While the Trump Administration is considering taking Greenland and Canada under its wing, there’s another foreign country America should watch over, in the way that a parent cares for a child: California.
If the Golden State were a nation, it would have the fifth-highest GDP globally: $3.8 trillion (more than India, and more than New York and Florida combined). It’s the most populous state, officially home to 39 million residents—eight million more than Texas. It has the most members of the House (52) and the most Electoral College votes (54).
California’s farms supply more than half of America’s fruits and vegetables, half our dairy, and every almond. The Central Valley, which spans 450 miles from Redding in the north to Bakersfield in the south, has 1% of U.S. farmland but produces 25% of Americans’ food.
California’s market power means that its laws affect 49 other states. In 2016, California adopted a “History Social Science Framework” for K-12 education to “feature the contributions of diverse peoples of all sorts to the story of California and the United States.” Publishers like McGraw Hill updated their textbooks nationwide to avoid printing a separate California edition. “LGBT” appears 21 times in the framework.
The strict regulations on animal welfare in Proposition 12 impact any farmer who wants to sell their eggs, veal, or pork in California. And the legislature’s hatred of combustion engines—no new gas car sales by 2035—would, if the law stands, push the nation’s auto market in a direction consumers don’t want. California exports the best and worst of Hollywood, the best and worst of Silicon Valley. And then there’s Sacramento.
During Trump 1.0, California sued the administration 123 times, including for DACA, the border wall, and the census. It has barely been a month since the launch of Trump 2.0, and California has already sued the administration multiple times.
During Biden’s term, an estimated 1.2 million people illegally crossed the California-Mexico border. Our Democrats sometimes fake concern about this—see for instance Newsom’s photo op in San Diego one month after Trump’s victory. But the Democrats’ wish for more illegal immigration is made plain by California’s “sanctuary” status, and billions of dollars subsidizing illegal immigrants through government healthcare, public education, and legal costs fighting deportation.
And then there’s the waste, fraud, and corruption.
The state’s high-speed rail project was sold to voters in 2008 as a $33 billion project that would be operational by 2028. The estimated cost is now $130 billion and climbing. The project has spent $23 billion—$6 billion from federal taxpayers—yet not a single segment has been completed.
The state is focused on completing a 171-mile segment between Merced and Bakersfield. This segment is projected (optimistically) to serve only two million riders annually and will cost $35 billion more than the initial budget for the entire project. Anyone who knows California knows Merced and Bakersfield don’t need high-speed rail.
How does this happen? Grift and corruption, much of it legal thanks to the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, which is also why California can’t build anything.
According to the Hoover Institution, “Since 2019, California has spent about $24 billion on homelessness, but in this five-year period, homelessness increased by about 30,000, to more than 181,000.” Even the LA Times published an article headlined, “California spent billions on homelessness without tracking if it worked.” And that was before its owner got MAGA-curious. Billions of these dollars, by the way, came from the federal government.
During COVID, over $32 billion in unemployment relief (necessitated by Democrat lockdowns) was stolen. Much of this money came from the federal CARES Act. California has more than enough resources for everyone to live like the Jetsons, but the Democrats burn it on programs that enrich consultants, lawyers, and nonprofits at the expense of every American taxpayer.
What to do?
Appoint a federal California Czar with three primary responsibilities:
- Review all federal funds directed to California. Report on whether the funds are spent well and achieving the intended outcomes. Highlight when harmful regulations get in the way. Expose fraud and recommend federal prosecution when appropriate.
- Identify actions by state and local government entities and officials that violate the Constitution. Report on them to the U.S. Attorney General.
- Identify how the federal government can legally condition the disbursal of taxpayer funds on positive action by California on immigration, homelessness, voter I.D., fire prevention, education, gun rights, and other areas of vital interest to the United States.
As a California lover (and resident), I wish it didn’t have to come to this. I think this state will become politically competitive again. That’s why I’m still here. (OK, also the unmatched beauty.)
But turning the state light blue or purple will take time. The Left has built a political fortress that will be grueling to dismantle.
Until then, our government needs adult supervision. Some tough love. A California Czar.
It’s best for the child and the family.