California faces a political identity crisis, the reliance on personal political identity deciding how people vote has resulted in an increasingly poor quality of life in the sunshine state. This is hardly unique to California, years ago a relative of mine who lives in another state echoed much of the same sentiment, not listening to any of my reasons to support Ron Paul in the 2012 election he simply said that he was a Democrat, which means that he votes Democrat without thinking about it, and it was that simple.

Not to say that every Democrat in California or in other states live by that absurd paradigm. As conditions worsen and people double down with enthusiasm about failing policies, I do begin to wonder how bad things have to get for people to vote differently.

Below are some examples of the ongoing crisis in which this state exists, bear in mind these are just a sample of the multiple front crises under Newsom’s leadership, for a full accounting I would be writing a book, not an article.

Medical Crisis

California remains in a self-proclaimed (covid) medical emergency, though it has been downgraded the special emergency powers are still in place. At the State and County level that all California residents have had to endure the abuse of these powers throughout the “pandemic”.

To briefly recap, Schools were closed for long enough to damage our children’s social and educational development, only to reopen with masking and vaccine policies in place that further endangers the health and well-being of children across the state. Small Businesses were forced to close with many not recovering while big corporate stores were deemed essential, and churches were forced to close as well. Healthcare workers were fired for not abiding by unconstitutional vaccine mandates, creating a healthcare worker shortage.

The most recent attack on healthcare workers is a law that made its way through the CA legislature and was just signed into effect by Newsom, AB 2098 “will subject doctors to discipline and possible suspension of their licenses to practice for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic to patients”.

Unfortunately, covid is not the only medical crisis present in the state, the fentanyl crisis is very real impacting every single county in the state. This impact has caused some people to vote differently at the county level when San Francisco removed “District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who did not convict a single person in 2021 for dealing the lethal opioid“. Seeing this reaction gives hope that the rest of the state might have reached a similar threshold regarding the failures of Gavin Newsom’s failed platform and policies.

Environmental Crisis

Wildfires are nothing new to California, however, the response to this historical issue within the state by the Newsom administration leaves some serious questions for anyone who is paying attention. Forest management is an issue brought to light by President Trump in 2020.

When President Trump visited California in September 2020 for the Briefing on California Wildfires at McClellan Park, both Trump and Newsom acknowledged that forest management was an issue. Being that a large part of California’s forests is on federal land, Newsome was quite grateful for the funding that Trump committed to assisting with the fire emergency at that time.

Unfortunately, while Newsome spoke about plans to engage in comprehensive efforts to manage California’s forests, his words did not lead to the action that they so claimed. “An investigation from CapRadio and the California Newsroom collaboration has found that Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., misrepresented his wildfire preparedness and even dis-invested in prevention.”

Additionally, Newsome engaged in the much-touted strategy of always blaming fires on climate change despite multiple cases of known arson. One such instance was a disgruntled former college professor who started multiple fires in northern California during the Summer of 2021. This strategy of blaming climate change was also used by Newsom to maintain a constant water emergency when the true emergency was in poor management of the state’s natural resources.

A key example of this is the disrepair and consequential failure seen in some of the state’s water storage facilities, as seen in the Oroville Dam crisis in 2021 that caused the evacuation of 180,000 nearby residents. Not to mention that California has not built any new reservoirs since 1979. Then there is the fact that when abundant rainfall filled the reservoirs with a 5-year supply of water in 2019, Newsom proceed to drain them into the ocean over the following months under the guise of a Salmon preservation effort.

Housing Crisis

California’s housing crisis leaves many people in dire straights, one group that feels a large portion of the state’s bloated bureaucratic failure is the building and construction sector. With some of the most stringent building codes and permitting processes in the country, California contractors have a tough and sometimes impossible road to running a profitable business. Contractors must “comply with the Home Improvement Contract (“HIC”) laws, at a minimum it takes six pages of contract language for a HIC to comply with California law.”

This results in higher real estate and rental prices, adding to why California is one of the most expensive states to live in. “Nine out of ten Californians consider housing affordability a problem, and nearly one in three Californians are considering leaving the state because of it.”

The excessive prices in housing also contribute greatly to California’s homelessness crisis, forcing many to take to the streets and endure countless depredations in quality of life. Californians have the third-highest homelessness rate in the country according to this article and study in 2020, surely the rate is even higher with all the impact of the destructive covid policies throughout the state.

Transportation/Energy Crisis

Myth: High-Speed Rail will “establish a clean, efficient 220 MPH transportation system.”

Fact: “There has been nothing efficient about high-speed rail in California. The original cost of the project was projected to be $33 billion and is now expected to be at least $105 billion before it is completed. What is worse, the plan no longer even includes purchasing trains. So, the state doesn’t have a way to test if the system works, or if the trains can even go the promised 220mph.”

When Gavin Newsom was first elected luitenant governor in 2010 California received its first federal funding for the high-speed rail project that conceptually had roots as far back as the 1980s, though he has talked about the project with enthusiasm for years it has essentially become the high-speed train to nowhere. So far the project has received over 8 billion in funding with no deadlines met and no track laid.

The most recent energy and transportation blunder by Gavin Newsom is the signing of legislation that bans the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by the year 2035, all to promote the sales of electric vehicles. The major problem with this is that California’s Electric infrastructure is in a similar state to its water storage infrastructure, experiencing blackouts in peak heat under current operations without millions of people charging electric vehicles every night.

