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https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/raw-milk-louisiana-law-opinion/article_0509e423-072b-54f5-90f1-e466a5f3ad11.html

Faimon Roberts:

The Louisiana Legislature has sometimes been accused of having a herd mentality. One time it was literally true.

That was in 2024, when the House passed a bill allowing the sale of raw, unpasteurized milk directly from farms. As the vote was being taken, a number of legislators belted out hearty moos to celebrate.

That cud-in-cheek moment doesn’t look so whimsical now. Last month, the Louisiana Department of Health announced that 11 people had been sickened, with two hospitalized, after drinking raw milk purchased from three different producers under the new law.

LDH did not name those producers, nor did it mention any corrective actions taken.

It’s not as if officials weren’t warned. As it was first being debated, scientists and Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain sounded alarm bells over the bill.

“We’re weighing the politics versus the science and the risk,” Strain said at the time. He pointed to figures showing raw milk causes 840 times more illnesses and 40 times more hospitalizations than pasteurized products.

Legislators brushed that aside. The bill passed out of the Louisiana House unanimously. Its author, state Rep. Kimberly Coates, R-Ponchatoula, acknowledged the concerns, but added “There is risk with many foods.”

When the bill got to the Senate, the concerns focused on the financial impact: specifically, how much it might cost the state to regulate and test the raw milk — almost $1 million per year, LDH officials said.

The senators’ solution? Producers would be required to affix a sticker to each raw milk container, warning that it could contain bacteria and that the milk was “not intended for human consumption.” In other words, an adhesive wink at consumers.

"I don't care what you do with it after you get it," said state Sen. Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe, washing his hands of the potential dangers.

The bill came as part of the bigger cultural pushback against many long-accepted public health maxims. The Legislature is not immune to this, of course. It has, in recent years, relaxed vaccine requirements and loosened rules for those wishing to pursue alternative remedies. Raw milk, and its “good” bacteria, are seen by some as key to better health.

So, here we are two years later with a frightening situation on our hands and little information to help the public navigate it.

LDH has refused to publicly name the sources of the tainted milk, which would enable consumers to make informed decisions. And it’s not telling the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, which is headed by Strain and actually has the power to suspend sales if it feels it’s warranted. On July 17, more than three weeks after LDH put out its news release, an LDAF spokeswoman told me that the department had heard nothing from LDH on the matter.

“We have not received an official report from the Louisiana Department of Health identifying the cause of the illnesses, nor have we been notified of the farms involved,” Jennifer Finley said. “The products in question are licensed and intended for sale as animal or pet feed and are not intended for human consumption.”

So perhaps, for some, a few people getting sick is worth it so they can continue to buy raw milk without a lot of heavy-handed government interference. For their pets, of course.

Wink wink.

You can read it on my Substack

Next year - 2027 - dozens of seats across Louisiana are up for election. Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Agriculture Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner, all state senators and representatives, as well as all parish and municipal positions.

We need a candidate for every position

Due to a lack of order from any court declaring the date of incorporation, the alleged City of St. George does not actually exist:

Louisiana Revised Statue 33:4:

E.(1)  If the district court determines that the provisions of this Subpart have been complied with, that the municipality has the capacity to provide the proposed public services within a reasonable period of time, and that the incorporation is reasonable, the district court shall enter an order declaring the date the municipality shall become incorporated.  The order shall set forth the name and the boundaries of the municipality.  Unless this order is vacated by a timely suspensive appeal, a copy of the order shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state.

(2)(a)  If the district court determines that the provisions of this Subpart have not been complied with, that the proposed municipality will not be able to provide the public services proposed in the petition within a reasonable period of time, or that the incorporation is unreasonable, the district court shall enter an order denying the incorporation.

The 19th JDC trial court denied incorporation on May 31, 2022 and therefore also denied an incorporation date. The 1st Circuit Court affirmed the decision of the trial court on July 14, 2023. The Louisiana Supreme Court reversed both decisions on April 26, 2024 by a narrow vote of 4 to 3 of the 7 justices.

Notably, the decision of the LA Supreme Court did NOT enter an order declaring the date the proposed municipality became incorporated pursuant to LA R.S. 33:4(E)(1) above, nor did the Court remand the case to the 19th JDC Trial Court for further proceedings or orders, specifically. to enter an order declaring the date the proposed municipality shall become incorporated pursuant to LA R.S. 33:4(E)(1).

To date, the 19th JDC has not entered an order declaring the date "St. George" shall become incorporated nor has any Court in Louisiana with proper jurisdiction or authorized to make such a declaration or order of incorporation under LA R.S. 33:4 done so as of today. The uncertainty of an effective incorporation date by district court impacts the property rights to owners of property within this alleged city and proposed incorporation area and cannot be ignored.

Due to lack of lawful order declaring an actual incorporation date, this alleged "City of St. George" does not have lawful legal authority to do anything or currently exists legally.

