The head of In n Out is moving her family to Tennessee and she's far from the only one packing up and leaving California in the rearview mirror. Why? Plus, Michael explores how LA County made a mistake by passing Measure G, which no one seemed to know would repeal Measure J. Now the county is scrambling to fix it and find out how it happened in the first place. LA and LA County have reported a decrease in the homeless population but that doesn't appear to be true for downtown LA where more legacy businesses have announced their closures due to the economic and cultural climate. And the Ports of LA and Long Beach see fluctuations in cargo volume as the President's tariff policy continues to shift.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We've got another hour together on this Saturday night. Another
lovely Saturday night. The Dodgers losing right now on the
bottom of the six. They're down six to four against
the Brewers. The Angels went down earlier today in Philadelphia
(00:30):
nine to five. They'll pick up again tomorrow at ten
thirty five. So I've got a question for everybody. What's
so bad about California? What's so bad about Los Angeles?
You Haul is out with a new report. We're gonna
dive into this at the end of this hour, but
I want to hear from you as we build up
to that so we can play your comments. You Haul, Yes,
(00:53):
the moving and storage companies, out with a new report
that is again not positively reflective up on California. It
appears that of the one way trips that are booked
using U Haul's equipment, more than half in California are
to go somewhere else and never come back. And it's
not just everyday people who are apparently fed up or
(01:17):
looking for greener pastors elsewhere. The leader of In and
Out is leaving California, and what she says about it
has drawn a response from the office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
We're going to have that for you at the end
of the hour, but I want to hear from you.
(01:39):
Send some comments. Open up the iHeartRadio app, click on
that talkback button and tell us what's so bad or
are you thinking about leaving? Would you leave if you could?
And what's stopping you? Is there any hope to reverse
these negative trends. You can also hit me up on
(01:59):
social media. I am at Mike monks La across all
the platforms, that's mic monks La, Twitter, Insta, wherever, and
I'll look forward to hearing from you and playing your
comments towards the end of this hour. But first, there
was a big, big mistake in Los Angeles County and
Los Angeles County government officials did not realize they were
(02:20):
making this mistake. Let's go back to November. You may
or may not remember Measure g I know here in
California there's a measure this and the letters start to
add up, the numbers start to add up and you
forget what they are. Measure G was that thing that
expands the government in Los Angeles County right now, there
(02:42):
are five county supervisors, but a few of them said, look,
this county is huge. There's ten million people that live here,
so for each of us, that's basically two million constituents.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
That's a lot.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
We want to improve the service of government by reducing
that number of constituents per supervis So here's measure G.
What would Measure G do. It would add four more
supervisors a total of nine, and also a county wide
elected executive. This could be the most powerful person in
LA very very soon, county wide elected executive, basically a
(03:16):
county mayor. We'll first get that county mayor on the
ballot in twenty twenty eight, and then the supervisors will
be added to the equation in twenty thirty two's election
after the census is done in twenty thirty. So Supervisor
Lindsay Horvath and Supervisor Janis Hahn, they were big backers
of this.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
They got support from Supervisor Hill to solase.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Supervisor Catherine Barger and Supervisor Holly Mentchell agreed in concept,
but they didn't like the method used by the supporter,
so they were against this going through. However, it was approved,
but the La County Board of Supervisors has now asked
its staff to undo an administrative error that led to
(03:57):
the inadvertent repeal of a criminal justice system overhaul measure
approved by voters five years ago. County voters in twenty
twenty approved Measure J, which requires the county to set
aside ten percent of its locally generated unrestricted money and
spend it on jail diversion programs and other social services
aimed at preventing people from landing behind bars. Those funds
(04:21):
were intended to be used on programs like job training,
business development, housing services, and youth developments, but county officials
recently discovered a glaring error. Measure J was never codified
in the county charter, so last November, when county voters
(04:46):
approved Measure G, updating the charter to overhaul county government
with that expanded Board of supervisors, the elected CEO, Measure
J was accidentally repealed, and now the county says without
some type of action, Measure J will go away at
the end of twenty twenty eight. Supervisor Lindsay Horvath had
(05:09):
this to say about the situation at this week's Board
of Supervisor's meeting.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
The county holds this responsibility. It is our problem to fix.
This is not the community's problem to solve. But we
do want you at the table as we work to
ensure this doesn't happen again. Voters have spoken and we
must fix the clerical screw up and the lack of
accountability that led to this costly mistake in the first place.
(05:34):
This has kept me up and up at night, and
I know it's kept many of you up at night.
This is a colossal fiasco and we will fix it.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
It's keeping Lindsay Horvath, the county supervisor, up at night
that this accident happened. She had a lot of harsh
words to say at this week's meeting about this situation.
I mean, we're six seven months after the approval of
Measure G, and only in recent weeks have they realized
they oopsie Daisy repealed Measure J. So what they did
(06:07):
this week was they approved several motions that have directed
the county attorneys to report back in a couple of
weeks on potential legal actions to maintain the provisions of
Measure J, including the possibility of going to court to
obtain a judge's ruling verifying the passage of that item
and ensuring it remains in place. This motion also calls
(06:29):
on county staff to explore possible changes in state law
that might preserve the measure without the need to go
back to voters to reaffirm Measure J. It would also
direct county staff it did direct county staff to prepare
a new ballot measure should it be determined that a
new public vote will be necessary to re enact Measure J.
(06:52):
That is your local government at work. They get you
all excited about mesas apparently five years ago, twenty twenty,
let's support social justice and jail reform. Let's keep people
out of jail in the first place, and let's make
sure ten percent of the county's money is going to
(07:13):
those programs.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
It gets approved.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Five years later, they say we need more supervisors, we
needed an elected CEO. Got you all excited about that.
You voted for it, but no one was paying attention
to the details. Nobody ever put Measure J in the
county charter, and now the county charter has changed anyway.
Measure J will not be a part of it, so
(07:36):
you might have to vote on Measure J again, but
it's not twenty twenty anymore. And that passion from five
years ago related to social justice, it just very clearly
isn't the same. So it will be curious to see
how that's framed if it has to come back to you,
(07:59):
the voters of law Los Angeles County. The County Board
of Supervisors has also called for an internal investigation into
the cause of the administrative error and what steps can
be taken to avoid any future oversights. Supervisor Horvath set
in a statement before this week's vote. In twenty twenty,
(08:20):
the people of Los Angeles County overwhelmingly approved Measure J
to shift county resources away from incarceration and toward community
based investments. This measure was the result of a hard fought,
community led effort that I wholeheartedly supported and remained deeply
committed to upholding. When five people are in charge, no
one is in charge. This is a quintessential example of
(08:42):
why the governance reforms and Measured G are so urgently needed.
