West
California exodus continues as conservative states attract blue-state residents: Report
Californians fleeing the blue state over its high cost of living are showing no signs of slowing down, according to the latest report by a major moving and storage company.
“The Golden State has a reputation for imposing high sales, income, and property taxes. The cost of living is approximately 50 percent higher in California than the national average, and housing costs can be prohibitive,” according to a report on 2024 moving trends published by PODS.
The report, published May 20, found that more people are moving to the southern Appalachian region, which includes parts of South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, all conservative states.
“California is number one in all the wrong things,” Will Swaim, president of the conservative think tank California Policy Center, told Fox News Digital on Friday. “Add to that regulations that make building new homes almost impossible, and it’s no wonder that people are moving out.”
HOMELESS CALIFORNIA PAROLEE DRAGGED FEMALE JOGGER BY PONYTAIL ON BEACH IN ATTEMPTED SEXUAL ASSAULT: POLICE
California still tops list for most outbound moves according to new PODS report. ( MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / ContributorRobert Alexander / Contributor)
Businesses are getting in on the piece of the pie, too. The study noted companies are packing up to southern sunbelt states like Texas, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and Tennessee, according to data collected from Iron Mountain. Why? Because these regions “offer lower operational costs, tax incentives, and better value for employees.”
Los Angeles and San Francisco landed in the top two spots for the cities seeing the highest numbers of residents moving out.
Terry Gilliam, the founder of the popular Facebook group “Leaving California” which has hundreds of thousands of members, told Fox News Digital in an interview the list confirms “you’re not just getting the high-end taxpayers, but the middle class taxpayers are leaving.”
“California is number one in all the wrong things.”
“I think that that’s what California’s been doing for the last many years, is eliminating the middle class, and Governor Newsom loves to brag about how California’s economy is top five in the world, and then he came out bragging about how there’s now more Fortune 500 companies based in California than anywhere else in the country,” Gilliam said. “But that’s for the wealthy, and in reality, the middle class is what’s suffering in California, and that’s why they’re leaving.”
NEWSOM PROPOSES DEFUNDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, PRISONS, PUBLIC SAFETY AS CALIFORNIA FACES MASSIVE DEFICIT
Homelessness in California under Governor Gavin Newsom has increased from 151,00 in 2019 to 181,000 in 2024. (Fox)
Gilliam and members of his group did a 10-day tour of the south, he said, and talked to people in every town who had left California.
“And really what it comes down to is the quality of life for their family, lower cost of living, better schools, politics that align with the way they feel in these southern towns,” he said.
According to the report, four California markets rank in the top 10 for the most outbound moves, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Stockton-Modesto.
“The various locations of these cities point to the fact that this is a statewide exodus,” the report concluded.
California saw its first-ever population decline in 2020 when the state imposed rigid lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. From January 2020 to July 2022, the state lost well over half a million people, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by almost 700,000.
In January, California topped U-Haul’s Growth Index list for having the largest net outbound movers in 2023.
CA SCHOOL BOARD THROWS OUT STATE OFFICIAL AS HE PROTESTS FOR SECRET TRANSGENDER POLICIES: ‘PERVERT CHILDREN’
View of Pacific coast, Northern California ( Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Gov. Newsom’s office pointed Fox News Digital in an email to the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook report “noting that California remains the 5th largest economy in the world for the seventh consecutive year, with a nominal GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion in 2023 and a growth rate of 6.1% since the year prior, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.”
“California’s per capita GDP is the second largest among large economies,” Newsom’s office said. “California, which has the most equitable tax system in the entire country, is #1 in the nation for new business starts, #1 for access to venture capital funding, and the #1 state for manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture.”
Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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New Mexico
Hidden donors fuel New Mexico primary ads through nonprofits | Carlsbad Current Argus
This story originally appeared in New Mexico In Depth at nmindepth.com.
Two political groups spending heavily in New Mexico’s primary elections have found a way to keep their donors hidden. Whether the arrangements comply with state law is unclear.
The setup is an example of what political spending watchdogs call “gray money,” where a nonprofit gives money to a political committee, or PAC. Under state law, the PAC has to disclose the nonprofit as the source of money it’s using in its efforts to influence elections.
