magazine, Sephora’s CEO insisted that the company does not market to kids. “It is incumbent on us, it is incumbent on our over 250, 300 brands, that we’re talking to the right audience at the right time about the right thing.”
Take a look at the shelf. Can you tell the difference?
Green checks indicate products intended for kids, according to the skincare brand. A red “X” indicates products not intended for kids, according to the brand.
Green checks indicate products intended for kids, according to the skincare brand. A red “X” indicates products not intended for kids, according to the brand.
Our undercover shoppers couldn’t, and no one at Sephora or competitor Ulta Beauty seemed concerned when the undercover tweens bought only products intended for older skin.
Enter the so-called Sephora kids bill, which, according to the author, Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee, was intended to target the industry that some say is cashing in on the “Sephora kids” craze.
Assembly Bill 728 would trigger an age verification flag at the register when clerks scan “anti-aging” products with certain ingredients like retinol and harsh acids. Kids would need to be with someone over 18 in order to buy those products in-store, and there’d be a pop-up similar to this one for vapes when purchasing the products online.
Opponents, including the retail industry, the skincare industry and dermatologists, called the bill misguided. They blame social media, not the skincare industry, and argue that the age restrictions would be too difficult to implement.
As it turns out, social media marketing is so effective that the skincare industry also used it to try to kill the bill.
CBS News Confirmed found that the Personal Care Product Council, which represents the skincare industry, spent thousands of dollars targeting lawmakers with misleading Facebook and Instagram ads claiming the bill would require an ID “to buy cosmetics.”
But who better to investigate the proposed solution than the kids it aims to protect? So, Watts teamed up with her daughter’s fifth-grade class.
Watts took the kids to the California State Capitol, where they interviewed lawmakers and lobbyists and attended the bill’s first hearing, where they heard from supporters and opponents.
“A lot of doctors prescribe or just recommend retinoids and retinols for kids and teens. So what do you think about that?” one of the children asked Asm. Lee, who happens to be California’s youngest legislator.
“That’s a good question,” Lee responded. “So in a prescription setting, it makes a lot more sense, right? But the products that we’re talking about, you buy Sephora or Ulta, you don’t have to ever see a doctor about these things.”
He explained that a warning at the register, rather than fine print on the box, would be harder to miss and it would ensure that an adult is aware that the product is not intended for young skin.
When asked by a student why this bill was so important to him, Lee answered:
“Lots and lots of big companies, corporations that profit, that make a lot of money off things we don’t feel good about… and I think it’s really bad that companies make money off of children.”
The first time Lee introduced this bill, it only restricted products for kids under 13, which the industry said it could not enforce. So he told the kids he raised the age limit when reintroducing it to simplify the age-verification process.
After interviewing Lee, the fifth-grade class attended the bill’s first committee hearing and heard from both supporters and opponents of the bill.
Notably, she was one of at least two committee members who missed the first half of the bill hearing, including the arguments in support.
“She didn’t get to experience Scarlet’s story and her testimony and how it affected her, said one student.
“I don’t think that it’s fair for people to be late,” another student added, “because then they might only hear one side of it.”
“I’m just a bill.”
As previously reported by CBS News California Investigates, it is not uncommon for California lawmakers to miss significant portions of committee hearings. In some cases, they may be assigned to two committees that meet at the same time, or they may have to leave to testify on behalf of one of their own bills in another committee.
Bauer-Kahan ultimately declined to vote on the bill, which is also a common practice in California’s legislature. Not voting has the same impact as voting no, but without leaving a record of a vote against the bill.
Bauer-Kahan’s staff said she did not have time to meet with the 5th graders to answer questions.
“I think Assemblyman Lee would need to define what an anti-aging product is,” one student said, agreeing with Bauer-Kahan. “Because the company can just be like, ‘OK, that’s not an anti-aging product.’”
The bill passed the committee with a 4/2 vote, but was quietly killed by Democratic leadership before Lee got the chance to propose amendments.
Assembly Appropriations Chair Buffy Wicks ultimately decided to hold the bill in the so-called suspense file, meaning it can’t move forward, and other lawmakers will never get the chance to vote.
Generally speaking, the suspense file is reserved for bills that are anticipated to cost the state a lot of money.
Capitol sources told CBS News California that the Appropriations Committee specifically requested this bill even though the nonpartisan legislative council designated AB 728 as “Non-Fiscal” and “Non-Appropriations.” It was the only bill to die in the suspense file that had both those designations, indicating that it was not a costly bill.
The 5th graders were scheduled to meet with Asm. Wicks the day of the hearing, but she canceled due to a conflicting meeting. Since that day, staff for Wicks and the Appropriations Committee have failed to respond to several emails from CBS News California.
We’ve repeatedly asked:
Why did Asm. Wicks and her staff request that this bill be sent to appropriations?
Why did they refer it to the suspense file if it is not a fiscal bill and is not expected to impact the budget?
