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Tax Day reveals difficult California truths

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Tax Day reveals difficult California truths



CalMatters is committed to clarifying just how state federal government influences our lives. Your assistance assists us generate journalism that makes a distinction. Contribute currently.


Greetings, The golden state. It’s Monday, April 18.

Several in economic straits

Picture by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters; iStock

Today, as numerous Californians hurry to submit their income tax return and also apply for tax credits, state legislators are going back to Sacramento from an 11-day springtime recess — and also preparing to return to arrangements over the very best method to place refund in homeowners’ pockets.

Both occasions are inter The quantity of tax obligation profits accumulated by the state will certainly aid identify the dimension, kind and also range of the economic alleviation on which Gov. Gavin Newsom and also lawmakers lastly clear up.

Yet Tax obligation Day is likewise a suggestion of the shocking divide in between The golden state’s riches and also have-nots, which the state’s dynamic tax obligation framework highlights in raw alleviation: In 2019, the less than 100,000 Californians that made a minimum of $1 million paid around 40% of the state’s individual revenue tax obligations, according to information acquired by the Los Angeles Times.

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  • By comparison, 77% of Californians that submitted tax return that year reported a revenue of much less than $100,000 — and also 50% reported incomes listed below $50,000.

The economic precarity numerous Californians experience was highlighted in a brand-new survey from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Researches and also the Los Angeles Times:

  • 64% of The golden state citizens stated they pay excessive in state and also government revenue tax obligations, up 10 portion factors from 6 years earlier.
  • 42% of citizens stated they’re economically even worse off than they were a year earlier, double the 21% that stated they were much better off — the reverse of 2016, when around 48% of citizens stated they were economically much better off than they were the previous year, almost double the 25% that reported they were doing even worse.

As well as also as The golden state’s limited labor market assists some employees rack up greater earnings — unions standing for 47,000 grocery store employees validated a brand-new agreement Thursday that includes their largest pay elevates in years — a monstrous 8.5% year-over-year surge in the expense of products is consuming right into those gains.

Skyrocketing rising cost of living prices will certainly make it harder for The golden state to maintain the work gets it saw in March, stated Michael Bernick, a previous supervisor of the state Work Advancement Division and also a lawyer at Duane Morris.

  • The state’s out of work price was up to 4.9% in March — below a changed price of 5.3% in February — as the state included 60,200 nonfarm pay-roll tasks, EDD revealed Friday.
  • Newsom: EDD’s record “is extra great information for The golden state’s ongoing financial recuperation, standing for hundreds of brand-new possibilities for employees throughout the state.”
  • Bernick: “We’re most likely to see a much higher downturn in work development throughout 2022 as the influences of inflationary federal government costs start to be really felt.”

A message from our Enroller


The coronavirus profits:  Since Thursday, The golden state had 8,536,943 validated situations (+0.1% from previous day) and also 88,907 fatalities (+0.2% from previous day), according to state information currently upgraded simply two times a week on Tuesdays and also Fridays. CalMatters is likewise tracking coronavirus hospital stays by area.

The golden state has actually provided 74,133,081 injection dosages, and also 75.1% of qualified Californians are totally immunized.


A message from our Enroller


1. Real estate: the origin of CA’s issues

A city-sanctioned risk-free resting website in Civic Facility in San Francisco on Might 20, 2020. Picture by Yichuan Cao, Sipa U.S.A. by means of Reuters

Certainly, you can’t discuss economic precarity in The golden state without speaking about the astronomically high expense of real estate. 2 weekend break San Francisco Chronicle reports light up the level to which real estate underlies a lot of the state’s plan and also political discussions, such as:

Still, state authorities remain to no in on real estate and also being homeless:

Yet the obstacles are relentless. San Francisco’s system for focusing on real estate for its most at risk homeless homeowners appears created to stop working, ProPublica records. Orange Area has an “extraordinary” quantity of government real estate coupons, yet is battling to locate property managers ready to approve them. As well as being homeless has actually penetrated Fresno, traditionally among one of the most inexpensive locations to reside in The golden state.

