When Bank of America announced they were going to implement a $5 monthly fee for debit card users, Americans signed on in protest, and BofA relented. Still, Americans are mad as hell about big banks, and on Saturday, November 5, they will not take it any more: It's Bank Transfer Day. more ›

Bank of America customers were mad as hell when they learned the banking giant was poised to impose a $5 monthly usage fee for debit card transactions. Now BofA says they are "reconsidering" the fee, and may instead waive the fee for customers who use direct deposit and maintain a minimum balance. more ›

A Change.org petition campaign against a controversial fee announced by Bank of America is being bolstered by a number of Angelenos lending their signature to the cause. The national campaign was launched by Washington D.C.'s Molly Katchpole, and is in protest of a $5 monthly fee the banking giant says they will begin to impose on debit card users starting next year. more ›

If you're a Bank of America customer and you swipe that handy debit card for purchases, get ready to have a $5 monthly fee charged to your account starting in early 2012. The bank announced the impending imposition today, and intends to use the added revenue to help pad themselves against losses they'll incur on new caps placed on fees merchants pay for debit transactions. more ›

The University of California Board of Regents could approve a tuition increase today during their scheduled meeting, according to CBS2. more ›

If you're planning to jet away to a surfing destination in the next few weeks, or you've got a surf enthusiast coming in to town for a visit, save room in the budget for packing a surfboard onto the airplane. Surfers have been getting increasingly gouged via fees charged by airlines to shuttle their boards on continental and international flights, according to the OC Beach Blog. more ›

Officials in Los Angeles are keeping an eye on a controversial vote pending within San Francisco's city supervisors that could see to it a fee is added to the price of alcohol in order to help deal with the issue of alcoholism, according to NPR. more ›

If you're planning on traveling outside the United States you'll need your passport, and if you need to get one or renew the one you've got, be advised that passport book and card fees will be going up this week. Effective Tuesday, July 13th, a basic passport will cost $135, which is a $35 increase from the current fee. more ›

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is likely to implement a fare hike effective July 1, according to the LA Times. Facing a $204-million hole in their operating budget, MTA believes the added revenue will help, and estimates it will lower the deficit to $180 million. more ›

The city of Manhattan Beach has agreed to re-open Sand Dune Park following a grassroots campaign launched in protest of its August 2009 sudden closure, abc7 is reporting. more ›

There's the flowers, the catering, the venue rental, the dress, the music, the suit, and about a zillion other things that cost couples and their families cash when it comes time to putting on a wedding. Now, starting January 21 "the price of tying the knot will get a little more expensive" in Los Angeles County, reports LA Now. more ›

Things got a bit nutty this morning when students reportedly "stormed" and "took over" a building at UCLA in protest of the imminent UC Board of Regents' vote to increase tuition up to 32%. About 30 students raided Campbell Hall barricading the doors with chains and bike locks, said the LA Times. more ›

A city report (.pdf) released Friday shows that costs for the Michael Jackson public memorial service were more than originally thought, which was $1.4 million. The actual cost, according to the new report, was $3.4 million. That's $1.2 million for straight time salary costs (mostly police) and $2 million for overtime salary costs and expenses (once again, most for police). more ›

Now that officials have been forced to raise fees at state parks in order to save some of them, a thrifty blogger at the Orange County Register's OC Deals blog makes a good observation. Looking into beachfront family campsites with hookups at Bolsa Chica State Beach, Doheny and San Clemente is running $60 to $65. "I recently bought a new tent and cot to go back to nature, and save money on vacations by camping, instead of staying in hotels. But the world’s gone topsy-turvy, folks. You can rent a room this week in the fancy Wyndham hotel in New Orleans for $58 a night, but you can’t camp in a state campground on the beach for that! Incredible." Still, we rather camp. more ›

Instead of approving a $300-every-two-years fee for restaurants that want sidewalk dining, the city council yesterday sent the idea back to study because they believed it was a disincentive to restaurants to offer such a service, according to the Daily News. "At a time like this, when businesses are struggling to survive, I just think it sends a wrong message of 'Here comes the city again, with yet another fee,"' Councilwoman Janice Hahn said. "I know in my district, we have been trying to encourage this, to get a more pedestrian feel. This just seems the wrong time to be imposing another fee on businesses." The proposed fee would cover the costs of inspection to make sure chairs are not blocking access to the sidewalk. A $1,200 one-time fee to set up sidewalk dining is still on the books. more ›

The threat of closing most all state parks and a proposal to save them will hit the Assembly floor tomorrow during the budget revision process. Around 20 bills are queued one, one of them asking legislators two park related questions. more ›

An annual $15 vehicle fee proposed by a state budget committee yesterday could save 80% of state parks currently threatened to be closed amidst the budget crisis. The Ventura County Star explains: Under the plan, all motorists would pay a $15 surcharge on the license fees they pay each year to register their vehicles. The surcharge would yield about $220 million — enough to keep parks open, allow anyone with a California license to enter and park for free at state parks and leave enough left over to make some debt payments on outstanding park bonds. more ›

'Tis the season for Top Ten lists, but this one--the 14th annual Kosmont-Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey released by the Rose Institute of State & Local Government at Claremont McKenna College--gives our fair city more of dubious honor. Once again, Los Angeles ranks among the "10 most expensive places in the country to do business," reports the Daily News. more ›

Even if it means using two gallons of gas while waiting in lines at the border, a new trend of filling up your tank in Mexico is worth it for those who have SUVs and trucks. Regular gas costs $2.54 a gallon at Pemex stations in Tijuana compared to San Diego, where it's over one-dollar higher at $4.624. Then you've got diesel at $2.20 in Tijuana vs. $5.04 in San Diego. more ›

As explained yesterday on why California has the highest gas prices in the nation, next to Alaska, stringent pollution requirements and high taxes were the main reasons. more ›

After a month of study and protest, City Council put some closure on the budget for fiscal year 2008-2009. With a $406 million deficit, the biggest the city has ever seen, tough choices were made, but some of what was threatened was saved -- line items such as library hours, film festivals, the city's television Channel 36, homeless shelter beds and calligraphers to decorate city proclamations, according to the Daily News. more ›

First, trash fees were increased from $11 per month to $28 in 2006 by the city to help expand the police force by an additional one thousand officers. Next, voters approved the phone tax in the last election. Earlier this month, city council increased the rates for water and power, essentially a 24% increase over the next couple years. more ›

The quarter might become a triple-threat of the coin world soon if LA County and Heal the Bay have their way in Sacramento. Adding to the two biggest reasons why the 25 cent piece is the most coveted piece of cupronickel in your pocket--laundry and parking meters, of course--bill AB 2829 calls for "a mandatory fee on the distribution of single-use plastic shopping bags at all large grocery stores and pharmacies statewide." The bill differs from a previous one by another lawmaker, which called for reductions on a longer-range basis, and is not endorsed by Heal the Bay. more ›

"Paper or Plastic?" is the somewhat innocuous and expected question we're faced each time we check out at the grocery store. But what if that question came with a price tag, like 15 cents for every plastic bag we required when making a purchase? Or what if we banned the bag altogether? more ›