OPINION: Discontent in the Golden State
May 9—Profound political changes can happen suddenly, and apparently without warning.
Some of the big surprises that caught experts off-guard include the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the
In the aftermath of shocking political events, experts may rush to explain why these things happened when they did, but the truth is that if they really knew, they'd have seen it coming. Experts can be blinded by a comfortable routine of chatting with other experts to figure out what's going on. And then they all miss it together.
And that brings us to
Then, on top of all of that, the state has been under emergency rule for more than a year, with tougher and more arbitrary restrictions than other states. Californians have experienced severe damage from the pandemic response in too many ways to list.
One day, these things may make it into the story when experts try to explain why "deep blue"
The most visible sign of political unrest in
There are signs that people whose names are on ballots are aware that regardless of how "deep blue" the state may seem to be, there's a limit to what voters will tolerate. Some of the high-profile legislation pushed by progressive groups is getting pushed off a cliff.
Not moving forward, at least for now, is the much vaunted "single-payer" health care bill, Assembly Bill 1400. Also slowed down was the universal basic income proposal, AB 65, which would pay millions of Californians
Another sign that the state's "deep blue" tint may be as fragile as the shell of an Easter egg is a continuing rule in the Assembly that allows committee chairs to kill bills without a hearing. Obviously this isn't needed to stop bills introduced by
One such lawmaker is Assemblyman
So far, he can't get anything done. Lee told CalMatters that after three setbacks in a row, he is finding the legislative process "very exhausting and oftentimes demoralizing," although he won't stop "trying again and again and again."
But Democratic leaders are acting as if they believe that the more progress the progressives make in
It can't have gone unnoticed that the progressives' holy grail, the partial repeal of Proposition 13, went down in flames in November. The measure that was on the ballot as Proposition 15 had the support of every progressive group, but
They're also likely to turn red if anybody tries to cancel their private health insurance policies and replace them with health insurance run by those wonderful folks who brought us the DMV, the EDD, and the bullet train.
Red is the color of voters who are angry that schools aren't open, that streets aren't safe, and that public officials enable tent encampments on sidewalks, parks, parking lots and even beaches.
This fall, every registered voter will be mailed a ballot that asks whether the governor should be removed from office. If experts are surprised that we're here, they must be colorblind.
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