“As goes California, so goes the nation.” Once a proud mantra, the phrase now serves as a dire warning. Today, California evokes images of soaring crime, decaying cities, unaffordable homes, and devastating wildfires – a state where the American Dream feels increasingly out of reach.
We all know how we got here. I probably know it better than many, as a state senator who was once a Democrat, now a Republican. The answer lies in our state’s two decades of one-party rule, where accountability has been replaced by arrogance.
Democrats like John F. Kennedy and others were once champions of working families, but those in control of that party have veered into ideological extremism, leaving everyday Californians behind.
In times of crisis, like the devastating Palisades and Eaton Fires, people must come before politics. But while winds fanned the flames, they sparked a broader conversation about years of failures under one-party rule – failures within the state’s control.
It can’t be ignored that as homes burned and families fled, Democrats quietly funneled more money toward “Trump-proofing” the state. They agreed to a special session on wildfires and the insurance crisis, yet instead of prioritizing the issue, they tied it to their partisan agenda, ensuring it wouldn’t receive the sole focus it desperately deserved.
This moment laid bare the priorities of Democrats’ leadership – ideology over action, politics over people.
From education to public safety and across the gamut of issues facing California, the iron-fisted Democrats that control our state’s government refuse to compromise or work across the aisle on solutions. What’s worse, they resist and snuff out any new ideas or approaches, preferring to throw good money after bad and remain steadfast to failed policies rather than admit they may have gotten it wrong.
In November, millions of California Democrats and independents cast their ballot for more Republican representation in our state – they want change. Californians are desperate for leaders who will deliver for them on issues that impact their lives. They aren’t concerned with ideological dogma; they are concerned with their quality of life.
Take homelessness. California has spent $27 billion since 2019 to address the crisis, yet our homeless population – 187,000 people – remains the largest in the nation. Despite countless promises, progress has been nonexistent, and our communities continue to suffer.
Gas prices are another example of Sacramento’s failures. Californians pay some of the highest gas prices in the nation due not only to taxes but also to destructive and costly policies. When unelected bureaucrats at the California Air Resources Board amended the Low Carbon Fuel Standard last November, experts warned it might raise gas prices by 65 cents per gallon. Rather than pause to consider the burden on Californians, they pushed ahead, ignoring financial realities.
And let’s not forget the $30 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims paid out during the pandemic by the Employment Development Department. Today, California owes $20 billion in unemployment debt, yet the supermajority chose not to repay it, even during a $100 billion surplus. Instead, small businesses now must repay it through an annual $21 per-employee tax. That tax needs to go away.
California is home to over 4.2 million small businesses, employing over 60% of all California workers. They are the backbone of California’s economy – the fifth largest in the world – yet they’re being crushed by Sacramento’s policies and, sadly, more close every day.
The good news is that Californians are making gains, and the people are taking back control. In November, nearly 70% of Californians voted to approve Proposition 36, which enforces tougher penalties for theft and crime and they flipped 10 counties red during the same election. Californian voters are fed up. They’re willing to hold their leaders accountable because they are tired of bearing the cost of failure for the benefit of political party politics. We must remember that government works for the people – not the other way around.
Marie Alvarado-Gil represents the 4th Senate District including the Counties of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne. She changed parties from Democrat to Republican last year.