Digital Brands Group CEO relocates company from California to Texas
Hil Davis cites high costs and lawsuits as reasons for moving apparel firm’s headquarters to Round Rock
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Digital Brands Group CEO relocates company from California to Texas
Photograph: New York Post (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Digital Brands Group, an apparel and e-commerce company, relocated its headquarters from Vernon, California, to Round Rock, Texas, leasing 70,000 square feet of warehouse and office space.
- CEO Hil Davis said California’s high costs, long commutes and legal burdens made operating there difficult, while Texas offered lower costs and faster permitting.
- California lost a net 17,496 tax filers in the latest IRS data, taking nearly $1.9bn in income with them.
- A proposed one-time tax of up to 5% on Californians worth over $1bn is under debate, with opponents warning it could accelerate departures.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 9 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
55/100
Hype
55/100
9 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 9 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Digital Brands Group, an apparel and e-commerce company, moved its headquarters from Vernon, California, to Round Rock, Texas, in August 2026. The company leased 70,000 square feet of warehouse and office space in Round Rock, roughly the same size as its former facility in Vernon. CEO Hil Davis said the Texas location offered lower operating costs and faster permitting.
Davis told Fox News Digital that doing business in California was difficult due to high living costs, long employee commutes and the expense of defending lawsuits. He said the Texas facility cost roughly the same as the California one but provided a more favourable business environment. The company will retain some production operations in Los Angeles.
The relocation follows California’s loss of 17,496 tax filers in the latest IRS data, who took nearly $1.9 billion in income with them. Los Angeles County recorded the largest net loss, followed by Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Texas is projected to surpass California in population due to migration and immigration.
A proposed one-time tax of up to 5% on Californians worth more than $1 billion is under debate. Supporters say it could raise billions for public programmes, while opponents warn it could drive wealthy residents and businesses out of the state. California Governor Gavin Newsom has opposed the measure, citing risks to investment.
What the coverage left out
No left-rated outlet ran this story. None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Digital Brands Group would retain some production operations in Los Angeles, a detail included in both the New York Ledger and Fox News reports. The cost comparison between the Texas and California facilities was omitted from all digests.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 17 Aug 2026, 17:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The New York Ledger’s report led on Hil Davis’s statement that “doing business in the state of California sucks” and framed the relocation as part of a broader exodus of businesses and taxpayers from the state. It included the IRS data showing California’s loss of 17,496 tax filers and $1.9 billion in income, and quoted Davis on the state’s high costs and legal burdens.
- The report also covered the proposed billionaire tax, presenting both sides of the debate: supporters’ argument that it could fund public programmes and opponents’ warning that it could accelerate departures. It noted Governor Newsom’s opposition to the measure and included Davis’s view that California’s industry “centres of gravity” would keep some businesses in the state.
Right
8 rated outlets
- All seven right-rated digests and reports led on the relocation of Digital Brands Group from California to Texas. Six of the seven digests included Davis’s quote that “doing business in the state of California sucks” and cited high costs and regulatory burdens as reasons for the move. Five digests mentioned the 70,000 square feet of leased space in Round Rock.
- Four digests highlighted California’s loss of tax filers and income, with two specifying the $1.9 billion figure. Three digests noted Texas’s projected population growth, with two stating that Texas is slated to surpass California in population. The proposed billionaire tax was mentioned in two digests, both framing it as a risk to the state’s economy.
- The Fox News report quoted Gabriela von zur Muehlen, chief policy officer for the Texas Association of Businesses, who said high-tax states like California and New York were pushing wealth and jobs toward Texas. It also included Davis’s statement that permitting for the Texas facility moved quickly, contrasting it with California’s regulatory environment.
Read it at the source
9 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
1Right
8- Another Company Flees CA for Red State-“Doing business in the state of California sucks” * The Gateway Pundit * by Margaret Flavin (opens The Gateway Pundit in a new tab)
The Gateway Pundit — is The Gateway Pundit biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Digital Brand Group relocates headquarters from California to Round Rock, Texas (opens ussanews.com in a new tab)
ussanews.com — is ussanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Why Texas May Soon Have More People Than California (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Real Clear Politics — is Real Clear Politics biased? Our profile of this outlet
- CEO says doing business in state ‘sucks’ as company heads to Texas amid California exodus – Democratic Accent (opens democraticaccent.com in a new tab)
democraticaccent.com — is democraticaccent.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- CEO says doing business in state ‘sucks’ as company heads to Texas amid California exodus (opens Fox News in a new tab)
- Another California company to flee to Texas amid difficult business environment (opens Just the News in a new tab)
Just the News — is Just the News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- POLITICS: Texas may soon have more people than California — here’s why (opens U-S-NEWS.COM in a new tab)
U-S-NEWS.COM — is U-S-NEWS.COM biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Texas may soon have more people than California — here’s why (opens New York Post in a new tab)
New York Post — is New York Post biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Digital Brands Group CEO relocates company from California to Texas?
- Of the 9 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 11% are rated centre, 89% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Digital Brands Group CEO relocates company from California to Texas left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 9 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Digital Brands Group CEO relocates company from California to Texas biased?
- Digital Brands Group CEO relocates company from California to Texas is one event reported by 9 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Digital Brands Group CEO relocates company from California to Texas?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Digital Brands Group CEO relocates company from California to Texas?
- 9 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why did Digital Brands Group move from California to Texas?
- CEO Hil Davis cited California’s high operating costs, long employee commutes and the expense of defending lawsuits. He said the Texas facility offered lower costs, faster permitting and a more favourable business environment, despite leasing a similar amount of space.
- How many tax filers did California lose in the latest IRS data?
- California lost a net 17,496 tax filers, who took nearly $1.9 billion in income with them. Los Angeles County recorded the largest net loss, followed by Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
- What is the proposed billionaire tax in California?
- A one-time tax of up to 5% on Californians worth more than $1 billion is under debate. Supporters say it could raise billions for public programmes, while opponents warn it could drive wealthy residents and businesses out of the state.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
