Is a One Party State good? Not if the party is Democrat.

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California is experiencing horrific fires around Los Angeles, so let's use this opportunity to talk about how the Democrat controlled government has run what should be an idyllic paradise into the ground.

Let's start by defining "Democrat controlled government."

  • Governor - Democrat for 14 years
  • State Senate - Democrat for 32 years
  • State Assembly - Democrat for 30 of the last 32 years
  • Los Angeles - there has been one Republican Mayor (8 years) since 1961
  • Los Angeles - Not one Republican on the City Council
  • San Francisco - Democrat mayors since 1964
I could list more cities or city councils but I think that makes the point.  

What has single party Government gotten the people of California?
  • High taxes.  Nerdwallet report on taxes
  • High inflation - Cumulative inflation since 2021 was over 20%.  Joint Economic Committee and National Business Capital
  • High Homelessness - 
    • Highest number of homeless people, in fact 1/3rd of all homeless people in the US U.S. News
    • One of the highest percentages of homelessness and nearly highest rental costs USA Facts
  • Largest "unauthorized immigrant populations" Pew Research with the following benefits for them:
    • Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants
    • California Food Assistance Program
    • Medi-Cal (Medicaid)
    • CalWorks cash assistance program
    • County Adult Assistance Programs (CAAP)
    • Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave
    • Public Education
    • WIC food and nutrition assistance
    • Source: Google AI Search
  • Second highest average electric rates (both business and residences) EnergyBot report
  • High cost of building and owning a home. 
Previously, we saw shoplifting and looting occurring on a scale not seen before.  Videos of both individuals and gangs of people stealing ridiculous amounts of goods, leading to the closing of stores in downtown San Francisco and Los Angeles due to liberal laws and criminal friendly district attorneys.  In San Francisco, there are stories about homeless people defecating on the street and hovering near businesses driving customers away.  The downtown is becoming uninhabitable and a place people don't want to visit - I certainly won't be going back there.

Let's circle back to the fires in Los Angeles.  The current crisis points up additional failures of the Democrat governance as they focus more on doing right for people in the country illegally and people committing crimes the current One Party Government overlooks doing what is necessary to protect their residents.  The State does not clear brush and debris that contribute to fires or do controlled burns.  They do a poor job of retaining rainwater to ease the problems caused by occasional droughts.  The city of LA underfunded their firefighters and the water resources intended for fighting fires are shared with homeowners for regular use, leaving fire hydrants without water during the current crisis.

Now the people whose homes and businesses were destroyed face the challenge of rebuilding in a State known as "a particularly difficult place to obtain a building permit due to its famously strict building codes.... Developers report waiting months to years to obtain a building permit in California for any kind of construction." Symbium How quickly can the devastation be removed and new homes and businesses be built with highly restrictive permitting processes?  Will the Government speed up the process?  Will they require lower cost housing to accompany replacing mansions?  

The fires in Los Angeles are such a unique, devastating event.  The Republican Party needs to step up in response.  On a federal level, the Governor of California and Mayor of LA will be going to the Federal government seeking money over and above normal disaster relief funds.  President Trump and Congress need to put conditions on any funds provided over and above what FEMA normally provides, requiring California to change its wildfire preparation and firefighter support, and easing restrictions to allow reconstruction.

On a State and Local level, Republicans need to step up and provide voters with a real alternative.  They need to run quality candidates not just for Statewide and mayoral offices but for State Senate, State Assembly and City Councils.  They need to offer a simple, powerful message.  In the 1980s, Jane Byrne defeated an incumbent Chicago Mayor by promising to get the streets plowed when it snows after the incumbent was unable get streets cleared during a blizzard.  Republicans need to craft a similar, simple message and point to every Assemblyman, every Senator, every Councilperson saying this fire occurred because they failed you, elect us and we won't.

If Republicans can retake control, they will have an opportunity to bring California back to being the jewel of our nation that it could and should be.  If Republicans don't step up, then in 2028 when the Olympics come back to LA, the world will see a city that resembles the disaster area that it is today.

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