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2. Dahle talks warm concerns with CalMatters

State Sen. Brian Dahle, that’s competing The golden state guv, responses concerns from CalMatters press reporters in Sacramento on April 5, 2022. Picture by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Never ever be afraid, CalMatters’ Citizen Overview for the June 7 main is practically below! Today, we’ll launch our thorough, interactive, better-than-ever overview to all that you require to understand for the rapidly coming close to political election. As well as, as a preview, below are 5 essential takeaways from CalMatters’ 90-minute meeting with GOP state Sen. Brian Dahle, the Lassen Area farmer looking for to unseat Newsom. We’ll reveal our meetings with a few other statewide prospects in the coming weeks.

  • Among Dahle’s promises: to be a lot more easily accessible to legislators — both Autonomous and also Republican — than Newsom has actually been. “They’ll have extra accessibility to the horseshoe than they do currently. … I will certainly have each and every single lawmaker in my workplace when I’m guv and also we will certainly discuss their area and also we will certainly discuss the obstacles and also we will certainly locate locations we can collaborate.”

Various other political election information you need to understand:

  • On Tuesday, San Francisco Manager Matt Haney and also previous manager David Campos will certainly fight in an unique political election overflow for the state Setting up seat David Chiu abandoned to end up being San Francisco city lawyer.
  • Autonomous software program exec Dan O’Dowd, a The golden state U.S. Us senate prospect, is established today to release a $650,000 advertisement strike striking Elon Musk and also Tesla’s competing self-driving innovation. Yet although O’Dowd claims he’s not really attempting to unseat Sen. Alex Padilla, that’s competing reelection after being designated by Newsom, some Autonomous event authorities are worried nonetheless, Politician records.
  • A plastics fight is developing in The golden state: A campaign to restrict the manufacture of single-use plastics and also tax obligation their manufacturers is qualified for the November tally, yet can be avoided by a comparable costs making its method via the Legislature, the Los Angeles Times records. Legislators, nevertheless, denied costs to limit single-use plastics in both 2019 and also 2020.

3. The golden state criminal activity updates

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg checks out the names of the capturing targets throughout a vigil at Ali Youssefi Square on April 4, 2022. Picture by Jose Carlos Fajardo, Bay Location Information Team

Martin, the highest-profile suspect called until now about the April 3 Sacramento gang shootout that eliminated 6 and also hurt 12, was refuted parole in 2021 since he postured “an unreasonable threat of physical violence to the neighborhood,” according to state jail papers submitted in court Friday and also checked out by the Sacramento . According to the state Board of Parole Hearings declaring, Martin dedicated battery on an additional prisoner and also “taken part in criminal task” while behind bars, and also “has actually shown recurring criminal reasoning and also actions … regardless of previous imprisonment and also corrective efforts.”

  • The papers increase better concerns as just how Martin had the ability to collect sufficient great conduct and also post-sentencing credit scores to invest simply 4 years behind bars regardless of a 10-year sentence.
  • Sacramento Area Area Lawyer Anne Marie Schubert’s workplace is currently looking for to obstruct Martin from being launched on bond when he’s out of the healthcare facility — where he’s being dealt with for gunfire injuries — and also reserved right into prison.
  • Brand-new court filings from Schubert’s workplace likewise state Martin made use of a totally automated tool to fire 28 rounds of ammo throughout the shootout, and also state 3 of the 6 individuals eliminated were associated with neighborhood gangs.

In various other criminal justice information:

  • Chief Law Officer Rob Bonta and also neighborhood police policemans on Friday revealed 47 felony apprehensions — consisting of 17 pertaining to human trafficking and also pimping — adhering to an extensive examination right into Fresno road gangs.
  • Cops are looking for 18-year-old Ike Souzer, an “exceptionally harmful and also fierce wrongdoer.” Souzer eliminated his digital surveillance arm band hrs after his very early launch Wednesday from an optimal safety and security Orange Area jail, where he invested 5 years after being founded guilty of fatally stabbing his mom.
  • And also as criminal activity remains to play a main function in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, a previous leading district attorney in the area lawyer workplace’s sex criminal activities department is filing a claim against the area over George Gascón’s monitoring design, affirming he benched her after she applied his questionable plans in a situation that got essential limelights, the Los Angeles Daily Report.
  • The The Golden State Division of Justice is encountering its very own suit: Recently, Unique Representative accountable R. Capello submitted an issue charging it of “a consistent pattern of sex discrimination and also revenge.”