So Measure g's approval is reason Measured J was repealed,
but Measured g's approval is necessary so that the repeal
of Measure J never happens again.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
There's no other job I would rather have than covering
local government in southern California, the City of Los Angeles,
the County of Los Angeles. It is a non stop
news hose that I get to drink from and share
those stories with you. Stay tuned for that. We should
know more in a couple of weeks when these reports
come back. Now, at the top of this hour, I
(09:24):
asked you for a favor. I want you to send
some comments in because at the bottom of the hour,
not at the bottom of the hour. At the end
of this hour, we're going to talk about the in
and out CEO and why she and her family are
packing up and leaving California, along with some significant part
of the business to Tennessee. What the governor is saying
about that. I want your perspective. Why are people leaving
(09:46):
California like this? What's so bad about California? And would
you leave if you could? What's holding you back? Open
up the iHeartRadio app, click on that talkback button, and
we will play your messages towards the end of the program.
You've got Michael Monk's Reports on KFI AM's.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
K I AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monk's Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
You just heard that promo for Gary and Shannon. Gary
is back on Monday, and I have really enjoyed filling in.
I filled in for two weeks with Shannon for one
hour each day and somehow managed to stay employed. She's
(10:27):
a very bad influence, Shannon Farren, but a lot of
fun to hang out with on the air, and all
of you seem to be having some fun with us
or fun at our expense.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Which we also appreciate.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
But the adult will be back in the room when
Gary Hoffman is back on the air tomorrow. I am
filling in for Amy King on Monday. I said tomorrow.
Gary's back Monday. I'm back Monday for Amy King on
wake up Call, and I'll be doing the news that
morning for them. So we might all get in trouble
since we'll be on the air together at the same time.
So there's only one way to find out, and that
is to tune into KFI Am six forty on Monday
(11:01):
at nine o'clock in the morning. The homeless numbers for
LA and LA County were released this week, and for
the second consecutive year in a row, the LA Homeless
Services Authority has reported a decline. And that's pretty significant
because the numbers have of course gone up, up, up
(11:21):
and up in the years prior. But it's very difficult
to understand these numbers, and to celebrate this decline is
also a strange thing to do because it's a modest
decline from a number that is much higher than it
was in twenty nineteen. So right now there's about seventy
(11:43):
three thousand homeless people in Los Angeles County per this count,
more than half of whom live in the City of
Los Angeles. But in twenty nineteen that number was fifty
eight thousand, So in six years that number went up
all the way to seventy five thousand, and a couple
(12:05):
years since that peak in twenty twenty three, the numbers
have dropped modestly, but that's if the numbers are accurate
at all. Ellie Mayor Bass was very excited about these numbers.
This is what she had to say when the numbers
were reported earlier this week.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
And this is very good news.
Speaker 6 (12:24):
Obviously, we have a lot more to do, but the
fact of the matter is everybody that is here today
is committed to making sure that we do whatever is
necessary until we end homelessness period. So for the.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
First time in our city's recent history, homelessness has gone
down two years in a row, according to the annual
point in Time count.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
And I'm happy to report that.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
When I was on my way over here, I got
a text message from our governor congratulating Los Angeles for
moving the needle forward.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
So we've moved the needle forward, but it has been
a very expensive process to move that needle forward very modestly,
and that is why the LA Homeless Services Authority will
not be the same agency this time next year when
(13:25):
those numbers are released again. LA County has already voted
to basically leave the agency entirely. They've created their own
homeless department. In fact, just this week they approved the
hiring of the director of that new department. The City
of Los Angeles is now talking openly about what it's
going to do about this because LASA, the LA Homeless
(13:46):
Services Authority LASA that is a joint operation of the
city and the county. But they have spent billions of
dollars and all they have to show for it really
is a modest decrease in the population. So finally, government
(14:09):
officials are starting to question whether that money is being
spent appropriately, whether the strategies need to change. Loss has
been the subject of scathing audits and court orders. A
lot of that money that flies out the door to
smaller agencies is unaccounted for. There's not a lot of
(14:33):
details on what those smaller agencies did with the money.
There's not a lot of details on whether LASA expected
information from those agencies on what they were going to
do with that money. In other words, this is how
this is a hypothetical scenario. Let's say you have a
small agency in Santa Clarita and you promise to how
(15:02):
twelve homeless people in your little shelter, and you get
a check from LASA for two million dollars. You may
not have ever had to tell them anything after that.
No details about how many people you brought in, no
(15:23):
details on whether those people made it out of the
shelter into transitional or permanent housing. Those types of cases
exist now and we know that from the accounting audits
and the court orders. So the CEO of LASA, who
did speak this week, is leaving her post, and what's
(15:43):
to become of that agency is very much unclear. Prior
to the release of that loss of number, the point
in Time count as they call it, the RAND Corporation,
which is a research group based in Santa Monica, they
did a special study on three neighborhoods in the city
of Los Angeles, Hollywood, skid Row, and Venice, and they
(16:05):
found that what they call unsheltered people, and that's a
specific definition. Unsheltered people dropped fifteen percent in their population
in those three areas combined. But when you look at
skid Row by itself, you have to take away the
forty nine percent decline in Hollywood and the twenty two
(16:28):
percent decline in Venice. The population in skid Row increased
by nine percent. So in some way, these homeless people,
as the city tries to address this situation, kind of
being moved around, and they're being moved to my neighborhood.
I see this outside my window. I live in the
(16:50):
Fashion District, but it's like a block from skid Row.
I can see skid row from my window. And when
I first moved into my apartment two and a half
years ago, there were no tents on my block, and
now there are mini tents on my block. That's hypothetical, right,
I'm not part of the group that goes out and
(17:11):
counts the people and compares it to last year. But hypothetically,
there are now tents on my street outside my parking
lot where there weren't any before. So my cynicism is
rising when I hear these types of numbers, especially when
you think about the staggering cost, and if the homeless
(17:35):
people are declining in Venice and Hollywood but increasing in downtown,
that has a negative effect on an already struggling center
of this region. Downtown Los Angeles already lost its Macy's.
(17:58):
Now Macy's is having a lot of problem, They're closing
a lot of stores. But Macy's was the anchor of
a significant shopping center in downtown Los Angeles that is
now anchorless the block. It's called the Block. They're on
Seventh Street between Figaroa and Flower And you may have
(18:18):
heard just last week on this very program, we spent
a lot of time talking about the closure of Coals,
the originator of the French dip sandwich. It's been open
for one hundred and seventeen years. World Wars, depressions, economic downturn,
civil unrest, all of that has happened. Coals kept serving
(18:42):
French dip sandwiches. Now it's too much. The environment downtown
is too much for that business to continue, and a
couple more casualties have since announced their closure downtown as
well the Maya Nightclub they've operated as a music venue
(19:04):
and nightclub performance venue under the current owners for thirty
five years. They posted on Monday to our loyal patrons,
community and friends. Thank you for your unwavering support, your trust,
and the countless memories we've created together. You made every
night truly special. But that theater's history, and I don't
(19:25):
know if you've ever seen it, but it's a pretty
spectacular building. It's almost one hundred years old. It opened
in August of nineteen twenty seven. A lot of famous
Depression era performers have entertained folks in that theater and
(19:49):
now it's going dark. And a restaurant named she Boomy.
This is a restaurant according to the La Times. Forgive
my lack of cultural knowledge. But the La Time says
it's known for its elegant izakaya style dishes. But this
(20:13):
is a Michelin Star restaurant. It's been open for ten years.
