California is a Third World State. Not because of natural disasters, lack of resources. We are a DOOM LOOP State because the Democrats want that for us—and we continue to vote in those who hate us.
“As long as our top officials are fighting with each other, Trump is not Californians’ biggest enemy. You are.
The problem starts at the Capitol, with top Democrats Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
This election year, with California in the spotlight as Kamala Harris struggled to surmount our state’s reputation for dysfunction as she ran for president, you three wasted time battling with your caucuses and each other. Things got so bad that Pulitzer-winning Sacramento Bee columnist Tom Philp called the three of you “independent autocrats as opposed to a functioning team of Democrats.”
You couldn’t get on the same page on crises, from home insurance denials to soaring electricity costs. You failed to compromise meaningfully with cities and law enforcement on retail crime, allowing a retrograde ballot initiative, Proposition 36, to sail to victory. You played stupid political games that delayed the governor’s special session on gas price spikes.”
The more they refuse to approve solutions, the more they can raise for their campaigns from the special interests. This is about money and power, not good government.
JOE MATHEWS: To fight Trump, California must stop fighting itself
By JOE MATHEWS, Bakersfield.com, 11/30/24 https://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/joe-mathews-to-fight-trump-california-must-stop-fighting-itself/article_8ac9558e-ac48-11ef-ace5-5f61d9053029.html
Since California leaders are behaving like children, I’m going to address them the way I talk to my three sons on long car trips: Knock off the stupid fighting, kids. This is going to be a very hard journey, so we must stick together.
Don’t you get that Donald Trump is a lawless fascist who has vowed vengeance on California and its people? Haven’t you heard him threaten to throw politicians who oppose him — which could mean your mayors, police chiefs, top legislators and certainly your governor — in prison?
So why, at a time when Californians should be coming together to battle the new president, are so many of you, and your institutions, divided?
As long as our top officials are fighting with each other, Trump is not Californians’ biggest enemy. You are.
The problem starts at the Capitol, with top Democrats Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
This election year, with California in the spotlight as Kamala Harris struggled to surmount our state’s reputation for dysfunction as she ran for president, you three wasted time battling with your caucuses and each other. Things got so bad that Pulitzer-winning Sacramento Bee columnist Tom Philp called the three of you “independent autocrats as opposed to a functioning team of Democrats.”
You couldn’t get on the same page on crises, from home insurance denials to soaring electricity costs. You failed to compromise meaningfully with cities and law enforcement on retail crime, allowing a retrograde ballot initiative, Proposition 36, to sail to victory. You played stupid political games that delayed the governor’s special session on gas price spikes.
This can’t go on.
Mike, I understand that you are new to your role and that you can score points with your diverse caucus by taking shots at the governor. But, as the state defends itself against Washington, your new rule should be that you won’t speak ill of anyone who does not work for Donald Trump.
Robert, everyone knows that your caucus is still divided from your long campaign to become speaker. You need to befriend more of your critics and send your brother-adviser Rick, a bully who hurts your relationships, on a four-year vacation.
As for you, Gavin, while I really appreciate the work you’ve done since the election — calling a special session to boost the anti-Trump fight, traveling to D.C., reaching out to other states to build a coalition to protect vulnerable policies — it’s not enough.
Because right now, lawmakers (and even some of your own staff) see you as this guy who runs around talking to VIPS, before swooping in with some grand plan at the last second. You need to work constantly with legislators, building the real relationships necessary to turn the Capitol into one cohesive team. If Capitol Democrats can get along fabulously, it’d set an example for Democratic interest groups, who are engaged in their own circular firing squad.
And since California will need tight collaboration between state and local governments to protect vulnerable people, especially migrants, state officials should dial down attacks on locals over homelessness and housing. Governor, you might start with a statewide local peace summit in San Jose, and end your feuds with former mayor Sam Liccardo and new mayor Matt Mahan.
Let me clear: Peacemaking doesn’t mean staying silent when you disagree or see wrongdoing. Quite the opposite. California’s state and local leaders should be meeting constantly — I’d suggest a daily “war Zoom” and weekly in-person barbecues at one of the governor’s big houses — to discuss every concern and grievance in this terrible moment. But please keep those disagreements private, and leave the conflict-stoking to media provocateurs like this columnist.
One last suggestion. As you come together, please remember that you’re going to have to do more than parry federal attacks, or fight a common enemy in Trump. You’re almost certainly going to have to remake our state, and build new structures.
Why? Because, as Trump’s cabinet of conspiracists and Fox News personalities suggests, the new federal administration is going to dismantle agencies that do vital governance.
California, as the biggest and richest state, is going to have to replace that governance in order to save lives. And that may require extraordinary actions. Like using local police to stop rights-violating federal law enforcement. Or hiring the thousands of scientists and doctors Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chases out of NIH or FDA. Or building a “United States Within the United States” with friendly state governments, from Oregon to New Jersey, to stand up shadow federal agencies.
Who knows? If things get super-ugly, you may find yourselves having to form an independent nation.
Such tasks will be nearly impossible even if you unify. If you keep fighting in the backseat, you are taking the side of those who would inflict catastrophe on you and your fellow Californians.
Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zócalo Public Square.
Until we are able to clean up our elections, we will continue to get radical politicians, whether we vote for them or NOT.