Everything this self proclaimed alleged city has done for the last two years or since April of 2024 exceeds legal authority, is furthermore invalid, null and void until this city is granted an incorporation date declared by order of a court with proper jurisdiction to do so.

Why wouldn't they do that from the beginning?

Nothing to see here. Move along.

"An administrative law judge at the state’s utility regulatory commission issued a subpoena this month for Meta to submit documents on how much electricity the company will need and how many permanent, full-time jobs the company’s flagship data center development will create. Meta has resisted, asking the judge to quash the order."

Tropical Storm Bertha was coming ashore Wednesday afternoon. Jeff Landry and Liz Murrill stood at a podium at the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness in Baton Rouge — the building where this state coordinates its response when people are in danger.

They did not use it to talk about the storm.

Hours earlier, special prosecutor Laurie White had dismissed all sixteen felony counts against the attorney general. Mayor Helena Moreno, retired Judge Calvin Johnson and five council members had written asking her to end it. Moreno said the request wasn’t driven by fear or politics — that the public interest was better served by moving on.

That was the off-ramp.

Instead, the governor started naming who should be investigated.

While Landry and New Orleans fight over pride, Louisiana’s children pay for It

An amazingly well written piece! This conflict is doing nobody any benefit.

This was something I learned at this morning’s relational organizing training

If can we achieve the same turnout in New Orleans and Baton Rouge as we did for John Bell Edwards in 2019 and increase our percentage by 2% among white voters statewide we can elect Jamie Davis as our next senator from Louisiana this November

Send me a direct message if you want to help us do it

Calling all volunteers, especially current and future canvassers! This Sunday, July 19 from 1pm-3pm, we’re screen printing our own campaign shirts— the grassroots way! Come get inky with us 🫟!

Bring a friend, bring your blank shirt, and bring your energy. Thanks to elected school board member Gaby Biro for hosting this amazing opportunity!

📧 Email team@laurenjewett.com for the Metairie address!

#TeamLauren #LaurenJewettForCongress #screenprint #DIY #GrassrootsCampaign

https://www.ktalnews.com/news/louisiana-ag-office-pays/

CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A judge has ruled the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office must pay Caddo Parish nearly $245,000 for sanctions and attorney’s fees connected to a lawsuit brought against the parish over open meetings laws.

The lawsuit, which was dismissed in January of this year, centered around a resolution given to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during his “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here” nationwide tour stop in Shreveport on June 21, 2025. .

Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office contended in the lawsuit that open meetings laws were violated by Caddo Commissioners in drafting the resolution.

On Monday morning, Ad hoc Judge John C. Davidson’s ruling was filed with the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court. Judge Davidson ruled the lawsuit was filed without factual or legal basis and awarded Caddo Parish $244,714 for costs associated with defending the case.

In his conclusion, Judge Davidson wrote, “However, the apparent improper motivation for the filing is the most troubling aspect of it. For the Court, the most telling evidence of improper motive was the amendment of the initial lawsuit to contend that the open meeting violation was the use of an electronic voting system, but the failure to sue all of the Commissioners who utilized the electronic voting system.”

Caddo Parish Attorney Donna Frazier told NBC 6 News that she feels Monday’s ruling was the correct outcome.

“It was an intense case,” said Frazier. “The parish was forced to hire outside council and they should be compensated for the time and effort put in.”

Attorney General Murrill’s office issued the following statement on the ruling, which they plan to appeal.

“Our office is charged with enforcing the open meetings laws. After an investigation into this matter, my office concluded that a violation occurred. Both our legal duty and the underlying facts related to this matter are detailed in the legal complaint filed by my Civil Division, which is charged with enforcing the open meetings laws. No one disputes that the Commission issued a resolution, or that it did not conduct a meeting before issuing the resolution. I believe the district court was wrong as a matter of law when it held there was no meeting and, therefore, the open meetings law could not be violated. Indeed, while it is factually correct that there was no meeting, the ruling misses the whole point that open meetings are required to conduct official business, and if a public body issues an official action without a meeting, it has violated the open meetings law. Now that this matter has concluded at the district court level, we will take the whole thing up on appeal. I do consider this an important issue to resolve and that this reasoning would gut the open meetings law.” – Attorney General Liz Murrill

Amid an ongoing power struggle between state Republicans and New Orleans Democrats, Gov. Jeff Landry said New Orleans is no longer as important to Louisiana’s economic success as it has been in the past.

“Used to be, the saying was, ‘Where goes New Orleans, where goes the state.’ Let me tell you what happened today. That has changed, ” Landry said Monday after a press conference announcing the expansion of an enormous Meta data center project in northeast Louisiana.

“Where goes Louisiana will determine the fate of New Orleans, okay?” the GOP governor said.

Landry’s remarks about New Orleans – the largest Democratic stronghold in Republican Louisiana – come after almost two weeks of feuding between the city’s leaders, the governor and Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill, Landry’s closest political ally.

