In their quest to “Trump proof” California, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta invoke “California values.” If people across the country wonder what exactly these values might be, state politicians have provided clues.

As they gear up for the holiday season, California retailers stock items they think people will want to buy. California politicians want the state to determine what stores must offer to their customers. Assembly Bill 1084, signed by Newsom in 2021 and effective Jan. 1, 2024, mandates that large retail department stores that sell childcare items or toys must maintain a “gender-neutral” section for these items or face fines.
“By requiring large retailers to maintain a gender-neutral section,” Bonta’s office explains, “AB 1084 makes it more difficult for these retailers to engage in gender-based pricing discrimination and reduces the imposition of gender stereotypes on children.” In support of this cause, the attorney general recruits shoppers as informants.
“If you do not see an adequate gender-neutral product section in a large retail department store in California that you believe is covered by this law, you may take pictures, document, and file a complaint with our office at oag.ca.gov/report.” As Californians and people across the country should know, deploying citizens to inform on each other was a value of East Germany, a Stalinist dictatorship. Other similarities may also be apparent.
California workers value their independence and many strive to be their own boss. Newsom doesn’t value that effort. In 2019, the governor signed Assembly Bill 5, by San Diego Democrat Lorena Gonzalez, a veritable declaration against workers’ independence and their ability to earn a living.
The measure primarily targeted truck owner-operators and ride-share drivers, but in its original form, it was more far-reaching. Assembly Bill 5 targeted all kinds of independent contractors including freelance writers who did not provide more than 35 submission...