r/socal

The report was submitted July 31 by HSR Inspector General Benjamin Belnap to Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate Pro Tem Monique Limón and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. It is based on the IG’s analysis of the authority’s final 2026 Business Plan, which provides updates, expected milestones, and other details around the rail project.

Voters originally approved $9 billion in bonds for the project under Prop 1A in 2008. At the time plans called for high-speed rail connections from Los Angeles to San Francisco, with an estimated cost at the time of $45 billion.

But over a decade later, and with billions of dollars already spent, the first stretch of track in the Central Valley still remains unfinished.

In his July letter, Belnap wrote that the inspector general’s office previously reviewed a draft of the High-Speed Rail Authority’s final plan in April. It concluded that the draft “was missing many statutorily required elements, which made the draft objectively incomplete.”

Among its findings, the report said the High-Speed Rail Authority’s plan “does not sufficiently emphasize” that it will exhaust its current funding as soon as December 2027 “if it does not secure funding.”

Reported by KPBS on August 18, 2026

Links to check:

https://hsr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/OIG-HSR-Review-of-2026-Business-Plan-A11Y.pdf

https://hsr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Final-Business-Plan-060126-A11Y.pdf

Just wanted to post a heads-up for anyone currently navigating the Replace Your Ride program.

The program has put a temporary hold/freeze on processing due to high application volume. Case managers have been instructed to pause working on active applications, meaning dealerships currently cannot generate or apply the incentive voucher to your purchase order/MVPA if you are still in the process of buying.

Unless you already have your final physical payment voucher in hand and fully authorized, your file is likely on hold until South Coast AQMD officially lifts the freeze.

So if you haven’t placed an order on your car yet, I would definitely hold off or you’re gonna be like me placed an order got my finances in order and now potentially going to lose the car that I secured because they can’t get funding from the state, kind of a bummer 🥶

https://accesscleanca.org/program/replace-your-ride

I'm relatively new to SoCal (and California in general) and currently living in the IE. I'm thinking about moving to a place with a more urban feel, that's more walkable and artsy, and has more events/things to do. I'm considering Costa Mesa, Long Beach, or some parts of LA. The thing is, I have to commute to Riverside 2-3 days a week and need to be mindful of extreme traffic. Any recommendations for me?

As deadly firestorms raged in Los Angeles County, carving a path of destruction that displaced families and killed 31 people, bets online were rolling in.

The wagers flowed into Polymarket, a company that bills itself as the largest platform for predicting global events, where it posed frequently asked questions about the Eaton and Palisades fires as they scorched communities. How fast would the blazes grow? How long would it take to contain them? How much would be destroyed?

According to a letter sent from nine senators this month to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates prediction market platforms, Polymarket accepted more than $1.2 million in predictions, or bets, on the January 2025 fires.

“That was fun. Thanks everyone. Until the next time!” one Polymarket user commented on a thread where users could put money on the Palisades fire’s containment date. Others, however, expressed some concerns about the morality of cashing in on the destruction.

A $2-billion high-rise affordable housing complex is set to change the skyline of Warner Center and set a new precedent for assisted senior living in Los Angeles.

Senior housing provider Wellpointe unveiled plans for Viva L.A. at Warner Center, a cluster of four skyscrapers with 3,192 units to rise near the new Los Angeles Rams Village being built in the San Fernando Valley community.

The project has the backing of Mayor Karen Bass and local City Councilmember Bob Blumenfeld, and Wellpointe expects to start construction by the end of next year. Viva is the largest affordable housing project created under Bass’ Executive Directive 1, a 2022 order to speed up the city approval process for 100% affordable developments intended to reduce homelessness.

Federal public health officials say West Nile virus cases are at an all time high for this time of the year, the highest number of human cases reported in June since 2004.

West Nile virus is the most common and serious mosquito-borne disease in California that can be fatal to humans and some wildlife, according to the California Department of Public Health. 

In Los Angeles County, cases began to pop up in May, firstly in Pico Rivera and Long Beach, according to the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. Now it’s up to 27 within its coverage area.

At the same time, more mosquitoes carrying the virus are being found.

Read more about why cases are growing and how to stay safe at the link.

Well, this is embarrassing... I am housesitting for my MIL and I have managed to clog the toilet. No brute amount of force is getting past this block. Any recommendations for emergency plumbers in anaheim or around the area? Need them now. Shes coming home tomorrow. There are ads everywhere for Roto Rooter but i figured to come to reddit for the real story,

Travelers are accustomed to seeing an all-inclusive price for airfare when browsing flights online, but they may soon need to read the fine print before purchasing as Washington is trying to change disclosure requirements.

The Department of Transportation proposed new regulations last month that would allow airlines to highlight fares without individual components such as taxes.

The change could mislead consumers, marketing and aviation experts said. The existing guidelines were established by the Obama administration to protect consumers from deception.

Read more at the link.

Tryna socialize

I'm one of the board members at The Open Barn, an animal sanctuary in Ramona, and I wanted to share that we're looking for new volunteers.

We're specifically hoping to find people who can commit to a weekly or biweekly shift. If you're in the San Diego area and love working with animals, we'd genuinely love to have you join us.

Volunteering typically starts with a brief orientation, and after that you just jump in wherever help is needed (general cleanup, sanctuary upkeep, daily tasks, and of course spending lots of time loving on the animals)

We're also working toward filling 14 regular volunteer shifts this year. Once we hit that goal, we'll be welcoming a very special new rescue to the sanctuary. 🥳

You can find more info at https://www.theopenbarn.org/volunteer. Happy to answer any questions in the comments, or feel free to email volunteer@theopenbarn.org

P.s. apologies if this isn't the right sub for this. Let me know if there's a better one and I'll happily repost there.

Anyone using bioadvance on their citrus trees? What are your thoughts?

I just landed in California and am very excited for a vacation! La seems crazy 🫣 I’m from Minnesota and not used to this lol

I’m hoping this distracts me from the issues I’m having regarding previous posts.

There is currently no CA legislative effort specifically aimed at banning betting on natural disasters at the state level. The latest push is focused on federal regulation of prediction markets and the types of events on which they can offer wagers.

Reported on August 14, 2026