[Richard230]

Here is the latest in living in the People's Republic of Kalifornia. It is only a matter of time before they start feeding us Solient Green.   
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/this-bunk-bed-is-dollar1200-a-month-privacy-not-included/ar-AADUbe0?li=BBnb7Kz

[Bilgemaster]

Call it a "unique group living experience"  if you like. It's still a $40 a night flophouse. To put that in perspective, my mortgage for a split-level 4 bedroom 3 bath single-family with finished basement and garage on a third of an acre runs me about $56 a night, and I'm in the DC 'burbs--not in some holler up in the Ozarks along with Cleetus and his favorite goat. Sure we found the place in the smoking crater of the 2008 Housing Bust, but still...

So, if the past is prologue, then trendy young Californicators will soon have their very own gussied up version of the "Tuppenny Hangover" with socially and environmentally conscious fair trade GMO-free hemp rope to get unconscious on:

[gizzo]

Call it a "unique group living experience"  if you like. It's still a $40 a night flophouse. To put that in perspective, my mortgage for a split-level 4 bedroom 3 bath single-family with finished basement and garage on a third of an acre runs me about $56 a night, and I'm in the DC 'burbs--not in some holler up in the Ozarks along with Cleetus and his favorite goat. Sure we found the place in the smoking crater of the 2008 Housing Bust, but still...

That's well and good but if you were an aspiring advertising exec trying to make it in LA, travelling from DC each morning would be a mighty commute and the travel costs might even make it a financial bust  . A $40 a night bed would be better than sleeping rough and it comes with food. looks like a reasonable option for people who are not planning to stick around long term and don't have much stuff.
I think flophouses are nothing new in the states anyway, right? Is it correct that they've been a way of life for Filipinos employed in the service industry for decades? What's good for the goose....

It's not how I'd like to live but I can see some good points to it. The Soilent Green, not so much.

[Richard230]

Nothing new is ever appreciated by city governments, especially San Francisco.  The city fathers are complaining that the facility amounts to a hotel and they want their pound of flesh in the way of a hotel tax for every person that stays there for every day they are there.  And the SF hotel tax is not cheap as they have a lot of homeless people living on the streets that need to be cared for and cleaned up after.   

[Richard230]

One of my friends just sent me this message about some of the local taxes that most people don't think about.  However, it does not include many "fees" (federal, state and local "storm water" fees come to mind) that sneak in when you least expect them:

Below is a list of things we tax.
One of the problems most all tax people talk about it that only part of the US population pays taxes, generally middle class and above. Remember, once we get enough poor people, they are all going to vote to tax the rest of us more.
We don't need more taxes, we need more people paying taxes.


Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

None of these taxes existed 60 or so years ago and we had a better country in many ways.
Everyone worked.

Jorg

[Richard230]

California strikes again: Starting January, if a hotel or motel provides small bottles of shampoo or conditioner in their rooms they can be fined for doing so.  If you want shampoo you will have to ask management in person and obtain a bottle directly from their office. Welcome to the great Peoples Republic of Kalifornia. You all come back now.   

[olhogrider]

California strikes again: Starting January, if a hotel or motel provides small bottles of shampoo or conditioner in their rooms they can be fined for doing so.  If you want shampoo you will have to ask management in person and obtain a bottle directly from their office. Welcome to the great Peoples Republic of Kalifornia. You all come back now.   

Motel 6 has been ahead of the game for years. One of the reasons I don't like to stop there. No shampoo.

Fishing trawlers dump hundreds of miles of plastic fishing nets into the ocean every year. California responds by banning drinking straws.

[Ove]

44c per gallon on gasoline. That's heaven!

[Richard230]

Another wonderful law that goes into effect in California in a couple of days is the one that says that most companies can not hire "independent contractors".  They must be hired as full-time company employees. This law was primarily aimed at Lyft and Urber, but dragged in a lot of other small individual businesses and small-time operations, like newspaper and food delivery people, reporters, owner-operator truckers, photographers, in-home caregivers and many other small companies and individuals who were offering services to more than one businesses.  They were not even thought of when the "progressive" Democratic union-supporting shotgun was fired at the big ride-hailing services. The word is that thousands of contract employees are being fired or laid off, instead of being hired on as employees where they were working.  Have a Happy New Year.   

And it should be no surprise that lawyers were exempted from the law's requirements. 

[Ove]

Similar thing here in Europe. In UK it's called IR35, an employer has to treat the contractor like a payroll employee for taxes. There's probably an online forum somewhere where tax legislators go and share ideas and get as excited as we do about Enfields. What an ugly thought!

[olhogrider]

Another wonderful law that goes into effect in California in a couple of days is the one that says that most companies can not hire "independent contractors".  They must be hired as full-time company employees. This law was primarily aimed at Lyft and Urber, but dragged in a lot of other small individual businesses and small-time operations, like newspaper and food delivery people, reporters, owner-operator truckers, photographers, in-home caregivers and many other small companies and individuals who were offering services to more than one businesses.  They were not even thought of when the "progressive" Democratic union-supporting shotgun was fired at the big ride-hailing services. The word is that thousands of contract employees are being fired or laid off, instead of being hired on as employees where they were working.  Have a Happy New Year.   

And it should be no surprise that lawyers were exempted from the law's requirements. 

A few "independent contractors" will be hurt by this law, like screen writers, but thousands of employees will now be covered by it. The Port of Los Angeles was one of the worst offenders. Truckers were required to sign exclusive contracts, making them employees but having none of the legal protections of employees because their job was misclassified as "independent".

On the joys of fuel prices, I paid $4.80 a gallon two days ago in California. Glad to be back in Nevada where it is under $3.00.

[Richard230]

And now it starts. Check out this article from the automotive section of my newspaper published today.   

[Richard230]

Yesterday I heard a news report that a judge had rejected a request from freelance reporters and photographers to be immediately exempted from the law requiring most independent contractors in California to be full-time employees of a company.  He set a trial date for some time in March to discuss the matter, but for now reporters and photographers must be employed by a single company.  So many of them are heading for the unemployment line in California - or will be doing their business elsewhere.   

[Arizoni]

This California law sounds like something the Union's would dream up to eliminate independent, self employed people from competing with them for work.

Would the Union's do such a thing?  Nah.  Never.

[Richard230]

This California law sounds like something the Union's would dream up to eliminate independent, self employed people from competing with them for work.

Would the Union's do such a thing?  Nah.  Never.

But they did, anyway.