You’ve been lied to.
Climate change did not burn down the Palisades.
For many years, and at an accelerating pace, façade after façade of the Democratic Party is falling away to reveal that, behind the euphemisms designed to prey upon the good intentions of good people, the Emperor has no clothes.
To those of us who have known this for a long time, the deadly and catastrophic consequences of Democrat leadership was infuriating to watch as large parts of Los Angeles burned down last week. But we must put anger aside and help our fellow Angelenos who are suddenly getting blinded by the light of the truth in this rather painful fashion. Now is not the time to blame or shame them. Now is the time to reach out and steady them.
The Palisades, Altadena, and Hollywood fires are being called the fastest Red Pill anyone has ever seen in Los Angeles. A Red Pill is a metaphor from The Matrix movie; it’s an event that opens your eyes to the reality you did not even know existed. The reality all socioeconomic demographics are seeing is that the Democrats don’t really know what they’re doing and they are incapable of saving you, your house, and the future of California.
They can’t manage budgets or prioritize spending on public safety. They can’t manage our natural resources. They can’t hire for important positions based on the criteria that matters (but they pay well). They can’t make sure water will come out of the fire hydrants. They can’t call the National Guard in a timely manner. They can’t even be physically present when there is a crisis.
Not only was this failure by local leaders on display last week in Los Angeles, it was on display in Sacramento, as well. As Los Angeles burned to the ground, all of California’s legislators gathered for a Special Session. Not for wildfire victim relief or to reinstate all our unvaccinated firefighters with backpay, but rather to fight the incoming Trump Administration.
Only as a result of fierce resistance led by the Republican Caucus and public outcry was the Special Session expanded to include the fire crisis.
At this point most reasonable people are noticing that the problem is political. So, what is the solution?
Presently, the way it almost always works in Los Angeles is the Democratic Party machine elect the candidate they want. In order for a Democrat to have any hope of winning, they must become subservient to the machine, which demands allegiance to the policies that caused the mess to begin with. This, logically, only reinforces the status quo of incompetence.
No meaningful change can come to Los Angeles through the Democratic Party for this reason. It has to come through the Republicans.
But we are missing one key step before that can happen: an increase in Republican voter registration. I advocate that Democrat voters should drop their Democratic registration in droves because that simple act is the loudest, fastest, easiest rejection of California’s one-party rule and their failures.
Voter registration (i.e., the difference between the number of registered Republicans vs. registered Democrats) is important because it drives political strategy decisions even more than election outcomes. This is because registration is a more stable indicator of the result, since it excludes variables like candidate personalities, issues in a particular race, and voter turnout.
Talented candidates are drawn to districts that are competitive, meaning districts where the number of registered Republicans and Democrats is not so lopsided and the Democrat machine has less control. It attracts donors, as well. So, it’s in all Angelenos’ best interests to make our city more politically competitive.
This is not a far-fetched idea. Scott Presler’s focus on voter registration in Pennsylvania made a significant impact there. Moreover, we know more right-leaning voters are out there than the registration numbers show because over 400,000 non-Republican voters in Los Angeles County voted for President Trump. We need them to go a small step further and change their registration online, too.
At a minimum, for the red-pilled that are still squeamish about registering as a Republican, they should at least consider leaving their abuser as a matter of self-respect, and drop their Democrat registration.
Elizabeth Barcohana is a mom, attorney, and elected member of the Los Angeles County GOP for Assembly District 42, which includes Pacific Palisades. Find her on X @E_Barcohana.