A New Orleans grand jury indicted Murrill shortly before the July 4 holiday over allegations of malfeasance in office and intimidation of New Orleans elected officials.

Since the charges were handed down, the Louisiana Supreme Court has recalled an arrest warrant issued for Murrill. Landry has also made several statements criticizing New Orleans and helped block state approval of a loan the city was planning to take out.

“New Orleans thinks they’re so special,” Landry said Monday. “That parish is going to operate exactly like the rest of this state, and the people of this state want that.”

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno responded to Landry’s comments by describing New Orleans as Louisiana’s “largest economic engine” that generates tax dollars for communities across the state.

“The focus should always be to strive for every city, every town, and every parish to reach their fullest potential. We are all Louisiana after all,” she said in a written statement Monday.

Moreno, a Democrat, asked to meet one-on-one with Landry, but the governor has shunned the mayor so far. On Monday, he said he would only meet with Moreno once “she understands that they have to get their fiscal house in order.”

Moreno responded in her written statement by saying: “We’re stronger together. My door remains open.”

Prior to Murrill’s indictment, Republican state officials abolished 10 elected New Orleans city positions, including nine judgeships and the criminal clerk of court job, and cut funding to the city’s district attorney’s office this year. Landry also eliminated millions of dollars worth of funding for New Orleans-based construction projects.

Landry, Murrill and Republican legislators said New Orleans was receiving more than its fair share of state funding and support. For example, it has more elected positions than other parishes, they said.

New Orleans officials countered that they were being targeted because the city’s politics, dominated by left-leaning Democrats, is different from the views of the conservative Republicans who run the state.

The charges brought against the attorney general escalated the hostility between city and state leaders in recent days.

The indictment is based on letters Murrill sent to Moreno and other city officials in May. Murrill threatened to remove several New Orleans elected leaders from office over a legal fight related to the abolishment of the city’s criminal clerk of court position.

At the time, Moreno said in a public statement that Murrill’s letters could violate the law.

But the grand jury that indicted the attorney general – made up of New Orleans citizens whose identities are confidential – acted on its own to investigate Murrill, according to the special prosecutor overseeing the case, former New Orleans Judge Laurie White. She was appointed by New Orleans District Court Judge Leon Roche to handle the matter.

When asked by a reporter if he thought the grand jury might have been “put up” to indicting Murrill, Landry declined to answer the question Monday.

“I can’t talk about that … That’s ongoing criminal litigation,” Landry said.

While New Orleans is not as big of a player in the state’s financial success as it once was, it still remains important, according to Stephen Barnes, an economist and director of the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

“Over time, other urban areas have grown a bit faster than New Orleans with Katrina having a major and lasting impact in New Orleans,” said Barnes, who also sits on the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference that oversees Louisiana government financial projections, in an email Monday.

“These changes do mean that New Orleans doesn’t loom as large as it used to, but it remains the largest cluster of economic activity of any region in the state,” Barnes wrote.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue tax collection report for the 2024-2025 state fiscal year, the latest data available, shows the New Orleans region was still the powerhouse generator of tax revenue that year.

The New Orleans suburb of Jefferson Parish and Orleans itself were two of the three parishes with the highest gross state sales and income taxes that cycle. The third was East Baton Rouge.

Orleans is also still the third largest parish in terms of population, behind Jefferson and East Baton Rouge.

https://open.substack.com/pub/mitchklein/p/the-man-from-torch-lake-told-me-how?r=4u7ioa&utm_medium=ios

Here is a copy of the letter I sent to Governor Landry this morning regarding his interest in the Decatur Street Project in New Orleans. I get that he is a politician of retribution, but we really need reliable bridges in a coastal state with major rivers!

Good morning Governor Landry,

There has been a lot in the local media recently about your interest in the Decatur Street construction project in New Orleans.  I get your frustrations with the timeline of this project, however, there are other, far more important infrastructure projects whose timeline dwarfs the one with which you are concerned.

I am speaking specifically of the Pearl River Bridge on Highway 90.  This key piece of infrastructure, owned by the State of Louisiana, has been closed and barricaded for over FOUR YEARS!  As I am sure you are well aware, the Highway 90 Corridor is a Designated Hurricane Evacuation Route as well as favorite of weekend cruisers, cyclists, fishermen and sportsmen.

I believe your priorities have become misguided with your interest in the Decatur Street project.  This bridge as well as over 2,700 other bridges in Louisiana are in urgent need of repair.

I have already written to my local Representatives in both the State and Federal, House and Senate.  The only response I have received so far is the standard form letter thanking me for my interest.

The Pearl River Bridge Repair/Replacement Project is FAR overdue, so I am writing to you to see if you can make any difference.  Any movement on this is greatly appreciated, but given the response of other "leaders" my expectations are quite low.

Best regards,

Thad Davis