A message from our Enroller


CalMatters writer Dan Walters: The The golden state political leader most in charge of enabling fierce lawbreakers to offer just sections of their jail sentences: previous Gov. Jerry Brown.

The golden state needs to focus on individuals over auto parking: State legislators need to pass Setting up Expense 2097, which would certainly aid produce even more inexpensive real estate by getting rid of auto parking needs in locations with accessibility to great public transportation, suggests San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.


Various other points worth your time

The golden state churches commemorate Easter in-person after 2 pandemic years. // Sacramento

L.A. Unified’s pupil COVID-19 injection required concerned. // Los Angeles Times

Oakland institution area raises interior mask required for last month of courses. // San Francisco Chronicle

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The golden state university student with children can obtain very first choice of courses if brand-new costs passes. // Sacramento

Psychological wellness hotline numbers would certainly show up on The golden state university student IDs if costs passes. // EdSource

Mayor Type guaranteed to bring hard love to the struggling Tenderloin. Did she provide? // San Francisco Chronicle

Anaheim secures down on motels implicated of bring in medication handling and also hooking. // Los Angeles Times

Judge: 5 Oakland policemans mistakenly discharged in murder of homeless guy. // Associated Press

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Oakland’s very first huge experiment in drawing away 911 phone calls to psychological wellness groups has actually released. // San Francisco Chronicle

Modesto authorizes psychological wellness pros with polices on situation phone calls. // Modesto

Rick Caruso’s function in the 2002 being rejected of a Black LAPD principal developed a fury. // Los Angeles Times

Caruso claims he paid $1.6 million in revenue tax obligation over 5 years, yet won’t launch returns. // Los Angeles Times

Google will certainly spend billions in The golden state, Bay Location obtains huge piece. // Mercury Information

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Ski hotels applaud as springtime tornado discards snow in The golden state. // Associated Press

Ex-Central The golden state water supervisor implicated of swiping $25 million in water. // Los Angeles Times

Controversial water pipe takes spotlight in Kings Area political election. // San Joaquin Valley Sunlight

Newsom’s dry spell order brings ag well task to a grinding halt in some locations. // Bakersfield Californian

As dry spell hammers Mono Lake, parched Los Angeles have to look somewhere else for water. // Los Angeles Times

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A huge The golden state lake is readied to run completely dry. Researchers are rushing to conserve its jeopardized fish. // San Francisco Chronicle

Sacramento’s Natomas Container is hazardously vulnerable to flooding. Exactly how Washington intends to aid. // Sacramento

His next-door neighbors attempted to conserve him. Yet the system was also damaged. // Mercury Information

Feds accept return $1.1 million in pot profits taken by San Bernardino Area replacements. // San Bernardino Sunlight

The Golden State Medical Board to examine 2-year-old’s fatality at John Muir Medical Facility. // San Francisco Chronicle

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The golden state legislator recommends main state milkshake or smoothie. // The Golden State World


See you tomorrow.

Tips, understanding or responses? Email emily@calmatters.org.

Follow me on Twitter: @emily_hoeven

Sign up for CalMatters e-newsletters below.

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Comply With CalMatters on Facebook and also Twitter.

CalMatters is currently readily available in Spanish on Twitter, Facebook and also RSS.






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California

New California law extends time for renters to respond to evictions

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New California law extends time for renters to respond to evictions


SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Starting Jan. 1, 2025, a new California law will double the response time for tenants facing eviction, offering them more opportunity to seek legal advice and adequately prepare their cases. The law extends the response period from five business days to 10 business days.

Genea Nicole Wall, a tenant from City Heights, experienced the turmoil of eviction earlier this year after failing to pay her rent on time.

“You’re trying to pack up and trying to respond. You’re just all over the place. You’re emotionally all over the place,” Wall says.