The owner posted last week, we embarked on a journey
fueled by an outpouring of love, passion, and curiosity from
an extraordinary community. We dared to be different, reviving ancient
recipes and time honored techniques that carried the weight of centuries.
(20:37):
In the end of twenty twenty three to twenty twenty four,
things really flattened out. The staff is the same, the
recipes were the same. The only thing that wasn't the
same was people just weren't coming in. Any business owner
invests in a community, and when you see that same
destruction and graffiti ten years later, it's sad. Doors are
(21:01):
closing in downtown Los Angeles, and the homeless count in
that part of this community, regardless of the overall regional numbers,
is up. There is a direct connection. I've asked you
to weigh in on why people are leaving California and
if you've thought about leaving California, because coming up a
little later, we are gonna hear from the In and
(21:23):
Out CEO a podcast she was on saying she's leaving California,
and Governor Newsom's office has responded to that report. You
can open up the iHeartRadio app, click on that talkback button.
We're gonna play your messages at the end of the hour.
This is Michael Monks Reports on KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI
News on this Saturday night in southern California. Have you
noticed an increase in prices at all when you're out
shopping for groceries or any other products that you might
be looking for? Tariffs? Are they impacting you. It's hard
(22:09):
to keep up with the tariff policy out of the
Trump White House. Some of them are on, some of
them are off, some of them are some of them
are paused, some of them are coming back.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
It's really hard to keep track.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
But there's a report today that the price of coffee
is rising and it might keep going off. Inflation data
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows roasted coffee prices
increase twelve point seven percent in June compared to last year.
Instant coffee jumped sixteen percent, So the retail price for
a pound of ground coffee was eight dollars and thirteen
(22:46):
cents last month. That was up a dollar since January.
President Trump's tariffs likely to make the price of coffee
climb even higher. Brazil, the world's top coffee producer, is
facing a fifty percent tariff next month. Well, Vietnam, the
world's second largest coffee producer, is facing a twenty percent hike.
(23:07):
And then there are other issues in foreign lands where
there will be an impact because of the American tariff policy.
The AP reports that President Trump's new Africa strategy has
shifted from aid to trade, under a commercial diplomacy push,
urging ambassadors to broker business deals rather than manage aid programs.
(23:31):
Washington towed six billion dollars in early agreements. But African
nations face steep tariffs thirty percent on South African goods,
fifty percent on LSUTU exports, and they say that threatens
over one hundred thousand jobs and straining economies here. Locally,
(23:53):
we happen to be a gateway to America for the world.
We have two major ports, Los Angeles and Long Beach,
and every month both of these ports come out with
their reports about how much traffic they're seeing, what's coming in,
what's the volume look like, how are the jobs, and
(24:13):
what type of economic impact can we expect. Almost always
these reports are pretty boring until this tariff policy started
bouncing all over the place. And so this week the
Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach
each came out with their updates as they do every month,
(24:33):
and it was it was interesting to see how different
the situation was at both of them. The Port of
LA had expressed fear the month prior about the fact
that their cargoes down like nineteen percent in May, but
(24:57):
in June it bounced back. Record cargo volume at the
Port of Los Angeles in the month of June, port's CEO,
Jene Soroka had this to say about it.
Speaker 7 (25:10):
While record setting volume is welcome news, it also highlights
the tariff whipsaw effect that we've mentioned before. When tariffs
kicked in, imports slowed significantly in May and continued to
drop through the first half of June, then with a
pause on some tariffs, cargo began moving once again, getting
(25:31):
our dock workers and truckers back out on the job. Overall,
the combined cargo volume for the last two months is
about the same as last year, and it also matches
our five year average.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Gene Soroka, the CEO of the Port of.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Los Angeles, says, basically, yeah, cargo was down because the
tariffs were on and so people stopped ordering. But then
there was a pause on the tariffs. People started ordering
very quickly to try to get product brought in or
sent out before the tariffs kick in again. But all
(26:13):
of that on again, off again, care off situation is
impacting businesses, even if you haven't seen a price increase
on your favorite product yet. This press conference that the
Port of LA hosted this week to announce their numbers
included the president of Yetti Houseware. His name is Bob
excuse me, his name is Bobby Java Harry, and he
(26:36):
says these impacts are having these tariffs are having a
serious impact on small and mid sized businesses like his.
Here's part of what he said.
Speaker 8 (26:46):
I had TJ max is we're one of the top
two dinnerware replenishers to TJ max in the United States,
and I had their department head here and he told
me in May of I think a week before the
President made his announcement, he said, end quote, Christmas is
in jeopardy. So if you think the department head of
(27:10):
the Dinnaware business of TJ Max is telling me a
small sized business that Christmas is in jeopardy, do you
think Walmart Target CEOs aren't knocking down on the Oval
Office front door saying, hey, mister President, and of this
lower this embargo because we got to put our fourth
(27:31):
quarter production orders in.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
What we're hearing from port officials, based on their own forecast,
is that we should see high traffic again when the
July report comes out next month. But because certain seasonal
products should have already been ordered back to school, Halloween, Christmas,
(28:00):
we might see higher prices because there is lower inventory.
So the price of coffee appears to be up already
and that could be going up more, but more price hikes,
fewer items on the shelf that might be around the
(28:21):
corner too. So the Port of Los Angeles says we
had a record June. The Port of Long Beach saw
its cargo drop sixteen point four percent compared to June
of last year, but they also expect its traffic in
July to rebound because of this ninety day pause that
(28:42):
was that was placed on many of these tariffs and
the retaliatory tariffs. The Port of Long Beach CEO Mario
Cordero says, the Port of Long Beach is prepared to
handle the influx by tracking trade moving through the harbor
with the Supply Chain Information Highway, are digital solution to
maximize visibility and efficiency and cargo movement. I don't know
(29:04):
why these port leaders talk like that. That's why I
find these press conferences so boring. First, Gene Soroka is
always reading his remarks and while he reads, well, you
know he's literate, but it just sounds very strange. When
we have to cut up the sound bites and then
play them, it doesn't sound very natural. And then Mario
(29:26):
Cordero at the Port of Long Beach, in a quote
that they send out to the press, actually includes the
reference to the supply Chain Information Highway, our digital solution
to maximize visibility and efficiency and cargo movement. Just help
me understand what's going on, bro, That doesn't help. We'll
(29:48):
keep an eye on what's happening in our ports. I
know you'll keep an eye on what's happening to your
pocketbook and letting us know. We have one more segment
to go, and we're gonna hear from this CEO of
In and Out why she's leaving California and moving to Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Not the business. Yes, we already know.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
The business is moving some of its operations to Tennessee.
She's moving her home and that has drawn a response
from Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. Last call for
your comments. Open up the iHeartRadio app. Click on that
talkback button. We're gonna play your remarks when we continue
with Michael Monk's reports here on KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Mugs from KFI News.
We've got a few more minutes together now. Look, we
already know In and Out is moving part of its
headquarters to Tennessee and keeping and consolidating its operations here
in California. I think Baldwin Hills or Baldwin Park, but
(30:56):
I don't think we knew that the owner of In
and Out, Lindsay Snyder, was going to be leaving California
as well and moving her family to Tennessee. She was
on a conservative podcast called Relatable. This is what she
said about it.
