A word that has become
popular that originated in the NorCal area.
Hella means "very" as in "It's hella
hot in here!"
The word has spread, which is ironic because it sounds incredibly hickish (and likely has
hick roots, with all of the Okies that moved to NorCal during and after the Depression).
Hella is not a word that people from outside of the Bay Area should be using, unless they actually want to sound like hicks.