IS LIFE IN CALIFORNIA TURNING INTO A SCARY MOVIE?

Good morning!

It’s been another week for the history books! As it comes to a close, we invite you to join us for this portion of our week where we deftly state the depressing state of a decrepit Golden State (and have some fun with word play along the way)!

Travel back with me to a distant epoch – last Friday’s CPC newsletter – we opened that update with news that gas is over $4 per gallon. But here in the present, some Californians are paying more than $5 per gallon, as reported by Fox LA. And yet, proving that things can always get worse, Gov. Newsom signed  an executive order that transfers gas-tax revenue away from fixing local highways to railway projects.

You’d be forgiven for finding that shady. California voters were promised that last year’s Prop 6 gas tax was essential to our absolute survival as humans. With the help of millions of dollars in government union-funded advertising, Carl DeMaio’s gas-tax repeal failed because voters believed the tax would be spent maintaining the state’s roads. Is it any wonder many Californians distrust Sacramento’s promise to be good stewards of the state’s treasury? 

Lawmakers in Sacramento appear to be more concerned with virtue signaling than governing well. The governor is no different. On Wednesday, when millions of Californians woke up without power, Gov. Newsom expressed outrage to PG&E’s maintenance. While blaming the utility for decades of mismanagement, he went on to acknowledge that, sure, the blackouts are necessary to limit wildfire hazards as powerful, dry winds sweep through the state. 

As you gear up to protect yourself from the Santa Ana winds, don’t forget that it’s not just Mother Nature coming for you and your property. Government unions are working overtime to get “split roll” on the 2020 ballot. Their measure would gut Prop 13 protections for owners of commercial property. This week, CPC contributor Larry Sand examines the effects of “split roll” property taxes on the California economy. Read his analysis here.

A majority of California residents those are disgusted by the living conditions of the Golden State’s once great cities. Places like Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have gone from majestic to medieval. Despite the efforts of California’s political class to hoodwink residents on issues like homelessness, a new study from the LA Times and UCLA shows it’s residents, not politicians, who are most aware of the reality of homelessness. If you’re like me and enjoy charts, check out this really well-researched piece here.  

One of the reasons we continue to see homelessness grow in California is because housing is expensive to build. Yet, when the state wraps developers in red-tape, is it any wonder the problem persists? This November, the city of San Francisco is asking voters to decide whether the city should go into debt to build more “affordable” housing. Although the measure, known as Prop A, states that the city will issue bonds to fund this, CPC fellow Edward Ring points out this is just another scam. Click here to read his piece – and read to the end to consider Ed’s policy prescriptions for ending the crisis.

Finally, if you’d rather have all this delivered right into your aural cavities, listen to CPC president Will Swaim and CPC board member David Bahnsen on National Review’s Radio Free California podcast. They discuss California’s climate-change satellite; a non-ironic call by Democrats to discover the source of California’s rising gas prices; the tax hike that drove the state’s biggest taxpayers into exile – so much self-inflicted damage that David and Will resort to a lightning-round — 20 terrifying stories at just two minutes each. Play along! (The author of your favorite weekly newsletter had control over the buzzer!)

Upcoming Events:

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Permission? 
The Pepperdine University School of Public Policy hosts a half-day conference on Wednesday, October 16 in Costa Mesa. Timothy Sandefur, VP for Litigation at the Goldwater Institute, will explore the growing reach of the administrative state—from local government regulations to federal—that are inhibiting (if not preventing) basic American freedoms. Seating is limited. To register, click here.

Rand Paul at the Reagan Library
U.S. Senator Rand Paul will speak at the Reagan Presidential Library on October 18, about his new book, The Case Against Socialism. There is no cost to attend the event. For more information, and to reserve your spot, click here.

A Reagan Forum and Book Signing with Dr. Wilfred McClay
Dr. Wilfred McClay, the Ronald Reagan Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine, will visit the Reagan Presidential Library to discuss “Recovering the American Story: Consciousness and the American Past” on November 15. The event is free and begins at 11 am. For more information, and to reserve your spot, click here.

If you have items for events anywhere in the state, please send them to me!

As always, if you’d like to join our movement to save California, we invite you to support us. Click here to donate to CPC.