Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, is sounding the alarm about California politics after a viral campaign video by Mayor Karen Bass touted a six-to-one public matching program. Hoge calls for outside help, paints the state as a place where election rules have been rewritten to favor the entrenched left, and urges Republicans not to give up on fighting for a free, independent California. This piece explains the controversy, the legal background of LA’s matching system, the sharp online backlash, and why local conservatives see the moment as a test of whether freedom can survive under current city rules.
Hoge used plain language to describe the reaction she says Californians live with every day and she told listeners to “send help.” She argued that outsiders can’t easily grasp how policy and politics have been normalized here to favor certain outcomes. For Republicans, that translates into a direct challenge: engage, organize, and push back before the system becomes completely ossified.
The immediate flashpoint was a campaign video where Mayor Karen Bass explained mechanics of the city’s program by saying, “when you donate to our campaign, the city can match your donation 6 to 1,” and “If you donate $5, the city turns it into $35.” Bass framed the program as a way to amplify small donations, describing it as “thanks to LA’s super match program, every qualified donation from Los Angeles residents is matched six to one by the city.” Those words landed like a thunderclap for many conservatives who see taxpayer money flowing straight into campaigns.
Hoge pointed out the program’s legal pedigree and the way it evolved, reminding listeners that it did not come from nowhere. “Voters passed something that sounded so good; they always sound so good at the beginning. Public financing matching funds for campaigns on a one-to-one basis. That seems great, right?” she said, tracing how that initial promise warped into today’s reality. “And then it transmogrifies … into what we have today, this many-headed hydra of insanity where taxpayers are on the hook for $6 for every dollar raised by a city of L.A. candidate.”
The shift from one-to-one matching to an aggressive six-to-one regime is at the heart of the outrage, and critics online were blunt. Michael Shellenberger wrote, “This is grotesque.” Commentator Matt Van Swol demanded, “Can someone please explain to me like I’m 5 years old how this is not COMPLETELY illegal?????” Those reactions captured a broader sense of disbelief that municipal money can be used with such direct political consequence.
Local voices went even sharper, questioning the priorities of city leaders when basic services lag. “Is this a JOKE?!?” wrote Houman David Hemmati, and he asked, “Why on EARTH are LA City taxpayers, who can’t even afford to clean up their streets or have water in their fire hydrants, forced to match contributions to Bass’ Mayoral reelection campaign 6:1?!? … HUH?! Insanity!” That level of incredulity reflects a deeper anger about spending choices and accountability in city hall.
Hoge framed the controversy as part of a broader pattern she calls “codified shenanigans,” arguing that what many voters see as cheating is simply embedded now in the rules. “The rest of the country doesn’t understand what we’re living under here,” she warned, saying the rules reward machine politics and make it harder for outsiders or reformers to compete. From her perspective, the city’s funding mechanism is not a glitch but an instrument of incumbency.
She also pointed to the recent run by Republican Spencer Pratt as proof that conservative messages can resonate, noting that his surge showed people are willing to vote for common sense over patronage. “We saw Spencer Pratt mount a very strong argument for sanity and good governance. It wasn’t partisan, what he was saying. It was pure common sense, and they rose up because they were threatened.” That moment, Hoge argues, should be a wake-up call for national conservatives to invest time and resources here.
Despite the bleak tone, Hoge insists California is worth the effort and frames the fight in terms of personal liberty and local freedom. “We belong to the leave me alone party,” she said, arguing that the West should be the place where people can write their own stories without state interference. She urged Republicans to view the state as a battleground for restoring basic freedoms rather than a lost cause.
Her closing message is urgent and practical: send volunteers, money, and message discipline to counter what she sees as entrenched Democratic machines. “California is totally worth fighting for because it is an absolute gem,” she told listeners, adding a colorful warning that residents live “with people who gleefully would reach into the shower and change the temperature while you’re having a bath.” For conservatives watching, the takeaway is straightforward: don’t retreat, organize.
