Governor Gavin Newsom took on Florida governor Ron DeSantis last week

January 21, 2022
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Dear John,

Governor Gavin Newsom took on Florida governor Ron DeSantis last week, boasting ([link removed]) that two-years into the pandemic, California is better off than Florida. If he’s testing the waters for a head-to-head against DeSantis in the 2024 presidential race, his strategy of comparing the two states is a bust.

For starters, the American people have already begun to “vote” with their feet and California is losing. For the first time ever, California lost population in 2020, with nearly 200,000 people exiting the state. Meanwhile, Florida gained more than 200,000 residents between July 2020 and July 2021.

The latest report ([link removed]) from U-Haul on interstate moves for 2021 declares Florida in the top two for inbound growth, with Texas taking first place in states people are moving to. California, on the other hand, ranked No. 50 – dead last – for the second year in a row. In fact, California’s position as the “top state for out-migration” was so off the charts that U-Haul admits that it “simply ran out of inventory to meet customer demand” for outbound vehicles.

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The difference in migration patterns between the two high-profile states is no mystery. California shut down its economy with strict COVID mandates, while Florida did the polar opposite. California’s unemployment rate ([link removed]) is 6.9 percent; Florida’s is 4.5 percent. And while DeSantis has been outspoken about protecting the rights of parents of school-age kids, Newsom continues to serve his teachers union allies, putting their interests above the needs – and rights – of California students and families.

The not-so-shocking California exodus ([link removed]) is the result of an ongoing failure of governance. Newsom and DeSantis are diametrically opposed not just in their handling of the pandemic, but in their philosophies on the role – and limits – of government. By all indicators, a national referendum on Florida vs. California would end poorly for Newsom.

Add train robberies to California’s supply chain failures

Biden transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Southern California ports last week and blamed ([link removed]) the state’s supply chain fiasco on “decades of past disinvestment” in infrastructure. In reality, the crisis is caused by California’s trifecta of failed liberal policies: “green” regulations and emissions standards that prevent older and out-of-state vehicles from moving shipping containers and impose costly requirements on new trucks; laws that discriminate against independent drivers in favor of union-run companies; and contracts with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union that prohibit new automation if it reduces union jobs.

You can see the result: container ships anchored for miles just off the coast.

Buttigieg left town just as news broke that street gangs are causing another type of supply-chain disruption. Thieves are ransacking rail shipments in Los Angeles County, stealing thousands of packages from Amazon, UPS and other retailers daily.

Union Pacific reports that it saw rail thefts increase by 356 percent in October 2021 over October 2020. Over the last three months, on average more than 90 containers were “compromised ([link removed]) ” every day. Images of debris from stolen packages strewn across the tracks shocked the nation, and may have caused a derailment ([link removed]) this week.

This rampage of robberies is the direct result of radical Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón’s refusal ([link removed]) to prosecute criminals in the name of “social justice.” Thieves that are arrested are charged with misdemeanors and released immediately because of “bail reform.” In a letter ([link removed]) to Gascón asking for help, Union Pacific explained that the same thieves return night after night and boast to Union Pacific officers that, when they’re arrested, it’s understood that the DA’s office will plead down charges “to simple trespassing – which bears no serious consequence.”

This is the height of political dysfunction that further distinguishes California from Florida, but it gives us hope.

Why? Because when things get so nasty you can’t pretend you don’t see it anymore, people finally step up to take action. All over California, we’re watching as self-described liberals and progressives, suddenly awake, join CPC in the fight to restore the California Dream.

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Quote of the Week

“Supreme Court precedent has made clear that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children, and their right is denied to them when schools keep secrets from parents, especially on matters as foundational as a child’s identity, name [and] pronouns.” – Harmeet Dhillon ([link removed]) , CEO of the Center for American Liberty

More from CPC
* Analysis: Data shows LA and SF are hurting restaurants through COVID restrictions ([link removed]) : CPC policy analyst Brandon Ristoff examines OpenTable data that shows that strict COVID mandates have ravaged L.A. and San Francisco restaurants while those in less restrictive cities have rebounded.
* National Review’s Radio Free California Podcast: The Great Train Robberies ([link removed]) – CPC president Will Swaim and board member David Bahnsen discuss Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s visit to SoCal ports and the ransacking of rail shipments in Los Angeles.
* California is rolling in education money ([link removed]) : CA Teachers Empowerment Network president Larry Sand breaks down Gov. Newsom’s taxpayer-funded spending spree and why it will only ensure a bigger government education bureaucracy.

CPC and allies in the news
* Center for American Liberty takes on Jessica Konen’s case against school district ([link removed]) : Celeste Fiehler, Deputy Director of CPC’s Parent Union: “I’m extremely proud of Jessica and all parents who are speaking up while risking everything to protect children.”
* Proposed ballot measure would create water infrastructure ([link removed]) : CPC co-founder Ed Ring explains that it is time for California to upgrade its water infrastructure for the 21st century and why voters deserve the chance to make that happen.

Classroom headlines
* Lawsuit forces CA Dept. of Ed to remove Aztec god chants from ethnic studies curriculum ([link removed])
* Bringing some accountability to California’s public schools ([link removed])
* CA proposal would let kids 12 and older get vaccines without parental consent ([link removed])

Union news
* I’m stuck with an anti-Semitic labor union ([link removed])

Other things we’re reading
* U-Haul literally ran out of trucks leaving California ([link removed])
* Newsom backs away from single-payer health care pledge ([link removed])
* Gavin Newsom: Thank God we haven't followed Ron DeSantis' governing example ([link removed])


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