Speaker 9 (31:12):
There's a lot of great things about California, but raising
a family is not easy here. Doing business is not
easy here. Now, the bulk of our stores are still
going to be here in California, but it will be
wonderful having an office out there, growing out there totally
(31:37):
and being able to have the family and other people's
families out there.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Now, if you're the billionaire owner of one of the
most iconic brands to come out of California and you're
not happy in California's that's not a good look for
the Golden State. So a lot of conservative politicians and
commentators and social media users are using this this is
another opportunity to dunk on California, including Rick Grennell, who
(32:05):
has held various positions in both Trump administrations and I
think has a variety of different jobs this time around.
He had shared this news that in Announce ownership is
leaving California to move to Tennessee. And that prompted a
response from the Governor's office, who says, for those interested
(32:26):
in facts rather than fiction, In and Out is expanding east,
creating a second headquarters in Tennessee. They are consolidating their
two southern California offices into one, creating a Western regional
headquarters to go along with their yet to be built
Eastern Regional headquarters. All of this was announced earlier this year. Yeah, yeah,
of course we know. But what wasn't announced was Lindsay
(32:47):
Snyder saying it's difficult to do business here. It's difficult
to raise a family here. So the Governor's office goes
on to say, what was announced today is the owner's
family is relocating. We'd imagine to better over the expansion
in the eastern US.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
But that's not what she said. She said it's difficult
to raise a family here.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
The Governor's office says, In and Out continues to expand
in California, adding more locations in the Golden State this
year than in any other state. So the Governor's Office,
in another online feud, Lindsay Snyder is not the only
one leaving California. U HAUL comes out multiple times a
(33:30):
year with basically a migratory report based on data collected
from users. Who's renting a U haul truck to move?
Where are they coming from? Where are they going? And
more than half of the one way trips booked in
California were to leave California, not to move to another
city in California. Fifty one percent one way you haul
(33:53):
out of California. And when you look at some of
the other metro areas that appear to be more attractive
to what I know, this is a controversial term to Angelinos.
We're finding places like Austin. U Hau says that Los
Angeles is the number two spot for people arriving in
(34:15):
Austin in a U haul truck. LA is number five
for people relocating to Dallas. LA is number one for
people relocating to Vegas, and LA is number four among
U haul customers relocating to Nashville.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Like it announced Lindsay Snyder.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
LA is also in the top five for people relocating
to Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, and Seattle. People are moving
to Los Angeles still from other states, top states being Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Washington,
and Oregon. Specifically places like Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, Portland and Denver.
Those are the top cities where people are moving into LA.
(34:56):
But the exodus of folks continue. So I asked for
you to join in on this conversation, and a lot
of you have responded. Let me try to play as
many as I can. I'm not always as good as
the other hosted doing this, but let's hear from from Brad.
Speaker 10 (35:11):
Gasoline taxes, state taxes, Gavin Newsom stopping small engines. We
can't buy gasoline powered lawnmowers. There is no electric grid
to power cars. Illegal immigrants taking over our schools and
demanding housing, free healthcare and stuff. We're taxed to death.
(35:32):
That's the problem. Brad thinks, so much is the problem.
Thanks so much for the call. Let's see if I
got another one here from Aaron.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
I grew up here and was born here. I want
to get so far away from California these days. I'm
going to move all the way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mister Monks, it's good to hear your voice, dude. You're
a hell of a broadcaster.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Aaron, thanks so much. You will be able to continue
to listen to the program on the iheartrate even if
you were an Ethiopia. Let's hear from Mark.
Speaker 11 (36:08):
Hey, Michael Muntz. Yeah, leaving California, it'd be so easy.
My daughter, my daughter and lawa wouldn't let me leave
or you know, with my son, so we ought to vote.
So we're up in Eldorado County. Show in California. But
it California just sucks. I like my county, but the
(36:28):
state government is horrible. There's crime, over crowding, traffic, just
garbage home.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
Oh the traffic.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
I know it's so stereotypical to be able to say that,
but why doesn't anybody do anything about the traffic. It's
just it's unbelievable. Let's see what else we got here.
We got Kelly.
Speaker 12 (36:56):
Originally from Los Angeles, California, moved to San Diego for
my adult life. I left San Diego in twenty nineteen
when Gavin Newsom got elected, before he took office. Now
look at me, I'm in Arizona, been here for six years,
having regretted one moment of it.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Well, Kelly, we appreciate you still listening to KFI, even
though you were all the way over in Arizona. Maybe
you'll come back someday. If the situation improves. Let's see,
who do we have. I got Cheryl, And let me
just remind Ronald Cortez, our technical director, just put your
finger on the dump button just in case. I'm blowing
(37:40):
through these as fast as I can, and we don't
want any swear words to slip.
Speaker 13 (37:43):
Through to forty five years ago, and it was a
pretty cool hit place to live. Everything was affordable, and
there was lawn order. And now it's just gotten so
whacked out that it's like there is no law and order.
Our gas tax was supposed to go for our streets
(38:05):
and infrastructure, and we're number five in the nation of
being the worst. It'd be nice to know our money
is actually.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Thank you for that quick reminder.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
The talkbacks are thirty seconds and they will cut you
off if if you go over that. So that's not
me stopping you, it is it's the technology, all right,
let's hear. I don't know if I have a name here.
I got burned.
Speaker 14 (38:30):
Hey Michael, it's vern in Ridondo, and I want to
leave California. I'm a son who lives in Torrents a
daughter in Georgia, and.
Speaker 13 (38:42):
I want to.
Speaker 14 (38:43):
Move closer to my daughter. But I can't because I
don't have the ability to save any money for the move. Yeah,
because it's just become so expensive to live here. Yes,
it's just a travesty, and I don't see any end
to it.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
That's the depressing part, is not seeing any end to
the problems. I mean, if it's something as simple as
I shouldn't say simple, but something as regular in our lives,
like the traffic or something like, how am I going
to say five, ten, fifteen thousand dollars to relocate to
a city that is, you know, cheaper. Very quickly, let's
(39:22):
hear from Joyanne Michael.
Speaker 15 (39:25):
I just wanted to say that I love your show,
and I especially tune in every Saturday night. I think
they should tack on another hour for you, so you
go to ten o'clock.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
All right, thank you, Thank you for that sweet message.
I do appreciate that, and we certainly certainly would if
we could.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
Let's hear from Kenneth Honest journalism. Thank you, mister Monks.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
You're the one of the only journalists in Los Angeles
covering the news.
Speaker 12 (39:52):
Probably.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
Oh, thank you, Kenna, thank you for that. I didn't
expect to.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Have very complimentary talk back there at the end a
little off topic, but we gotta wrap things up. We
gotta end it with the good news about me. I'm
gonna do my best to talk about the things facing
California Los Angeles and do our best to see if
we can't figure out how to make it better. I'd
like to stay. I just got here and you all
make me like it even more so. Thank you so
much for joining us, Thanks to our technical director Roo
(40:21):
Cortes and our news anchor Brigitta Agostino for being with
us tonight, and thanks to all of you for listening.
