"Here she stood in the doorway, I heard the mission bell, and I was thinking to myself, this could be Heaven or this could be Hell." —"Hotel California," Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Don Felder
Welcome to the Hotel California, where your West Coast, Messed Coast™ correspondent learned this week that far from the metaphorical straightjacket of addictions alluded to in the Eagles' iconic song, there is a very real and creepy way with which California tries to keep you imprisoned to the taxman — even though you moved to somewhere else 18 months ago.
Seattle has been hiding the hobos, and Oregon's clueless wonders in Congress perfectly reflect their clueless voters.
It's time for this week's West Coast, Messed Coast™ report so LET'S GOOOOOO!
'You Can Never Leave'
In a must-read column, Is California Reaching Critical Mass? Victor Davis Hansen distills the reasons why California's "gift to the nation is a third-world failed state, now in danger of societal collapse."
Democrats criticize President Donald Trump for bringing in moneyed partners to Make America Great Again, but what has California's sell-out to greedy trade unions done for anyone lately?
Bad schools, worse teachers, high taxes, regulatory handcuffs, the "subsidized poor," and fleeing high rollers have all combined to highlight the grift, graft – looking at you, Gavin Newsom —and imminent collapse of the once great Golden State.
When I arranged for Braden Harman to come on the Adult in the Room Podcast to talk about his book, The California Escape Guide: Your Step-By-Step Manual for Leaving the Golden State, I thought there wouldn't be many surprises in it. I've been at this issue for a long time. Your West Coast, Messed Coast™ correspondent, however, is embarrassed that she didn't know that after chasing out taxpayers, California checks to see if you've really left in the creepiest of ways.
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Did you know that California checks to see what cell towers are pinged when calls are made to your cellphone? Are they in California?
There are more than 30 things one must do to re-domicile to the state's satisfaction.
By all means, register to vote, get a driver's license, and switch your investments to the new state. But "changing your cell phone billing records. That's a big one." Also, make the Franchise Tax Board your friend.
California's as dysfunctional as they come, but they always get their tax money. Who do you think is supporting their favorite, new, illegal alien underclass?
Our short interview was eye-popping.
Hiding voter rolls
By stiff-arming the feds from peering at the California voter rolls, Shirley Weber, Rob Bonta, and the mob boss, Gavin Newsom, look guiltier than ever. But what's really going on here? Legal voter fraud.
For example, when you see homeless people being registered to vote, handed a ballot, and the unscrupulous ballot broker takes the ballot and turns it in, that's legal in California. If, however, that registrar pays a homeless person or gives something of value for those transactions, it's a felony, as Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, a.k.a. “Anika,” found out when James O'Keefe caught her, and the feds charged her.
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In fact, the FBI is investigating L.A.'s voter fraud capital, Skid Row, right now.
NEWS: The FBI is investigating voter fraud in Los Angeles after swarms of plain clothed federal agents descended on Skid Row in downtown LA Thursday, grilling residents over allegations that homeless people were paid to register and vote in the June 2 primary, according to the… pic.twitter.com/3yPz20kt9L
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) June 19, 2026
But the entire rickety voter integrity enterprise hangs on whether the state bothers to check who is an active and legal voter. The state has to check, and California doesn't check much. Indeed, taxpayers trying to flee the state receive far more scrutiny than voter registrants. And Democrats like it this way. No ID, no problem.
Legal fraud from Victor Davis Hansen:
Anyone can register and receive a provisional ballot on the same day.
Ballot harvesting and ballot curing are legal.
Campaign operatives can round up voters, gather their ballots, and deliver them en masse to a voting center.
They can register anyone to vote, provide a ballot, and then deposit it immediately afterward.
There is no requirement to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to get a driver's license. Yet a license is not even needed to register. Any credit card without a picture suffices.
And it gets worse still.
If the potential voter has no license, no Social Security number, no proof of U.S. citizenship, and no credit cards, he still will be registered—once harvesters provide him with a "unique identifier" number.
He can then vote that very day without any ID at all.
See that? In a normal state, most, if not all, of that would be illegal. In California, it's perfectly legal. This is why you see fraud, and California commies say, "Oh, yeah? We're in charge, and we made it legal, comrade."
