California's fiscal dysfunction is hitting a breaking point: state auditors have confirmed at least $20 billion in outright EDD fraud (with total overpayments near $55 billion), California remains the last major state still carrying unpaid pandemic unemployment debt, and a San Francisco equity official just surrendered to police on 19 felony counts for allegedly steering millions to her live-in partner's nonprofit. Meanwhile, Oakland's city council is pursuing a 125% pay raise despite a $100 million deficit and 48-minute 911 response times, and BART can't locate the invoice for a consultant it paid to argue that enforcing fares didn't matter. The through-line: public money keeps disappearing, and the systems meant to prevent that keep failing â or looking the other way.
California's EDD lost $20 billion to fraud and still owes $21 billion on its federal pandemic loan â and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
SF's head of 'equity' steered millions to her live-in partner's nonprofit while the system spent more on propaganda than education.
A $100M deficit, 509 cops, 48-minute 911 waits, a recalled-and-indicted mayor. And now the council wants more money.
Now they want a new tax, and can't find the invoice for the "equity" report they commissioned to argue enforcing fares was pointless
SF's 540-page city charter is the longest in the country, and it was built to protect insiders. Lurie is finally tearing it apart.
Fareed Zakaria just said the quiet part out loud: blue cities are out of control. But San Francisco might actually be charting a different course.
Housing NIMBYs already took 36% of GDP. Now the same playbook is blocking the AI economy. The states that figure out how to share the upside will win the future.
Public sector unions are picking their next governor. Porter, Swalwell, and Steyer are lining up to perform. One Democrat is not: Matt Mahan
California bleeds $20-35 billion a year. Steyer wants to raise taxes. Mahan wants to stop lighting money on fire.
Zohran Mamdani will increase net spending to defend 3 core policy pillars that are destined for failure