We can’t fix what’s broken until we face a hard truth: California’s policy failures and cultural decay aren’t separate problems — they’re two sides of the same coin. And it’s strangling the soul of this state.

Some say we have to “win the culture” before policy can change. I get the instinct — culture shapes how people think, vote, and live. But waiting around for some grand cultural awakening while California Democrats tighten their grip? That’s a losing strategy. The longer we wait, the deeper the rot.

Policy and culture feed each other. If we want change, we must fight for both.

Let’s look at the facts.

California has the highest state gas tax in the nation (over 60 cents a gallon), with average prices still hovering well over $4. That’s a daily tax on working families just trying to get to work, school, or the store. The state also ranks among the highest-taxed in the country, hitting middle-income earners especially hard.

Meanwhile, small businesses are suffocating under excessive regulations. A 2024 survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that 51 percent of small business owners say complex regulations are hurting their ability to grow. Nearly half (47 percent) report they spend too much time on compliance instead of actually running their business.

That’s not just data — it’s daily devastation. It’s what happens when red tape chokes a business before it even opens.

Take Saltwater Bakeshop in San Francisco. After signing a lease, the owner waited more than two years for permit approvals. During that time, she paid $13,000 a month in rent, saw construction costs balloon, and watched thousands of dollars in bakery equipment sit idle in storage. Government bureaucracy almost drove the owner to call it quits.

That’s what regulation looks like: rent doesn’t stop. Bills don’t stop. Hope runs out.

Families feel the squeeze too. They’re not just being priced out — they’re being pushed out. California saw a slight drop in crime in 2024, but rates remain well above pre-pandemic levels. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), violent crime fell 4.6 percent and property crime dropped 8.5 percent compared to 2023. Yet, the violent crime rate is still 5.9 percent higher than in 2019, and homicides remain nearly six percent above pre-COVID levels.

At the same time, California’s homelessness crisis remains unmatched: over 187,000 people were unhoused as of 2024 — the most of any state — despite more than $24 billion spent on programs. Tents still crowd sidewalks, and public confidence has collapsed.

These are not just policy failures. They’re cultural signals.

They say: Don’t build. Don’t dream. Don’t expect more. Just survive. Comply. Hope the government takes care of you — even though it won’t.

People are leaving not just because California is expensive. They’re leaving because the culture punishes ambition and rewards stagnation. And when ambition flees, so does opportunity.

That’s why I reject the idea that policy must wait on culture. If we want a better culture, we need to fix the rules that shape it.

Let Californians keep more of what they earn.

Let them build without red tape stalling every step.

Let them raise kids without the state acting as a co-parent.

Let them invest in their neighborhoods without being treated like criminals.

Let them see real solutions to homelessness that restore dignity and order.

Let them live in safe communities — where law enforcement is backed and justice is swift.

That’s how you shift culture: not with slogans, but with freedom. Not with talk, but with space to live, build, and thrive.

None of this happens without power — and California Democrats know it. They’ve built a machine that rewards loyalty, silences dissent, and rigs the system to keep control.

But giving up is not an option.

We don’t need every Californian to flip. We need enough to stop pretending decline is acceptable. We need candidates and voters ready to speak openly about how bad it’s gotten — and who show up at city council meetings, school boards, and the ballot box. We need coalitions that are bigger than partisan slogans.

And we need people willing to stay in the fight, even when the path is uphill.

California’s comeback won’t be led by pundits or Republican party insiders. It’ll be led by neighbors. Shopkeepers. Parents. Everyday people saying: Not like this. Not anymore.

Republicans must be more than critics. We must be builders.

That means offering real reforms — economic, public safety, and homelessness solutions — that put money, power, and safety back where they belong: in the hands of the people. But it also means modeling a culture that values family, work, service, local control, and accountability.

We have to make success noble again, not shameful. Celebrate work, not identity. Make ownership of homes, businesses, and schools a source of pride, not regulation.

That’s not just policy. That’s culture. And it’s the same mission.

This state belongs to those who won’t give up. Who know that restoring what’s great about California means fighting for both hearts and laws.

Change the culture. Fix the rules. Rebuild the future.

Progressive policies have hurt America immeasurably.

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