Unlike most other court summons that allow for a 30-day response period, eviction notices in California have traditionally given tenants only five business days to act. Wall described her struggle to navigate the court system under these constraints.

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“Going to court trying to get assistance… It was just a grueling task. Daunting trying to get stuff done,” she says.

The new state law is designed to provide tenants with more time to stabilize their situation and seek proper legal support.

“What do those extra five days mean for someone who was just served an eviction notice? It’s giving people more time to get your bearings, figure out what you’re going to do before it’s too late and you lose automatically and get fast-tracked to being homeless and kicked out of your home,” says Gilberto Vera, an attorney with the nonprofit Legal Aid Society.

According to Vera, 40% of tenants facing eviction in San Diego last year did not respond to their court summons, effectively forfeiting their cases.

“If they don’t respond and tell the court that the eviction was wrongful and invalid – they’ll lose automatically,” Vera says.

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Vera hopes this law will help tenants better understand their rights and prevent wrongful evictions by providing the necessary time to form a defense.

“I would be able to think — you could plan to take the time off to do what you need to do to get the assistance,” Wall says.

Wall, now living in Brea after being evicted from her City Heights apartment, believes she could have won her court case had this law been in effect.





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Federal homelessness data says California homeless population grew to 187,084 – Washington Examiner

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Federal homelessness data says California homeless population grew to 187,084 – Washington Examiner


(The Center Square) – Newly released federal data says California’s homeless population grew to 187,084 at the start of 2024, up from 181,399 in 2023, raising questions about the efficacy of the state’s tens of billions of dollars in recent homeless spending. 

Most of the state’s increase in homelessness can be attributed to growth in the state’s unsheltered homeless population, which is nearly half of the nation’s total. However, the state’s homeless population did grow much less than the national average, suggesting some of the state’s programs — albeit costly — may finally be making an impact. 

In September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office brushed off a CalMatters estimate that the state’s homeless population grew to nearly 186,000, telling The Center Square the organization’s reporting was based on incomplete data that analyzed only 32 of the state’s 58 counties. 

“California and other officials use official confirmed data published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and not CalMatters’ estimates, which are unverified,” said a Newsom spokesperson to The Center Square in September, when CalMatters released its report.

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Now, the verified count from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recommended by Newsom’s office shows that homelessness is even higher than CalMatters estimated. This 5,685 individual increase in the state’s homeless population could suggest the state’s homelessness efforts — and tens of billions of dollars in recent state funding — have been unable to stop the growth of the state’s homeless population. 

Earlier this year a state auditor looked into $24 billion of state homelessness spending, finding “the State lacks current information on the ongoing costs and outcomes of its homelessness programs” because it has “not consistently tracked and evaluated the State’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”

Newsom vetoed two widely-supported bipartisan bills to better track and evaluate homelessness spending and outcomes, saying his own directives to increase accountability make the measures redundant. 

The state is now home to 123,974 unsheltered homeless individuals — up from 117,424 the year prior —  or nearly half of the nation’s total. In 2019 — before the COVID-19 era — California had 151,278 homeless individuals, 108,432 of whom were unsheltered.



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California

Your favorite movies starring California

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Your favorite movies starring California


Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

The best movies that capture the essence of California

The Essential California team this year expanded opportunities for readers to directly engage with the newsletter. Each week we ask readers to answer a question — from the best local restaurants to favorite books.

One question in particular got a lot of attention and sparked some debate: What is your favorite movie that captures the essence of California?

Below are the most mentioned movies and comments from readers about what makes these films special to California. We hope this list will help find something to watch this weekend. Enjoy!

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“Chinatown”

Adelaide writes: “It doesn’t get more iconic than a film noir that tackles tremendous geopolitical issues that still affect us to this day.”

And Jim writes: “How can you talk about movies that capture the essence of California and not mention one of the greatest movies of all time, ‘Chinatown’? Today, despite the state’s beauty and glorious climate (most of the time), it is still as corrupt and morally bankrupt as it was back in the days of stealing water from the Owens Valley.”

