Forty-some-odd candidates have officially thrown their hats into the ring to replace Governor Gavin Newsom if voters recall him September 14.

The list is a mere fraction of the 135 who faced off during the 2003 Gray Davis recall election, and, dare I say, a generally saner, though less well-known, bunch. There are a handful of business owners, current and former elected officials, attorneys, educators, and law enforcement officers. There’s also a college student, cannabis policy advisor, radio host, former olympian, and one candidate whose platform includes implementing an annual masquerade ball where attendees dress like the governor. 

“While fixing California requires both political will and smarter investment of public funds (OK, much smarter investment of public funds), none of this can happen without a change in attitude,” he writes. “How we think about problems needs to change.” 

For example, achieving energy abundance won’t happen through extreme mandates, but rather by balancing renewables – phased in over a longer timeframe – and all the other energy sources available to us. Weathering seasonal droughts won’t come simply through forced conservation, but by expanding California’s water supply through infrastructure investments like reservoirs and desalination plants. 

Ring continues to debunk the scarcity mindset in his installment focusing on solving California’s transportation challenges in practical ways residents will accept, best achieved through policies that encourage and allow private industry to innovate. Reducing California’s regulatory scheme is also key to providing affordable housing in the state, and, as Ring explains, can be done without inflicting the environmental catastrophe activists claim. Similarly, we must reject the fear mongering by extreme environmentalists that has created a reality in which California burns for months each year. The solution to protecting California forests (and residents, homes, and businesses) from wildfire is to actively manage and thin vegetation.

While policy changes, including empowering law enforcement, are needed to truly end California’s homelessness crisis, a change in perspective toward one that focuses on the root causes of the issue as opposed to the woke fad of the day is also necessary. Likewise, improving schools and education outcomes can only happen once Californians rethink public schooling at its core. To serve students and prepare them for long-term success, the state must move away from a one-size-fits-all model in which teacher union demands supersede student needs, toward one in which parents are empowered with choices to create the best educational framework for their children. 

“There are other big challenges that dominate the political dialogue in California and throughout America,” Ring concludes. “It is a broad and diverse list. But the seven topics chosen, if properly addressed, fulfill a practical goal. They give back to Californians – all Californians – something that’s been missing for decades: a prosperity economy where anyone willing to work hard can afford to live a secure life.”