We’re still waiting for a response.
Are you smarter than a 5th grader?
In its defense, the industry says it has its own solution. The Personal Care Products Council, the lobby for the skincare industry, says brands are using social media to combat the Sephora kids trend. It cites examples like Dove’s The Face of 10 campaign, which encourages kids to be kids.
“I’m not sure that this advertising campaign is going to have the intended effect,” said Drew Cingel, Ph.D. The U.C. Davis professor studies the intersection of adolescents, psychology, and social media marketing.
He notes that telling kids to act their age is more likely to have the opposite effect. When Watts showed some of the ads to the 5th graders, several agreed.
“They’re probably going to make me want to go buy (the products),” one of the fifth-graders said, looking at these ads, because, like, that girl definitely doesn’t look like 10. She looks like six or seven.”
“A 10-year-old certainly doesn’t want to be any younger than they already are,” Cingel noted. “These are not the people that they look up to. It’s the people older than them and what they are doing.”
And when we asked the kids about influencer marketing, many had no idea the influencers got free products or were paid for their posts.
“We know that developmentally, they don’t recognize ads at the same level that adults do,” Cingel said. “And it becomes much more blurred in a social media environment.”
Critics and fans alike point to social media kid-fluencer marketing for the rise of the so-called Sephora kids craze. Get-ready-with-me videos saturate social media feeds, targeting young girls with multi-step skincare routines where popular brands partner with kid-fluencers to create viral skincare products.
Dr. Smita Awasthi, the director of pediatric dermatology at UC Davis Health, said younger kids appear to be the target audience for many of the viral skincare products. She’s seen the adverse reactions firsthand.
“These sorts of products are meant for peeling the skin, and you know mature skin could use that,” she said.
But Dr. Awasthi says removing the outer layer of a child’s skin can lead to painful rashes and sunburns.
While she does prescribe retinoids for acne treatment, “Retinol is over the counter and typically used in anti-aging products… If a 12-year-old has acne that needs medical treatment, then I would hope they would seek out a dermatologist rather than getting it on their own,” she said.
Over-the-counter retinoids for acne come with clear warnings on packaging that is more strictly regulated than cosmetic retinols.
Before you put all the blame on the parents, you might want to try researching some of these products yourself.
“Even myself, as a dermatologist, if I’m not paying very close attention, I might miss an ingredient just because there are different names for things,” Dr. Awashti said.
Hundreds of people gathered in front of the California State Capitol to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, creating a somber yet spirited celebration as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues.”This day is a reminder to the whole world what freedom is about. And Ukraine fighting for their freedom,” said Vlad Skots, a Ukrainian American.Skots explained the evening’s significance, noting, “I would say we are not necessarily celebrating. We are here to remark the courage of the Ukrainian people. We are here to celebrate the American support.”While many Ukrainians want to celebrate, they are also mourning the lives lost in the fight to protect their freedom as the war continues.”The war today, it’s not only Ukrainian problem, that’s the global problem. And I deeply believe the United States will support Ukraine,” Skots said.Despite the current state of their country, attendees waved Ukrainian flags, danced to music and created a sense of community for refugees like Liana Lischenko, who arrived in Sacramento three years ago. “I remember my country, and I realize that I’m in Ukraine right now, and I have friends here who speak Ukrainian. And this is so kind,” Lischenko said.The gathering served as an important reminder of what they are still fighting for. “It’s not something particularly about country. It’s not about this group as a country only. No, that’s more than country. This is our value, our freedom, independence, what we stand for and what we will fight for,” Skots said.The event raised money for the Ukrainian military and featured multiple resource tents for those looking to get involved in the community.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Hundreds of people gathered in front of the California State Capitol to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, creating a somber yet spirited celebration as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues.
“This day is a reminder to the whole world what freedom is about. And Ukraine fighting for their freedom,” said Vlad Skots, a Ukrainian American.
Skots explained the evening’s significance, noting, “I would say we are not necessarily celebrating. We are here to remark the courage of the Ukrainian people. We are here to celebrate the American support.”
While many Ukrainians want to celebrate, they are also mourning the lives lost in the fight to protect their freedom as the war continues.
“The war today, it’s not only Ukrainian problem, that’s the global problem. And I deeply believe the United States will support Ukraine,” Skots said.
Despite the current state of their country, attendees waved Ukrainian flags, danced to music and created a sense of community for refugees like Liana Lischenko, who arrived in Sacramento three years ago.
“I remember my country, and I realize that I’m in Ukraine right now, and I have friends here who speak Ukrainian. And this is so kind,” Lischenko said.
The gathering served as an important reminder of what they are still fighting for.
“It’s not something particularly about country. It’s not about this group as a country only. No, that’s more than country. This is our value, our freedom, independence, what we stand for and what we will fight for,” Skots said.
The event raised money for the Ukrainian military and featured multiple resource tents for those looking to get involved in the community.