Newsom also banned the sale of new propane heaters by 2030, a move that Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher claims “will drive the cost of energy and building a home in California even higher.”

Crime/Law Enforcement Crisis

A dangerous flaw in prop 57 made it so many obviously violent crimes were suddenly deemed as non-violent, making it so many convicts with these crimes on their records were suddenly released. Many of these convicts were sex offenders, who suddenly let loose to go out and repeat offenses with minimized consequences. With that in mind, the chart above is likely inaccurate due to the semantics of what California now defines as a violent crime.

Another challenge put on law enforcement, local business and communities were the reductions of theft under $950 from a felony to a misdemeanor. Leading to a 25% increase in reported thefts. Many simply being unreported because in many cases there is no response from law enforcement due to other more severely rated crimes taking priority.

These issues combined with the covid vaccine mandates, and the defund the police agenda supported by Democratic politicians across the country and in California have led to a serious recruitment issue as well. For example in Los Angeles, there is typically 60 cadets per police academy session, recently there have been closer to 40 cadets per session, a drop of over 30%.

IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE IN CALIFORNIA

Brian Dahle’s Plan to Save California

COST OF LIVING

I Commit To Making California A Place Where Families Can Afford To Live.

• We can suspend the gas tax and provide immediate relief to drivers while using the state’s huge surplus to ensure our roads are maintained.
• I will appoint members of the Public Utilities Commission whose top priority is affordable energy.
• I will fight to promote new housing so families can afford their piece of the California dream.

CRIME

I Commit To Keeping Our Communities Safe And Holding Criminals Accountable.

• I will appoint a Parole Board that will not allow for the early release of violent and repeat offenders.
• I will fully fund the Armed and Prohibited Persons System to take guns out of the hands of felons.
• I will fully fund law enforcement.

HOMELESSNESS

I Commit To Declaring Homelessness A Public Health Crisis.

• We have a housing crisis, which hits the poorest Californians hardest. Streamline housing production and we’ll ease the pressure.
• Drug addiction drives many people to the street and keeps them there. We must treat the drug crisis with urgency, hammering suppliers while helping addicts into recovery.
• The state’s misguided “housing first” policy stops funding for sober-living homes that help people transition out of addiction. We need to get back to supporting proven models.
• Many of the chronically homeless suffer severe mental illness but decline treatment. We can’t just lock people up because they’re sick, but California needs better tools to steer those who need into psychiatric care. There’s nothing compassionate about letting people spiral into crisis while living on the street.

WATER

I Commit To Implementing A Comprehensive Water Plan To Combat California’s Water Crisis In The Midst Of Climate Change.

• I will get the new water storage that voters were promised almost a decade ago moving forward, including Sites Reservoir.
• I will appoint Coastal Commissioners who recognize the need for desalination.
• I will fast-track vegetation management to ensure wildfires do not destroy critical watersheds and pollute our reservoirs.

EDUCATION

I Commit To California Students Having Access To A Quality Education In A Healthy And Safe Environment.

• I will promote school choice so parents have options to find the best education that fits their children’s needs.
• I will support and fund more comprehensive career education so students can graduate on a path to a good job, even if college is not for them.
• I will fight for a more transparent curriculum so parents know what is happening in school.

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

I Commit To Using Californian Resources To Become More Energy Independent.

• There are 1200 oil well permits waiting to be processed through CalGen. These operations have to wait years before even being reviewed. I will require all permits to be processed within three months of being submitted.
• California’s electrical grid is unable to meet today’s energy demands throughout the state, let alone charge millions of new electric cars. Without substantial investments, California will never be able to meet its renewable energy goals. I will work to build electricity infrastructure so renewable energy can reach customers.

WILDFIRE

I Commit To Aggressively Reducing Catastrophic Wildfire.

• We must safeguard our communities, watersheds, and forests through better vegetation management.
• We can’t just throw money at the problem. We will use performance-based contracts for fuel reduction to ensure real results.
• The state must support local Resource Conservation Districts and Fire Safe Councils that know their community’s needs and how to get work done.
• I will hold utilities accountable for their negligence.

HOUSING

I Commit To Streamlining Affordable Housing In California.

• We must reform permitting to allow new homes without burying builders in endless bureaucracy.
• The state needs to reform the way it finances affordable housing to create “one-stop shopping” for builders who want to help house needy Californians.
• We need a hard new look at state mandates on new construction — such as sprinklers and solar panels — that drive up the cost of building.

STATE BUREAUCRACY

I Commit To Fighting The Corruption And Dysfunction In California’s State Agencies.

• I will replace career bureaucrats with appointees who are solutions based and focused on serving the citizens.
• I will audit state agencies and their procedures to cut waste and ensure they’re doing the work Californians actually need today.
• I will overhaul failed agencies like the Employment Development Department, which lost billions of dollars to fraud even as it left countless unemployed Californians without help during the pandemic.

DRUGS

I Commit To Keeping Dangerous Drugs Off The Streets Of California.

• I will work to rebuild the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement in the Department of Justice so the state can support local law enforcement in cracking down on drug traffickers.
• Fentanyl dealers are not engaging in “victimless crime.” They are poisoning our children and leaving a trail of death. I will treat fentanyl dealers like the killers they are.
• The voters created a legal system for growing and selling cannabis, but illegal growing remains rampant. These growers are avoiding taxes, wrecking the environment, and destroying neighborhoods while the state largely turns a blind eye. If growers want to join the legitimate system, they should, but we will not tolerate lawlessness.

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