The trusted voice uncovering Los Angeles County and City politics. Breaking news, investigative reporting, and the stories that shape our communities.
Jul 28 • 16 tweets • 3 min read
Inside California’s Secret Tax Hikes: Fees, Fines, and Hidden Charges
🧵 You think you’re paying high taxes in California?
Wait until you see the fees, surcharges, and hidden penalties the state adds to everything from trash bins to traffic tickets.
Let’s break it down:
1.
📢 Not all taxes are called “taxes.”
California has quietly shifted more of the cost of government onto fees and surcharges — charges that don’t require voter approval and are hidden in your bills.
Let’s start with your car:
Jul 27 • 15 tweets • 3 min read
Why Your Homeowners Insurance Was Just Canceled — Again
🧵 If you live in California and your home insurance was dropped or your premium doubled… you’re not alone.
Here’s what’s happening, why it’s getting worse — and what the state isn’t telling you:
1.
California is in an insurance crisis.
Major insurers are:
•Canceling coverage
•Leaving the state
•Refusing to write new policies
•Raising rates by up to 100%
Even homeowners far from fire zones are affected.
Jul 27 • 13 tweets • 2 min read
California Projects That Burned Billions — and Delivered Nothing
California promised the future — but delivered half-finished projects, vanished funds, and broken trust.
Here are the biggest failures (you paid for):
1.
🚄 California High-Speed Rail
Started: 2008
Original cost: $33 billion
Now: Over $128 billion — and counting
Promised to connect LA and SF in under 3 hours.
After 16 years, not a single mile of passenger track is in service.
Still no completion date.
Jul 27 • 16 tweets • 3 min read
You’re Not Just Paying Taxes in California — You’re Paying Hidden Fees Everywhere
🧵 From smog fees to garbage surcharges, California has quietly stacked dozens of extra costs onto daily life.
Here’s a breakdown of the hidden charges you’re likely paying — and what they’re really funding:
1.
It’s not just income tax.
California adds billions in hidden fees every year.
These don’t show up on your tax return — but they hit your car, your trash, your water bill, your home, and even your receipts.
Let’s start with cars.
Jul 25 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
The Trump Executive Order That Could Change Homeless Policy in LA Forever
🧵
1.
On July 24, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order declaring homelessness a national public safety crisis.
The order directs federal agencies to take unprecedented steps—including forced treatment, grant restrictions, and a crackdown on urban camping.
Here’s what it means for LA 👇
2.
The order cites a record 274,224 people sleeping outdoors in the U.S.—the most ever recorded on a single night.
It argues that rising street homelessness is caused largely by mental illness and addiction, and calls past “housing first” policies a failure.
Jul 23 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
The Hidden Fees Every Californian Is Paying 🧾🧵
You already pay some of the highest taxes in the country.
But that’s just the beginning.
California tacks on hidden fees to almost everything—here’s what they are and where they go 👇
1. 🛞 Tire Fee: $1.75 per tire
Every time you buy new tires in CA, you’re charged a “California Tire Fee.”
Supposedly for recycling.
But much of the money goes to unrelated environmental programs.
Jul 21 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
Why It Costs So Much Just to Live in California 🧵
From gas to groceries to rent—California isn’t just expensive, it’s strategically unaffordable.
Let’s break down what’s driving the cost of living sky-high in the Golden State 👇
1. 💵 The average CA household needs $96,000/year just to make ends meet
That’s not to “get ahead”—that’s just to cover basic expenses like food, rent, transit, and healthcare.
In SF or LA? It’s over $120K.
Jul 13 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
🗂️ Ever wonder who actually decides the rules on housing, energy, coastlines, and phone bills in California?
Hint: It’s often unelected commissions with statewide power.
Here are 7 key commissions, what they control, and why they matter 🧵
California Coastal Commission (1972)
•Jurisdiction: Every inch of the state’s 1,100-mile coastline + first 5 mi. offshore.
•Power: Can approve / deny any coastal permit — hotels, homes, seawalls, even staircases.
•Membership: 12 members (Governor, Senate, Assembly appointments).
•Budget FY 24-25: ≈ $38 M.
Jul 11 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING: If you live in California, you’re paying $100s in hidden fees every month — and probably don’t even realize it.
They’re buried in your phone bill, power bill, groceries, and gas pump.
Here’s the truth about where your money is actually going 🧵
2. 📱 Your Cell Phone Bill
Let’s say your base plan is $80.
