The California Catastrophe
Gavin Newsom’s Legacy of Failure
“Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good.” —Thomas Sowell
California, my former home and birthplace, was once the land of opportunity. There, the middle class thrived, businesses flourished, and the American Dream seemed alive and well. Today, however, it’s a state in decline, hemorrhaging its tax base, overrun with homelessness, devastated by crime, and led by a governor whose policies have created more problems than they’ve solved.
Gavin Newsom has governed by optics rather than outcomes. He is a man more concerned with soundbites than solutions, and his tenure has turned the Golden State into a cautionary tale of what happens when ideology triumphs over reality.
Let’s examine three of his most damning failures: homelessness, wildfires, and the mass exodus of businesses and taxpayers. And, for good measure, let’s not forget his COVID-era hypocrisy.
Homelessness: Throwing Billions at the Problem While Ignoring the Cause
California now has over 170,000 homeless people, nearly one-third of the entire U.S. homeless population. Newsom would have you believe this is the result of forces beyond his control, but the facts tell a different story.
Under his leadership, the state has spent over $20 billion on homelessness initiatives, yet the problem has only grown worse. The reason is simple: California refuses to address the root causes—drug addiction, mental illness, and policies that incentivize vagrancy rather than self-sufficiency.
Instead of treating homelessness as a crisis requiring tough, targeted interventions, Newsom has built a sprawling bureaucracy to manage the problem rather than solve it. The result? More encampments, more crime, and entire cities—San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento—looking more like Third World dystopias than world-class hubs of innovation.
Wildfires: The Convenient Climate Scapegoat
Newsom loves to blame climate change for California’s devastating wildfires. This convenient excuse allows him to shift attention away from his own failures in forest management.
In 2020, Newsom promised to spend $1 billion on wildfire prevention. That same year, he claimed to have treated 90,000 acres of forest to reduce fire risk. The reality? A CAP investigation found he had only treated 11,399 acres—a mere 2% of his promise.
The consequences of his deception are visible in the Pacific Palisades and countless other wildfire-ravaged areas. Poor forest management, combined with restrictions on controlled burns, have turned California into a tinderbox. The governor’s response? More finger-pointing at climate change while quietly slashing wildfire prevention budgets.
In Newsom’s world, responsibility is always someone else’s problem.
The Great California Exodus: A Mass Departure of Wealth and Industry
Businesses vote with their feet. People do, too.
Since 2020, over 700,000 Californians have fled the state, taking their wealth and productivity with them. The exodus includes both middle-class families and some of the country’s biggest corporations.
Tesla? Gone to Texas.
Oracle? Gone to Texas.
Charles Schwab? Gone to Texas.
Hewlett-Packard? Gone to Texas.
The reason? California’s anti-business climate.
A 13.3% top state income tax rate (the highest in the nation).
A $20 minimum wage that cripples small businesses.
Sky-high energy prices due to reckless green mandates.
Burdensome regulations that make operating in California a bureaucratic nightmare.
While Newsom brags about California’s economic “growth,” the reality is that the people responsible for that growth are leaving.
He has made it clear: if you are a productive taxpayer, you are not a priority in his California.
COVID-19: Rules for Thee, Not for Me
If there was ever a moment that revealed Gavin Newsom’s character, it was the French Laundry scandal.
At the height of the pandemic, while Californians were forced into lockdowns, banned from visiting loved ones, and watching their businesses collapse, Newsom dined maskless at a $350-per-plate restaurant with lobbyists.
This was no innocent mistake. It was a clear sign that Newsom never believed in the rules he was imposing on everyone else.
While California churches were forced to close, Hollywood productions were given exemptions.
While small businesses were shut down, corporate giants like Walmart and Target remained open.
While public schools stayed closed for over a year, Newsom’s own children attended private school.
The economic toll was catastrophic:
More than 40,000 small businesses permanently closed.
Unemployment fraud cost taxpayers $30 billion.
Mental health issues and suicides skyrocketed.
California endured some of the most draconian lockdowns in America, and for what? The state’s COVID death rate was almost identical to Florida’s, a state that remained largely open.
Newsom’s response was never about “science.” It was about power.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Man Wants to Be President
Despite this record of failure, Gavin Newsom has ambitions far beyond Sacramento.
His carefully curated PR machine is positioning him as the future of the Democratic Party. The media, of course, is complicit—glossing over his failures while treating him as a competent, forward-thinking leader.
But here’s the truth: If Newsom ever governs America the way he has governed California, we are in for a national disaster.
California is a preview of what happens when ideology overtakes practicality.
When tax-and-spend economics force businesses to flee.
When soft-on-crime policies turn cities into lawless zones.
When mismanagement of basic services leads to avoidable disasters.
Newsom may have national aspirations, but his record tells a different story.
He doesn’t deserve a promotion. He deserves accountability.
California Deserves Better
California is not failing because of external forces. It is failing because of deliberate policy choices.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The Golden State still has the people, the resources, and the potential to reclaim its former greatness. But that will never happen under leaders like Gavin Newsom—politicians who care more about their own power than the well-being of the people they serve.
It is time to reject the spin, look at the facts, and demand better leadership.
Because if we don’t, California will continue to be a warning, rather than a model, for the rest of America.