We'll be back next Saturday for another edition of Michael
Monks Reports, and I will be doing wake Up Call
in the morning news for Amy King on Monday, so
I'll talk to you then as well. This is KFI
AM six
Speaker 1 (40:38):
Forty KFI AM six forty on demand
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We've got another hour together on this Saturday night. Another
lovely Saturday night. The Dodgers losing right now on the
bottom of the six. They're down six to four against
the Brewers. The Angels went down earlier today in Philadelphia
(00:30):
nine to five. They'll pick up again tomorrow at ten
thirty five. So I've got a question for everybody. What's
so bad about California? What's so bad about Los Angeles?
You Haul is out with a new report. We're gonna
dive into this at the end of this hour, but
I want to hear from you as we build up
to that so we can play your comments. You Haul, Yes,
(00:53):
the moving and storage companies, out with a new report
that is again not positively reflective up on California. It
appears that of the one way trips that are booked
using U Haul's equipment, more than half in California are
to go somewhere else and never come back. And it's
not just everyday people who are apparently fed up or
(01:17):
looking for greener pastors elsewhere. The leader of In and
Out is leaving California, and what she says about it
has drawn a response from the office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
We're going to have that for you at the end
of the hour, but I want to hear from you.
(01:39):
Send some comments. Open up the iHeartRadio app, click on
that talkback button and tell us what's so bad or
are you thinking about leaving? Would you leave if you could?
And what's stopping you? Is there any hope to reverse
these negative trends. You can also hit me up on
(01:59):
social media. I am at Mike monks La across all
the platforms, that's mic monks La, Twitter, Insta, wherever, and
I'll look forward to hearing from you and playing your
comments towards the end of this hour. But first, there
was a big, big mistake in Los Angeles County and
Los Angeles County government officials did not realize they were
(02:20):
making this mistake. Let's go back to November. You may
or may not remember Measure g I know here in
California there's a measure this and the letters start to
add up, the numbers start to add up and you
forget what they are. Measure G was that thing that
expands the government in Los Angeles County right now, there
(02:42):
are five county supervisors, but a few of them said, look,
this county is huge. There's ten million people that live here,
so for each of us, that's basically two million constituents.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
That's a lot.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
We want to improve the service of government by reducing
that number of constituents per supervis So here's measure G.
What would Measure G do. It would add four more
supervisors a total of nine, and also a county wide
elected executive. This could be the most powerful person in
LA very very soon, county wide elected executive, basically a
(03:16):
county mayor. We'll first get that county mayor on the
ballot in twenty twenty eight, and then the supervisors will
be added to the equation in twenty thirty two's election
after the census is done in twenty thirty. So Supervisor
Lindsay Horvath and Supervisor Janis Hahn, they were big backers
of this.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
They got support from Supervisor Hill to solase.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Supervisor Catherine Barger and Supervisor Holly Mentchell agreed in concept,
but they didn't like the method used by the supporter,
so they were against this going through. However, it was approved,
but the La County Board of Supervisors has now asked
its staff to undo an administrative error that led to
(03:57):
the inadvertent repeal of a criminal justice system overhaul measure
approved by voters five years ago. County voters in twenty
twenty approved Measure J, which requires the county to set
aside ten percent of its locally generated unrestricted money and
spend it on jail diversion programs and other social services
aimed at preventing people from landing behind bars. Those funds
(04:21):
were intended to be used on programs like job training,
business development, housing services, and youth developments, but county officials
recently discovered a glaring error. Measure J was never codified
in the county charter, so last November, when county voters
(04:46):
approved Measure G, updating the charter to overhaul county government
with that expanded Board of supervisors, the elected CEO, Measure
J was accidentally repealed, and now the county says without
some type of action, Measure J will go away at
the end of twenty twenty eight. Supervisor Lindsay Horvath had
(05:09):
this to say about the situation at this week's Board
of Supervisor's meeting.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
The county holds this responsibility. It is our problem to fix.
This is not the community's problem to solve. But we
do want you at the table as we work to
ensure this doesn't happen again. Voters have spoken and we
must fix the clerical screw up and the lack of
accountability that led to this costly mistake in the first place.
(05:34):
This has kept me up and up at night, and
I know it's kept many of you up at night.
This is a colossal fiasco and we will fix it.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
It's keeping Lindsay Horvath, the county supervisor, up at night
that this accident happened. She had a lot of harsh
words to say at this week's meeting about this situation.
I mean, we're six seven months after the approval of
Measure G, and only in recent weeks have they realized
they oopsie Daisy repealed Measure J. So what they did
(06:07):
this week was they approved several motions that have directed
the county attorneys to report back in a couple of
weeks on potential legal actions to maintain the provisions of
Measure J, including the possibility of going to court to
obtain a judge's ruling verifying the passage of that item
and ensuring it remains in place. This motion also calls
(06:29):
on county staff to explore possible changes in state law
that might preserve the measure without the need to go
back to voters to reaffirm Measure J. It would also
direct county staff it did direct county staff to prepare
a new ballot measure should it be determined that a
new public vote will be necessary to re enact Measure J.
(06:52):
That is your local government at work. They get you
all excited about mesas apparently five years ago, twenty twenty,
let's support social justice and jail reform. Let's keep people
out of jail in the first place, and let's make
sure ten percent of the county's money is going to
(07:13):
those programs.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
It gets approved.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Five years later, they say we need more supervisors, we
needed an elected CEO. Got you all excited about that.
You voted for it, but no one was paying attention
to the details. Nobody ever put Measure J in the
county charter, and now the county charter has changed anyway.
Measure J will not be a part of it, so
(07:36):
you might have to vote on Measure J again, but
it's not twenty twenty anymore. And that passion from five
years ago related to social justice, it just very clearly
isn't the same. So it will be curious to see
how that's framed if it has to come back to you,
(07:59):
the voters of law Los Angeles County. The County Board
of Supervisors has also called for an internal investigation into
the cause of the administrative error and what steps can
be taken to avoid any future oversights. Supervisor Horvath set
in a statement before this week's vote. In twenty twenty,
(08:20):
the people of Los Angeles County overwhelmingly approved Measure J
to shift county resources away from incarceration and toward community
based investments. This measure was the result of a hard fought,
community led effort that I wholeheartedly supported and remained deeply
committed to upholding. When five people are in charge, no
one is in charge. This is a quintessential example of
(08:42):
why the governance reforms and Measured G are so urgently needed.
So Measure g's approval is reason Measured J was repealed,
but Measured g's approval is necessary so that the repeal
of Measure J never happens again.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
There's no other job I would rather have than covering
local government in southern California, the City of Los Angeles,
the County of Los Angeles. It is a non stop
news hose that I get to drink from and share
those stories with you. Stay tuned for that. We should
know more in a couple of weeks when these reports
come back. Now, at the top of this hour, I
(09:24):
asked you for a favor. I want you to send
some comments in because at the bottom of the hour,
not at the bottom of the hour. At the end
of this hour, we're going to talk about the in
and out CEO and why she and her family are
packing up and leaving California, along with some significant part
of the business to Tennessee. What the governor is saying
about that. I want your perspective. Why are people leaving
(09:46):
California like this? What's so bad about California? And would
you leave if you could? What's holding you back? Open
up the iHeartRadio app, click on that talkback button, and
we will play your messages towards the end of the program.
