Graft? In California? Say it ain’t so.

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California Swapped Gold for Grift: How “Affordable Housing” and “Green Energy” Became NGO Slush Funds

Programs sold as compassion function as taxpayer‑funded lifelines for the very political machine that hollowed the state out in the first place.

Plenty of examples in the linked-to article, but this concluding episode is typical:

…. Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and his CAL DOGE watchdog group say California’s Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing program is a taxpayer disaster.

The program, funded by about one billion dollars from cap‑and‑trade proceeds, gas taxes, and utility bill surcharges, was supposed to put solar panels on low‑income apartment buildings to cut tenants’ power bills.

According to their review, only 72 million dollars has been paid for actual solar projects on 269 buildings, while roughly 928 million dollars was routed to administration, outreach, and Democrat‑aligned nonprofits involved in voter registration and activism.

Funded by gas taxes, utility bills “cap and trade auctions proceeds,”the program has completed only 269 projects worth $72 million since 2015, raising questions about the missing funds, the California Post reported.

Notably, allocated within the bill was “Ongoing costs of $558,000 from the Public Utilities Reimbursement Account (special fund) for CPUC to oversee the contract to administer the program and to annually assess the success of the program,” according to Assembly Floor Analysis.

So the California Public Utilities Commission was supposed to be overseeing the program. Instead, according to CAL DOGE, the program has received roughly $1 billion, “and according to SOMAH’s own reporting, just $72 million as of 2024 had gone to actual solar installations.

That leaves $928 million unaccounted for, and no accountability to ensure those dollars aren’t flowing into a progressive voter mobilization machine. The evidence suggests they are.”

Clearly, this is another instance of a government program allowing NGOs to siphon off more of our money to fund themselves and their Democratic Party supporters.

California didn’t go from gold and oil to bureaucrats and bad ideas by accident. The common thread is programs sold as compassion that really function as taxpayer‑funded lifelines for the very political machine that hollowed the state out in the first place.

Bonus material, from another post:

A Burrito Stand Qualifies for Hospice Funding Under California’s Medicaid System

This strikes me as just a trifle unfair — in fact, it’s outrageous

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She lived in the house for six months,

Marilyn Monroe's former home declared historic monument; owners say it killed their $8M investment

Pacific Legal Foundation says the city turned private property into a public monument without paying for it

A California couple is suing Los Angeles after the city blocked them from tearing down their property — Marilyn Monroe’s former home — and declared it a historic monument.

In their federal lawsuit, Brinah Milstein et al. v. City of Los Angeles, homeowners Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank say they bought the Brentwood property for $8 million in 2023 with plans to demolish its deteriorating structures and redevelop the site. Monroe owned the 2,300-square-foot Spanish bungalow for about six months before her death.

The complaint says the property has been heavily altered over decades by 14 previous owners and is in declining condition.

The owners say Los Angeles issued demolition and grading permits on Sept. 7, 2023. A day later, the City Council moved to begin the process of declaring the property a historic-cultural monument after fans of Monroe and historians pressured the city to stop the demolition.

Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes the property, pushed to protect the home, and the City Council ultimately voted in June 2024 to designate the site a "historic-cultural monument." The owners say that move killed their demolition plans and turned a private home into what amounts to a public monument without compensation.

"They couldn’t demolish, couldn’t repair, couldn’t build and couldn’t sell to someone who could. The city had effectively turned their private property into a public monument without paying for it," Pacific Legal Foundation said in a press release Friday announcing it had joined the homeowners' legal fight.

The couple said they purchased the property for over $8 million and have since absorbed approximately $30,000 in permits, hundreds of thousands of dollars for added security and millions in attorneys' fees. Their lawsuit also claims they pay over $100,000 annually in property taxes, insurance and utilities to hold the property, which remains unusable as they intended.

They say the city's designation has created a tourist trap and security risk with multiple break-ins.

The complaint also alleges the walled-off property isn’t viewable from the street, so designating the property a landmark "lacked a public purpose."

"The City took no action regarding the house’s now-alleged 'historic' or 'cultural' status, essentially admitting it was neither and that no public good would be served by so designating the house or the Property," the complaint states.

According to Pacific Legal Foundation, the couple offered to pay to relocate the home so it could be turned into a public museum, but the city refused.

[Confirmed in an earlier article on the subject: “Right now, it's in a very private residential neighborhood. It's behind a very high wall, and it's not accessible… by the public," (Marilyn Monroe “expert” and supporter of the landmark designation Scott Fortner) said.” — FWIW]

The complaint says the cultural-historic designation, along with its unrentable condition, leaves the house's market value "zero or a negative amount."

The lawsuit, which names Mayor Karen Bass and the City of Los Angeles as defendants, argues the city’s preservation decision amounts to an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment.