Check the fine print — you’re likely paying:
•911 Fee: $0.30–$0.75
•CA Public Purpose Program surcharge: 11–17%
•CPUC Tax
•Local Utility User Tax: Up to 7%
🧾 Real Californians pay $12–$18/month extra in just phone fees.
Jul 9 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
🗳️ BREAKING: California voters in June 2026 will face critical decisions—-on housing bonds, public college funding, big labor reforms, criminal penalties, housing, and even potential secession initiatives.
Here are 7 measures to watch now 🧵
1. Affordable Housing Bond — AB 736
Legislature‑referral bond proposal to fund affordable housing statewide.
Goal: ease the housing crisis by directing billions to build homes.
Status: signatures due Jan 22, 2026
Jul 9 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING: California politics is filled with terms that most people see every day — but don’t fully understand.
From CEQA to RHNA to CARE Court…
Here are 10 powerful terms you should know if you live in California 🧵
🔍 1. CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act)
Passed in 1970.
Requires environmental review of any project that might impact the environment — even a homeless shelter or duplex.
It’s been called one of the most abused laws in the state.
Used to block housing, transit, and more.
Jul 9 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING: California collects more tax revenue than any other state.
But where does all that money actually go?
We followed your sales tax, income tax, gas tax, and fees — and here’s the breakdown 🧵
💰 Total state budget (2024–25):
📊 $291.5 billion
•$209B: General Fund
•$81B: Special Funds
•$1.5B: Bond debt service
(Source: California Department of Finance)
Jul 8 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING: How much does it really cost to live in Los Angeles in 2025?
We ran the numbers — not estimates, not guesses, but actual prices.
The result: You now need at least $7,300/month just to survive — no luxuries.
Here’s the full breakdown 🧵
🏠 Rent (1BR apartment)
📍 Los Feliz / Koreatown / Hollywood
🧾 Current listings: $2,350 – $2,800/month
⬆️ Up 14% year over year
Want parking? Add $150.
Want A/C? Not guaranteed.
Jul 8 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING: In California, building a single home can take 7 years and cost over $700,000 — before anyone moves in.
Not because of labor or lumber.
Because of red tape.
Here’s why new homes take forever in the Golden State 🧵
Step 1: CEQA — The Environmental Review That Stops Everything
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lets anyone file a lawsuit claiming a project might harm the environment.
✅ Schools
✅ Homeless shelters
✅ Housing
All can be delayed for years by one anonymous complaint.
Jul 6 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING: California lawmakers are about to vote on 5 major bills that could radically reshape life in the state.
Some could change how you work, live, or get taxed.
Here’s what’s flying under the radar in Sacramento — and why it matters 🧵
1. SB 1497 – The “Digital ID” Bill
Would require the DMV to create a statewide digital driver’s license and ID app by 2027.
Critics warn of privacy risks. Supporters say it’s about convenience and modernization.
🔗 Status: In Assembly Appropriations
📅 Vote: Likely in August
Jul 6 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING: California has quietly passed laws you probably never heard of.
Some are serious. Some are bizarre. Some are pure California.
Here are 10 new laws that could affect you — whether you live here or not 🧵
1. SB 951 – Paid Family Leave Expansion
Starting 2025, California will replace 90% of your income during family leave — but only for low-wage earners.
Funded by a payroll tax, this could cost employers and higher-income workers more in the long run.
Jul 1 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
“Does California tax you when you leave?”
You’ve heard the rumors. The “exit tax.” The audits. The threats.
So what’s true — and what’s not?
Here’s the real story of California’s attempt to chase you even after you’re gone. 🧵
1.
Let’s start with the myth:
❌ California does not charge a literal “exit tax” when you move out.
But here’s the catch:
✅ If you earned income in California, the state will still track you — sometimes years after you’ve left.
Jun 30 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
💥 WHERE DOES LA’S TRASH GO? 💥
Los Angeles produces over 10 million tons of waste every year.
But here’s the dirty secret: LA’s landfills are nearing their limits—and we’re running out of places to dump our trash.
🧵 A thread on LA’s landfills, capacity, and looming crisis:
1.
LA’s trash doesn’t vanish. It goes to one of several major landfills in or near the County:
LA’s $2 Billion Housing Mystery — Where Did the Money Go?
The City of Los Angeles spent over $2 billion trying to solve homelessness in the last few years.
🏗️ In 2016, voters passed Measure HHH, a $1.2 billion bond to build 10,000 units of permanent supportive housing.
Fast forward to 2025:
•Fewer than half of those units are done
•Many projects took 6–7 years to build
•Average cost per unit: $600,000–$837,000+
