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November 8, 2024 - 4:15pm
Tuesday’s elections in California will have been difficult for Democrats to stomach. A staggering 40% of Californians voted for Donald Trump, with Republicans leading in several of the most competitive house districts. Even in San Francisco, the uber-progressive mayor London Breed has been voted out. No wonder, then, that Governor Gavin Newsom has already called for a special session in the legislature to “Trump-proof” certain policies such as abortion and immigration.
On the same day, California voters also endorsed a significant shift toward stricter law-enforcement measures, with 71% approving Proposition 36, a statewide ballot initiative aimed at imposing harsher penalties for repeat theft and crimes involving fentanyl. In doing so, they effectively rolled back some of the state’s more controversial “soft-on-crime” policies.
Proposition 36 was a response to Proposition 47, a 2014 reform designed to alleviate overcrowded prisons by reclassifying certain non-violent crimes, such as drug offences and thefts under $950, from felonies to misdemeanours. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, a principal architect of Proposition 47 and a progressive figure supported by billionaire George Soros, has now lost a re-election bid to Independent challenger Nathan Hochman.
These are hugely significant developments, but they do not mark a clean sweep for the anti-progressive movement. In southern California cities, such as Los Angeles and Santa Monica, voters have actually drifted even further to the Left. For example, Los Angeles voters have elected another Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-endorsed candidate to the City Council, which means that five out of 15 council members in Los Angeles now advocate for police defunding. In neighbouring Santa Monica, a city grappling with rising crime, including a series of homeless-on-homeless assaults and murders, an entire slate of pro-law-and-order candidates for City Council lost to progressive, DSA-aligned candidates too.
Nevertheless, the direction of travel is clear: California is moving Right. This should serve as a sign to elected officials that voters want something more moderate, but will Gavin Newsom and the Democrats adjust accordingly? They have wasted no time in organising to fight Trump from within California. Newsom’s special session to “Trump-proof” state policies will include efforts to further protect abortion rights and immigrant families, while also focusing on climate change. The former two are the very policies on which Democrats lost heavily when running on them nationally. Evidently, they are learning the wrong lessons from this election.
The next test will come in 2026, when voters are presented with an opportunity to elect a new slate of major statewide leaders including governor and lieutenant governor. If there is yet an opportunity for the Republican Party to invest resources and “flip” California red, that might just be the year.
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SubscribeIt won’t be long before places like California and New York become nothing more than cloistered enclaves of the unproductive landed gentry and drug addled zombies. People are leaving these crapholes in a big way, and so too is their political power.
The next US census is in 2030 and it will create a profound shift in political power away from blue states to red states. It’s a long way off of course, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
This list shows how congressional seats will be redistributed in 2030. There will be a redistribution of electoral college seats as well. Anyone sensing a trend here?
California -4
New York -3
Illinois -2
Pennsylvania -1
Texas +4
Florida +3
Georgia +1
North Carolina +1
South Carolina +1
Tennessee +1
Arizona +1
Utah +1
Idaho +1
At last… Californians fight back! And some “way to go”.
The Golden State, the home of the Beach Boys and also The Doors, whose vision of dystopia has come to pass, deserves so much better than its recent past.
As Mama Cass sang… California dreamin, On such a winter’s day