You've got Michael Monk's Reports on KFI AM's.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
K I AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monk's Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
You just heard that promo for Gary and Shannon. Gary
is back on Monday, and I have really enjoyed filling in.
I filled in for two weeks with Shannon for one
hour each day and somehow managed to stay employed. She's
(10:27):
a very bad influence, Shannon Farren, but a lot of
fun to hang out with on the air, and all
of you seem to be having some fun with us
or fun at our expense.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Which we also appreciate.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
But the adult will be back in the room when
Gary Hoffman is back on the air tomorrow. I am
filling in for Amy King on Monday. I said tomorrow.
Gary's back Monday. I'm back Monday for Amy King on
wake up Call, and I'll be doing the news that
morning for them. So we might all get in trouble
since we'll be on the air together at the same time.
So there's only one way to find out, and that
is to tune into KFI Am six forty on Monday
(11:01):
at nine o'clock in the morning. The homeless numbers for
LA and LA County were released this week, and for
the second consecutive year in a row, the LA Homeless
Services Authority has reported a decline. And that's pretty significant
because the numbers have of course gone up, up, up
(11:21):
and up in the years prior. But it's very difficult
to understand these numbers, and to celebrate this decline is
also a strange thing to do because it's a modest
decline from a number that is much higher than it
was in twenty nineteen. So right now there's about seventy
(11:43):
three thousand homeless people in Los Angeles County per this count,
more than half of whom live in the City of
Los Angeles. But in twenty nineteen that number was fifty
eight thousand, So in six years that number went up
all the way to seventy five thousand, and a couple
(12:05):
years since that peak in twenty twenty three, the numbers
have dropped modestly, but that's if the numbers are accurate
at all. Ellie Mayor Bass was very excited about these numbers.
This is what she had to say when the numbers
were reported earlier this week.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
And this is very good news.
Speaker 6 (12:24):
Obviously, we have a lot more to do, but the
fact of the matter is everybody that is here today
is committed to making sure that we do whatever is
necessary until we end homelessness period. So for the.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
First time in our city's recent history, homelessness has gone
down two years in a row, according to the annual
point in Time count.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
And I'm happy to report that.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
When I was on my way over here, I got
a text message from our governor congratulating Los Angeles for
moving the needle forward.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
So we've moved the needle forward, but it has been
a very expensive process to move that needle forward very modestly,
and that is why the LA Homeless Services Authority will
not be the same agency this time next year when
(13:25):
those numbers are released again. LA County has already voted
to basically leave the agency entirely. They've created their own
homeless department. In fact, just this week they approved the
hiring of the director of that new department. The City
of Los Angeles is now talking openly about what it's
going to do about this because LASA, the LA Homeless
(13:46):
Services Authority LASA that is a joint operation of the
city and the county. But they have spent billions of
dollars and all they have to show for it really
is a modest decrease in the population. So finally, government
(14:09):
officials are starting to question whether that money is being
spent appropriately, whether the strategies need to change. Loss has
been the subject of scathing audits and court orders. A
lot of that money that flies out the door to
smaller agencies is unaccounted for. There's not a lot of
(14:33):
details on what those smaller agencies did with the money.
There's not a lot of details on whether LASA expected
information from those agencies on what they were going to
do with that money. In other words, this is how
this is a hypothetical scenario. Let's say you have a
small agency in Santa Clarita and you promise to how
(15:02):
twelve homeless people in your little shelter, and you get
a check from LASA for two million dollars. You may
not have ever had to tell them anything after that.
No details about how many people you brought in, no
(15:23):
details on whether those people made it out of the
shelter into transitional or permanent housing. Those types of cases
exist now and we know that from the accounting audits
and the court orders. So the CEO of LASA, who
did speak this week, is leaving her post, and what's
(15:43):
to become of that agency is very much unclear. Prior
to the release of that loss of number, the point
in Time count as they call it, the RAND Corporation,
which is a research group based in Santa Monica, they
did a special study on three neighborhoods in the city
of Los Angeles, Hollywood, skid Row, and Venice, and they
(16:05):
found that what they call unsheltered people, and that's a
specific definition. Unsheltered people dropped fifteen percent in their population
in those three areas combined. But when you look at
skid Row by itself, you have to take away the
forty nine percent decline in Hollywood and the twenty two
(16:28):
percent decline in Venice. The population in skid Row increased
by nine percent. So in some way, these homeless people,
as the city tries to address this situation, kind of
being moved around, and they're being moved to my neighborhood.
I see this outside my window. I live in the
(16:50):
Fashion District, but it's like a block from skid Row.
I can see skid row from my window. And when
I first moved into my apartment two and a half
years ago, there were no tents on my block, and
now there are mini tents on my block. That's hypothetical, right,
I'm not part of the group that goes out and
(17:11):
counts the people and compares it to last year. But hypothetically,
there are now tents on my street outside my parking
lot where there weren't any before. So my cynicism is
rising when I hear these types of numbers, especially when
you think about the staggering cost, and if the homeless
(17:35):
people are declining in Venice and Hollywood but increasing in downtown,
that has a negative effect on an already struggling center
of this region. Downtown Los Angeles already lost its Macy's.
(17:58):
Now Macy's is having a lot of problem, They're closing
a lot of stores. But Macy's was the anchor of
a significant shopping center in downtown Los Angeles that is
now anchorless the block. It's called the Block. They're on
Seventh Street between Figaroa and Flower And you may have
(18:18):
heard just last week on this very program, we spent
a lot of time talking about the closure of Coals,
the originator of the French dip sandwich. It's been open
for one hundred and seventeen years. World Wars, depressions, economic downturn,
civil unrest, all of that has happened. Coals kept serving
(18:42):
French dip sandwiches. Now it's too much. The environment downtown
is too much for that business to continue, and a
couple more casualties have since announced their closure downtown as
well the Maya Nightclub they've operated as a music venue
(19:04):
and nightclub performance venue under the current owners for thirty
five years. They posted on Monday to our loyal patrons,
community and friends. Thank you for your unwavering support, your trust,
and the countless memories we've created together. You made every
night truly special. But that theater's history, and I don't
(19:25):
know if you've ever seen it, but it's a pretty
spectacular building. It's almost one hundred years old. It opened
in August of nineteen twenty seven. A lot of famous
Depression era performers have entertained folks in that theater and
(19:49):
now it's going dark. And a restaurant named she Boomy.
This is a restaurant according to the La Times. Forgive
my lack of cultural knowledge. But the La Time says
it's known for its elegant izakaya style dishes. But this
(20:13):
is a Michelin Star restaurant. It's been open for ten years.
The owner posted last week, we embarked on a journey
fueled by an outpouring of love, passion, and curiosity from
an extraordinary community. We dared to be different, reviving ancient
recipes and time honored techniques that carried the weight of centuries.