Doubt me?
I talked with electoral expert Ruth Weiss of the Election Integrity Project of California. She lays it out in this quick interview.
It is a logical and natural assumption that the same people responsible for the outrageous billions of dollars in fraud in California are fully capable of extending their graft to votes. We get it. It's hard to prove. It's harder to change the laws when Democrats own all the levers of power.
Check the Gaydar
This couldn't be any more unconstitutional, but California keeps the grift train chugging along.
The state is now giving out business loans to gay people ... because ... they're gay people.
In a remake of an existing program, California now bestows small business loans to the "underserved" gay "community." However, the state requires that gay people show their ID and prove they're gay. This can mean attestations by friends or officials that one is gay.
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This is not a joke.
Assemblyman David Tangipa, who's dressing down at work today, "find[s] it odd that there are more requirements to be registered as gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans than there are to register to vote in California.
🚨ID REQUIRED TO REGISTER AS GAY BUT NOT TO VOTE!
— David Tangipa (@DavidTangipa) June 18, 2026
To be a certified LGBTQ buisness or entity and get awarded contracts by the CPUC (Utility Companies) in California you have to go through a “rigorous” background and ID certification process (which I was told was r*cist) before… pic.twitter.com/Qvp2mBfA1g
Gavin's behestments
Don't be surprised if the same government's legalized corruption I referred to about voting "exonerates" California Governor Gavin Newsom from his obviously unethical, self-dealing "behests."
A "behested payment" is when an elected official (or someone on their behalf) asks an organization to give money to a government or nonprofit, as Newsom did with a Native Tribe in monies that eventually and allegedly made their way back to his wife's organizations.
Unethical? An invitation to corruption? You'd better believe it is.
But is it illegal in California?
California voters and columnists have been howling about this for years.
Nothing's changed.
Calling George Soros
Ted Cruz made an excellent point the other day when he marveled at how triggered the left is with Elon Musk being a very, very rich man, but don the beer goggles when it comes to their pet billionaires.
Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), why are you so jealous of Elon Musk, and why do you covet what he has earned?
When I say tax the rich I’m looking at you, Elon Musk. No one should have this much money.https://t.co/gEo85juJV5
— Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (@RepDexterOR) June 12, 2026
Aren't those deadly sins, Maxine?
Bye, bye, billionaires
Washington billionaire Gabe Newell, founder of software company Valve, is leaving after the state imposed its "millionaire" tax, which is just an entree for an income tax on everyone.
Washington state Billionaire Gabe Newell (software giant Valve founder and owner) appears to be leaving for Florida, taking his estimated $11 Billion with him.
— Future 42 (@future42org) June 18, 2026
This will be the 3rd billionaire in WA state to have moved away this year, leaving only 10 left. How much tax revenue… pic.twitter.com/h54TFRFZIp
Meanwhile, on Skid Row ...
Quick, hide the hobos!
Woke rock, paper, scissors.
Seattle's communist mayor, Katie Wilson, started hiding her pet drug addicts away from the World Cup-hosting Lumen Field, where the Seahawks play, and to an already struggling and impoverished International District.
Objective: hide the hobos from the tourists' cameras.
The Discovery Institute's Jonathan Choe watched the tidal wave of humanity move.
HAPPENING NOW: Less than 24 hours before the first FIFA World Cup match is played in Seattle. But parts of the city look like a zombie apocalypse. Mayor Katie Wilson is accused of pushing homeless drug addicts outside of the downtown tourist corridor so fans do not get upset or… pic.twitter.com/RyjnFLrbXe
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) June 15, 2026
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Fresh freezer jam
How to hang on to a bumper crop of June strawberries? Freezer jam.
It's my first try, and this bad boy is headed to the freezer.
They haven't ruined everything — yet
Don't try this at home.
I feel like we're missing something
🇺🇸 The opening of Obama's Presidential Center gave us this gem: Obama and Jill Biden both walked off and forgot Joe!
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 19, 2026
Anyone else hit with a bit of sweet nostalgia seeing Joe lost on stage again? 😂pic.twitter.com/TEl3ZzMWyv
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