"These homeowners have a straightforward request: either let them use their own property or compensate them fairly for turning it into a public monument," said Pacific Legal Foundation attorney J. David Breemer. 

"The Fifth Amendment doesn’t have caveats. If the City of Los Angeles wants a museum, it must pay for one — not force private homeowners to bear the cost and liability."

Rich, White and Gay? Do we have a party for you!

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Close to one-third of Democratic Socialists of America members make more than $100K

The income data comes from a 2021 survey, which resurfaced this week, and is likely even higher today. The group refused to include it in its latest version in 2025.

Some of the DSA’s laptop class include members like Ahmed Husain, an engineer from Bahrain living in the Big Apple who recently called for “ending the US empire;” Leemah Nasrati, an immigration attorney who’s been hosting anti-ICE trainings; and Hanna Johnson, a DSA leader who doubles as State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher’s deputy chief of staff.

And the DSA’s poster boy, Mayor Zohran Mamdani – the son of Disney filmmaker Mira Nair – comes from a family whose vast wealth includes a lush compound in Uganda that boasts its own housekeeper, gardeners and security.

The DSA regularly talks about Karl Marx’s theory of class struggle and has made “taxing the rich” a big legislative priority this session. Its latest merch even bears the slogan “decompose the rich.”

But the numbers shed light on the group’s staggering hypocrisy, critics said.

“You have to give them credit for convincing people who are 180 degrees different from them that these trust fund socialists are speaking up for their best interests,” quipped Former City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli.

“They don’t know the working class, but they have read a lot of books on them.”

Few followed “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) lead and worked in a bar – with only 6% of members in the service or retail industry.

Even the self-described “Bronx girl,” a DSA member herself, is regularly mocked for trying to make her short stint as a bartender such a big part of her public image when she had a comfortable upbringing in Westchester.

An even smaller number of members – 4% had blue collar jobs, and another 4% were writers, performers or in the arts – like National Political Committee member and mime David Jenkins.

Another 5% were self-employed, 8% were students and 15% were unemployed or retired.

The socialist organization, which reached 100,000 members in February, saw a massive demographic shift in the mid-2010s, with younger members, galvanized by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential run, joining what had previously been an organization made up mostly of aging hippies and retirees.

In 2013, the median age was 68. By 2021, it dropped to 33, with the majority of members, 73%, Millennials or Gen Zs.

As a sign of their financial comfort, 54% of members had either dished out personal funds on the DSA or bought merchandise, the survey reported.

And despite its frenzied push for equity, black membership was at a measly 4%

One area where the DSA had representation that far exceeded that of the general population: 10% of DSA members identified as non-binary and a staggering 32% identified as LGBTQIA+.

By any means possible

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Vermont DA Refuses to Bring Charges Against Anti-ICE Rioters

Police in Vermont blasted a local prosecutor for her decision not to file charges against six people who took part in a violent clash with law enforcement in March.

Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George announced Wednesday that she would not file charges against six people arrested during a violent protest opposing an operation by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Burlington-area TV station NBC5 News reported.

“I am confident that some protesters escalated the situation and went beyond civil disobedience into unacceptable and perhaps criminal behavior, including the three individuals cited by BPD – but I am just as confident that there were some law enforcement officers who agitated, who escalated, and who responded in a way that may ultimately be deemed legal, but was also unacceptable,” George claimed in a statement released Wednesday. “So to charge these six individuals with no criminal records, and expect that they bear the burden of all the harm caused that day — is not something I was interested in our office being a part of.”

….

The three anti-ICE rioters arrested by the Burlington Police Department were referred to a “restorative justice” program according to NBC5 News, but police said they would not participate.

ICE agents were seeking to arrest an illegal alien on March 11 when the illegal alien rammed into multiple ICE vehicles and at least one “bystander vehicle,” according to a timeline posted by NBC5 News. As agents awaited a warrant to enter a house the illegal immigrant fled to, protesters arrived, sparking a multi-hour confrontation.

After ICE obtained a warrant and entered the house, taking three people into custody, the anti-ICE rioters attempted to prevent the federal agency’s vehicles from leaving, at least one vehicle’s tires were slashed, according to NBC5 News.

….

Multiple Vermont State Police officers were injured while trying to keep order during the ICE operation, one suffered eye injuries when a police van’s window was shattered, and two female state police officers were punched in the face, according to the Vermont Daily Chronicle. Reviews by state and local law enforcement agencies indicated that no excessive force was used, Vermont Public reported.

“Lawbreakers in Chittenden County already seemed to know they can act with impunity. Individuals at the Dorset Street incident repeatedly stated that State’s Attorney George would not prosecute them for their behavior that day. It turns out they were right,” Morrison and Birmingham said.

Woke up this morning to news of last night's "assassination attempt" but was quickly relieved to learn that, just like the Butler stage show, it was fake — whew!

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It’s all part of the plot with Israel to keep trump in power for another twenty years