The term “gray money” refers to political spending that is only partly transparent — visible up to the nonprofit, but not beyond it to the original donors. The people who gave money to the nonprofit stay hidden from public view.
The twist here is that the two PACs and their nonprofit donors have reported enough information to raise questions about whether the PACs themselves formed the nonprofits in order to keep their donors hidden.
One PAC that was created on March 3, Accountable New Mexico, has reported receiving $650,000 from a nonprofit called Stand for New Mexico, which incorporated March 2. The nonprofit was the sole donor reported in its second primary disclosure. The political group and the nonprofit share a treasurer, Alyssa Brooks, and a Washington D.C. address.
Brooks did not return a phone call or respond to an email from New Mexico In Depth asking about the nonprofit’s donors.
Accountable New Mexico has spent heavily on negative television ads targeting former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is running against Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Bregman spokesperson Joanie Griffin said in an email that the campaign has “no idea” who funds the nonprofit.
“The campaign has no relationship nor communication with Accountable New Mexico,” she wrote.
Another political group, New Chapter New Mexico, is similarly relying on one nonprofit for its funds. Its entire $262,000 came from a nonprofit that shares its exact name, New Chapter New Mexico, and its mailing address.
New Chapter’s treasurer, Greg Gallegos, ran as a Republican against Democratic Rep. Marian Matthews in 2024, a race he lost. In 2026, the group’s disclosure reports note spending on advertising to support Matthews and seven other Democrats in legislative races, as well as a payment of almost $7,000 to Gallegos’s firm, KGH Strategies, for “compliance consulting.”
Gallegos did not respond to a phone call or email from New Mexico In Depth. He has also created another PAC called Back Forty New Mexico, listing himself as treasurer. Back Forty has not yet filed disclosure reports. Videos supporting seven of the eight candidates that New Chapter is supporting can be seen on youtube channels of Back Forty and New Chapter.
These arrangements have raised questions about whether the nonprofits were created by the PACs they are funding, given their shared officers, addresses and, in one case, the same name. State law prohibits making contributions “with an intent to conceal the names of persons who are the true source of funds used to make independent expenditures.”
Whether the nonprofits themselves are required to disclose their donors depends on how they are classified under state campaign finance law.
Nonprofits whose primary purpose is raising or spending money to influence elections can qualify as political committees, a designation that triggers stricter donor disclosure requirements.
But if political activity is not a nonprofit’s primary purpose, the organization is required to disclose only the donors who funded political advertising it paid for directly, rather than all donors to the organization. And if a nonprofit gives money to a PAC instead of paying for ads itself, as in these two cases, it is not required to file reports identifying its donors at all.
It’s unclear if these two nonprofit’s primary purpose is political activity. The groups’ IRS Form 990 tax filings may provide insight into that question because the filings show an organization’s overall revenue and spending, allowing the public to compare those figures with campaign finance reports and determine whether most of the groups’ money was spent on politics. But those records may not become public for more than a year — well after the June 2 primary election.
Oregon
Oregon Lottery Pick 4 results for May 24
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 24, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 24 drawing
1PM: 8-4-0-3
4PM: 4-9-3-7
7PM: 3-0-1-9
10PM: 5-4-7-4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Utah
Gusty thunderstorms possible statewide on Memorial Day
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Utah Memorial Day weather statewide starts with partly cloudy skies and pleasant temperatures. As the morning progresses, clouds and light showers will increase across southeast Utah.
Stronger showers and thunderstorms are likely over the south-central mountains from I-70 south from midday through the afternoon.
Storms will produce gusty winds and lightning, but rainfall generally will remain light except over the highest terrain.
Showers will move north through the afternoon across mainly eastern Utah, though a few storms may develop over western Utah.
Once again, gusty winds are possible with these generally dry storms.
Showers are possible over the Uinta Mountains by late evening.
Strong southerly winds are the next weather event in the forecast, beginning Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday across western and southwest Utah.
Critical fire danger remains the main threat as the winds continue drying out already dry vegetation.
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