Paul Giamatti, left, and Thomas Haden Church in the 2004 movie “Sideways,” directed by Alexander Payne.

(Searchlight Pictures)

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“Sideways”

Raymond Ballesteros writes: “One of my all time favorite movies to see that truly captures the essence of California, hands down, is ‘Sideways.’

“Alexander Payne seizes the beauty and majesty of California’s Santa Barbara wine country, including a handful of wineries that encapsulates the hearts of fellow wine lovers across California and the country. Of course, not to be watched with a glass of Merlot!”

One man stands looking at another man who's holding a surfboard in front of him

Keanu Reeves, left, and Patrick Swayze in the 1991 film “Point Break.”

(20th Century Fox)

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“Point Break”

Fritzi Lareau write: “I am a tour guide and when touring the Golden State I show my guests ‘Point Break’ (the original with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze) or ‘Hollywood Homicide’ starring Harrison Ford.”

A black-and-white film still of a man with glasses looking skeptical

Edward James Olmos stars as Garfield High School math teacher Jaime Escalante in 1988’s “Stand and Deliver.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

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“Stand and Deliver”

Robert Reul writes: “One great film that is 100% California is ‘Stand and Deliver,’ with Edward James Olmos and an amazing cast of young actors. I have found few, if any, films that capture the absolute magic that can happen in the community of first-generation Americans, descended from hard-working Mexican immigrants.”

Jeff Bridges takes a fighting stance in "The Big Lebowski."

Jeff Bridges as the title character in the Coen Brothers’ “The Big Lebowski.”

(Merrick Morton / Gramercy Pictures)

Honorable mentions

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“Top Gun”

“The Birds”

“The Parent Trap”

“The Big Lebowski”

“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”

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“La La Land”

Want to wade into the debate over which movie captures the essence of California? Feel free to email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

The week’s biggest stories

President-elect Donald Trump stands at a podium, American flags behind him, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2023.

President-elect Donald Trump, shown at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2023, is stocking his cabinet with Floridians.

(Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

Florida is winning the political battle with California as Trump takes office

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  • Trump is stocking his cabinet with Floridians. And his plans to reverse California’s policies on the environment, crime, homelessness and education are facing far less pushback than they did during his first term.
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to continue the fight against Trump’s policies but without what he called “a resistance brand” that defined his earlier clashes.
  • Meanwhile, healthcare is Newsom’s biggest unfinished project. Trump complicates the governor’s task.

Destructive waves keep thrashing Santa Cruz, causing millions of dollars in damage in recent years

Scientists say we are fighting H5N1 bird flu with one hand tied behind our backs

  • Scientists and health officials fear we’re on the precipice of another global pandemic as the H5N1 bird flu virus steamrolls its way across the globe. But when that could come to pass is hard to predict.
  • Just one mutation can make the bird flu a threat to humans, California researchers found.
  • L.A. County health officials are warning pet owners to avoid raw cat food after a feline died of bird flu.

California is growing again

  • The Golden State’s population grew by almost a quarter of a million residents in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a rebound that brings California almost back to its pre-pandemic numbers.
  • While California’s population gain of 232,570 people from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, represents the largest numeric population increase in the nation’s West, it lagged behind Texas, which expanded its population by 562,941, and Florida, which grew by 467,347 people.

More big stories

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

This week’s must reads

Illustration of a police search party in a snowy wooded area. Splatters of blood are seen in the snow.

(Emiliano Ponzi / For The Times)

A California inmate recruited “wives” to spread fentanyl across Alaska, federal authorities say.

The prisoner, Heraclio Sanchez Rodriguez, oversaw a sprawling drug ring that spread death and addiction to the most remote corners of Alaska, prosecutors say.

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More great reads

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your weekend

a man in a green tracksuit with his hands behind his head

Refresh yourself on “Squid Game” before starting Season 2 on Netflix.

(No Ju-han / Netflix)

Going out

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Staying in

How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.

A collection of photos from this week's news quiz.

(Times staff and wire photos)

Which creature gets top billing in the title of the Barry Jenkins–directed “Lion King” prequel that hit theaters last week? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor

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Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.



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