(20:37):
In the end of twenty twenty three to twenty twenty four,
things really flattened out. The staff is the same, the
recipes were the same. The only thing that wasn't the
same was people just weren't coming in. Any business owner
invests in a community, and when you see that same
destruction and graffiti ten years later, it's sad. Doors are
(21:01):
closing in downtown Los Angeles, and the homeless count in
that part of this community, regardless of the overall regional numbers,
is up. There is a direct connection. I've asked you
to weigh in on why people are leaving California and
if you've thought about leaving California, because coming up a
little later, we are gonna hear from the In and
(21:23):
Out CEO a podcast she was on saying she's leaving California,
and Governor Newsom's office has responded to that report. You
can open up the iHeartRadio app, click on that talkback button.
We're gonna play your messages at the end of the hour.
This is Michael Monks Reports on KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI
News on this Saturday night in southern California. Have you
noticed an increase in prices at all when you're out
shopping for groceries or any other products that you might
be looking for? Tariffs? Are they impacting you. It's hard
(22:09):
to keep up with the tariff policy out of the
Trump White House. Some of them are on, some of
them are off, some of them are some of them
are paused, some of them are coming back.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
It's really hard to keep track.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
But there's a report today that the price of coffee
is rising and it might keep going off. Inflation data
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows roasted coffee prices
increase twelve point seven percent in June compared to last year.
Instant coffee jumped sixteen percent, So the retail price for
a pound of ground coffee was eight dollars and thirteen
(22:46):
cents last month. That was up a dollar since January.
President Trump's tariffs likely to make the price of coffee
climb even higher. Brazil, the world's top coffee producer, is
facing a fifty percent tariff next month. Well, Vietnam, the
world's second largest coffee producer, is facing a twenty percent hike.
(23:07):
And then there are other issues in foreign lands where
there will be an impact because of the American tariff policy.
The AP reports that President Trump's new Africa strategy has
shifted from aid to trade, under a commercial diplomacy push,
urging ambassadors to broker business deals rather than manage aid programs.
(23:31):
Washington towed six billion dollars in early agreements. But African
nations face steep tariffs thirty percent on South African goods,
fifty percent on LSUTU exports, and they say that threatens
over one hundred thousand jobs and straining economies here. Locally,
(23:53):
we happen to be a gateway to America for the world.
We have two major ports, Los Angeles and Long Beach,
and every month both of these ports come out with
their reports about how much traffic they're seeing, what's coming in,
what's the volume look like, how are the jobs, and
(24:13):
what type of economic impact can we expect. Almost always
these reports are pretty boring until this tariff policy started
bouncing all over the place. And so this week the
Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach
each came out with their updates as they do every month,
(24:33):
and it was it was interesting to see how different
the situation was at both of them. The Port of
LA had expressed fear the month prior about the fact
that their cargoes down like nineteen percent in May, but
(24:57):
in June it bounced back. Record cargo volume at the
Port of Los Angeles in the month of June, port's CEO,
Jene Soroka had this to say about it.
Speaker 7 (25:10):
While record setting volume is welcome news, it also highlights
the tariff whipsaw effect that we've mentioned before. When tariffs
kicked in, imports slowed significantly in May and continued to
drop through the first half of June, then with a
pause on some tariffs, cargo began moving once again, getting
(25:31):
our dock workers and truckers back out on the job. Overall,
the combined cargo volume for the last two months is
about the same as last year, and it also matches
our five year average.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Gene Soroka, the CEO of the Port of.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Los Angeles, says, basically, yeah, cargo was down because the
tariffs were on and so people stopped ordering. But then
there was a pause on the tariffs. People started ordering
very quickly to try to get product brought in or
sent out before the tariffs kick in again. But all
(26:13):
of that on again, off again, care off situation is
impacting businesses, even if you haven't seen a price increase
on your favorite product yet. This press conference that the
Port of LA hosted this week to announce their numbers
included the president of Yetti Houseware. His name is Bob
excuse me, his name is Bobby Java Harry, and he
(26:36):
says these impacts are having these tariffs are having a
serious impact on small and mid sized businesses like his.
Here's part of what he said.
Speaker 8 (26:46):
I had TJ max is we're one of the top
two dinnerware replenishers to TJ max in the United States,
and I had their department head here and he told
me in May of I think a week before the
President made his announcement, he said, end quote, Christmas is
in jeopardy. So if you think the department head of
(27:10):
the Dinnaware business of TJ Max is telling me a
small sized business that Christmas is in jeopardy, do you
think Walmart Target CEOs aren't knocking down on the Oval
Office front door saying, hey, mister President, and of this
lower this embargo because we got to put our fourth
(27:31):
quarter production orders in.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
What we're hearing from port officials, based on their own forecast,
is that we should see high traffic again when the
July report comes out next month. But because certain seasonal
products should have already been ordered back to school, Halloween, Christmas,
(28:00):
we might see higher prices because there is lower inventory.
So the price of coffee appears to be up already
and that could be going up more, but more price hikes,
fewer items on the shelf that might be around the
(28:21):
corner too. So the Port of Los Angeles says we
had a record June. The Port of Long Beach saw
its cargo drop sixteen point four percent compared to June
of last year, but they also expect its traffic in
July to rebound because of this ninety day pause that
(28:42):
was that was placed on many of these tariffs and
the retaliatory tariffs. The Port of Long Beach CEO Mario
Cordero says, the Port of Long Beach is prepared to
handle the influx by tracking trade moving through the harbor
with the Supply Chain Information Highway, are digital solution to
maximize visibility and efficiency and cargo movement. I don't know
(29:04):
why these port leaders talk like that. That's why I
find these press conferences so boring. First, Gene Soroka is
always reading his remarks and while he reads, well, you
know he's literate, but it just sounds very strange. When
we have to cut up the sound bites and then
play them, it doesn't sound very natural. And then Mario
(29:26):
Cordero at the Port of Long Beach, in a quote
that they send out to the press, actually includes the
reference to the supply Chain Information Highway, our digital solution
to maximize visibility and efficiency and cargo movement. Just help
me understand what's going on, bro, That doesn't help. We'll
(29:48):
keep an eye on what's happening in our ports. I
know you'll keep an eye on what's happening to your
pocketbook and letting us know. We have one more segment
to go, and we're gonna hear from this CEO of
In and Out why she's leaving California and moving to Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Not the business. Yes, we already know.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
The business is moving some of its operations to Tennessee.
She's moving her home and that has drawn a response
from Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. Last call for
your comments. Open up the iHeartRadio app. Click on that
talkback button. We're gonna play your remarks when we continue
with Michael Monk's reports here on KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Mugs from KFI News.
We've got a few more minutes together now. Look, we
already know In and Out is moving part of its
headquarters to Tennessee and keeping and consolidating its operations here
in California. I think Baldwin Hills or Baldwin Park, but
(30:56):
I don't think we knew that the owner of In
and Out, Lindsay Snyder, was going to be leaving California
as well and moving her family to Tennessee. She was
on a conservative podcast called Relatable. This is what she
said about it.
Speaker 9 (31:12):
There's a lot of great things about California, but raising
a family is not easy here. Doing business is not
easy here. Now, the bulk of our stores are still
going to be here in California, but it will be
wonderful having an office out there, growing out there totally
(31:37):
and being able to have the family and other people's
families out there.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Now, if you're the billionaire owner of one of the
most iconic brands to come out of California and you're
not happy in California's that's not a good look for
the Golden State. So a lot of conservative politicians and
commentators and social media users are using this this is
another opportunity to dunk on California, including Rick Grennell, who
(32:05):
has held various positions in both Trump administrations and I
think has a variety of different jobs this time around.
He had shared this news that in Announce ownership is
leaving California to move to Tennessee. And that prompted a
response from the Governor's office, who says, for those interested
(32:26):
in facts rather than fiction, In and Out is expanding east,
creating a second headquarters in Tennessee. They are consolidating their
two southern California offices into one, creating a Western regional
headquarters to go along with their yet to be built
Eastern Regional headquarters. All of this was announced earlier this year. Yeah, yeah,
of course we know. But what wasn't announced was Lindsay
(32:47):
Snyder saying it's difficult to do business here. It's difficult
to raise a family here. So the Governor's office goes
on to say, what was announced today is the owner's
family is relocating. We'd imagine to better over the expansion
in the eastern US.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
But that's not what she said. She said it's difficult
to raise a family here.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
The Governor's office says, In and Out continues to expand
in California, adding more locations in the Golden State this
year than in any other state. So the Governor's Office,
in another online feud, Lindsay Snyder is not the only
one leaving California. U HAUL comes out multiple times a
(33:30):
year with basically a migratory report based on data collected
from users. Who's renting a U haul truck to move?
Where are they coming from? Where are they going? And
more than half of the one way trips booked in
California were to leave California, not to move to another
city in California. Fifty one percent one way you haul
(33:53):
out of California. And when you look at some of
the other metro areas that appear to be more attractive
to what I know, this is a controversial term to Angelinos.
We're finding places like Austin. U Hau says that Los
Angeles is the number two spot for people arriving in
(34:15):
Austin in a U haul truck. LA is number five
for people relocating to Dallas. LA is number one for
people relocating to Vegas, and LA is number four among
U haul customers relocating to Nashville.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Like it announced Lindsay Snyder.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
LA is also in the top five for people relocating
to Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, and Seattle. People are moving
to Los Angeles still from other states, top states being Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Washington,
and Oregon. Specifically places like Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, Portland and Denver.
Those are the top cities where people are moving into LA.
(34:56):
But the exodus of folks continue. So I asked for
you to join in on this conversation, and a lot
of you have responded. Let me try to play as
many as I can. I'm not always as good as
the other hosted doing this, but let's hear from from Brad.
Speaker 10 (35:11):
Gasoline taxes, state taxes, Gavin Newsom stopping small engines. We
can't buy gasoline powered lawnmowers. There is no electric grid
to power cars. Illegal immigrants taking over our schools and
demanding housing, free healthcare and stuff. We're taxed to death.
(35:32):
That's the problem. Brad thinks, so much is the problem.
Thanks so much for the call. Let's see if I
got another one here from Aaron.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
I grew up here and was born here. I want
to get so far away from California these days. I'm
going to move all the way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mister Monks, it's good to hear your voice, dude. You're
a hell of a broadcaster.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Aaron, thanks so much. You will be able to continue
to listen to the program on the iheartrate even if
you were an Ethiopia. Let's hear from Mark.
Speaker 11 (36:08):
Hey, Michael Muntz. Yeah, leaving California, it'd be so easy.
My daughter, my daughter and lawa wouldn't let me leave
or you know, with my son, so we ought to vote.
So we're up in Eldorado County. Show in California. But
it California just sucks. I like my county, but the
(36:28):
state government is horrible. There's crime, over crowding, traffic, just
garbage home.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
Oh the traffic.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
I know it's so stereotypical to be able to say that,
but why doesn't anybody do anything about the traffic. It's
just it's unbelievable. Let's see what else we got here.
We got Kelly.
Speaker 12 (36:56):
Originally from Los Angeles, California, moved to San Diego for
my adult life. I left San Diego in twenty nineteen
when Gavin Newsom got elected, before he took office. Now
look at me, I'm in Arizona, been here for six years,
having regretted one moment of it.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Well, Kelly, we appreciate you still listening to KFI, even
though you were all the way over in Arizona. Maybe
you'll come back someday. If the situation improves. Let's see,
who do we have. I got Cheryl, And let me
just remind Ronald Cortez, our technical director, just put your
finger on the dump button just in case. I'm blowing
(37:40):
through these as fast as I can, and we don't
want any swear words to slip.
Speaker 13 (37:43):
Through to forty five years ago, and it was a
pretty cool hit place to live. Everything was affordable, and
there was lawn order. And now it's just gotten so
whacked out that it's like there is no law and order.
Our gas tax was supposed to go for our streets
(38:05):
and infrastructure, and we're number five in the nation of
being the worst. It'd be nice to know our money
is actually.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Thank you for that quick reminder.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
The talkbacks are thirty seconds and they will cut you
off if if you go over that. So that's not
me stopping you, it is it's the technology, all right,
let's hear. I don't know if I have a name here.
I got burned.
Speaker 14 (38:30):
Hey Michael, it's vern in Ridondo, and I want to
leave California. I'm a son who lives in Torrents a
daughter in Georgia, and.
Speaker 13 (38:42):
I want to.
Speaker 14 (38:43):
Move closer to my daughter. But I can't because I
don't have the ability to save any money for the move. Yeah,
because it's just become so expensive to live here. Yes,
it's just a travesty, and I don't see any end
to it.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
That's the depressing part, is not seeing any end to
the problems. I mean, if it's something as simple as
I shouldn't say simple, but something as regular in our lives,
like the traffic or something like, how am I going
to say five, ten, fifteen thousand dollars to relocate to
a city that is, you know, cheaper. Very quickly, let's
(39:22):
hear from Joyanne Michael.
Speaker 15 (39:25):
I just wanted to say that I love your show,
and I especially tune in every Saturday night. I think
they should tack on another hour for you, so you
go to ten o'clock.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
All right, thank you, Thank you for that sweet message.
I do appreciate that, and we certainly certainly would if
we could.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
Let's hear from Kenneth Honest journalism. Thank you, mister Monks.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
You're the one of the only journalists in Los Angeles
covering the news.
Speaker 12 (39:52):
Probably.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
Oh, thank you, Kenna, thank you for that. I didn't
expect to.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Have very complimentary talk back there at the end a
little off topic, but we gotta wrap things up. We
gotta end it with the good news about me. I'm
gonna do my best to talk about the things facing
California Los Angeles and do our best to see if
we can't figure out how to make it better. I'd
like to stay. I just got here and you all
make me like it even more so. Thank you so
much for joining us, Thanks to our technical director Roo
(40:21):
Cortes and our news anchor Brigitta Agostino for being with
us tonight, and thanks to all of you for listening.
We'll be back next Saturday for another edition of Michael
Monks Reports, and I will be doing wake Up Call
in the morning news for Amy King on Monday, so
I'll talk to you then as well. This is KFI
AM six
Speaker 1 (40:38):
Forty KFI AM six forty on demand
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