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Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) has explained that the major politicians who dominate Washington – mostly progressives and leftists – seek to replicate California’s failed policies at the national level.
“The politicians running Washington, D.C., are trying to take California national. Unfortunately, it is not the year-round sunshine and ocean breeze they are seeking,” the Republican wrote in a column published on Fox News. “Those in charge of our federal government are taking the worst of California and inflicting it on the rest of America via ugly twin legislation in Congress.”
One of the California policies that progressive politicians in Washington want to export according to Rep. Mike Garcia is the infamous AB5 bill: “The House agenda this week includes a bill called the Pro Act. California workers know this as AB5, legislation making independent contractors (read: Uber drivers and kids delivering newspapers) full-time employees of their respective employers.”
Mike García explained that AB5 “cost tens of thousands of California jobs” and that its elimination was one of the central issues in his race to Congress. For this, the Republican boasted, ” Overturning it was a central theme of my race for Congress, and voters elected me not once, but twice, in a district Joe Biden carried by 10 points. In November, while Biden won California with 63.5%, voters via referendum overturned the disastrous bill with 59% of the vote.”
The congressman argues that Californians are slowly becoming fed up with the economic and social policies of the Golden State’s progressive state authorities. As a result, many Californians are leaving the state and, as laughable as it may seem, the GOP has gained some political space.
“Since its formation as a state, California’s population has only grown – until now. Californians are leaving in such large numbers that, for the first time, the state will lose at least one seat in the House.,” Mike García said. “Voters are speaking up and fighting back […] Gov. Gavin Newsom is now staring down a potential recall in a state where four congressional seats flipped from Democratic to Republican just a few months ago, including the Democratic-leaning seat I now represent.”
Mike García did not miss the opportunity to criticize H.R.1., the legislation with which Democrats plan to reform the election system: “House Democrats recently shoved through their view of election reform via H.R.1. This sweeping bill looks like it was written in Sacramento, stripping states of their ability to enact voter ID laws, nationalizing the infamous act of ballot harvesting where anyone can go door-to-door collecting voters’ ballots, and enacting public funding for political campaigns. A politician’s dream come true.”
The congressman recalled how “the radical left in D.C.” is also seeking to institute the minimum wage at $15. Similar to California’s $14. “It appears that Washington is turning a deaf ear to the countless small business owners across the Golden State who are downsizing to meet rising payroll costs,” Garcia spat.
The Republican also weighed in on taxes and compared the similarities of the high tax burdens imposed in California and the taxes proposed by Democrats in Washington.
He also criticized the Green New Deal, the more radical green deal supported by the Biden administration and more progressive politicians in Washington, and compared it to the green policies that have caused energy woes in California.
“Despite sitting on some of the largest energy reserves, California is the only state that is not energy independent. The careless use of public power shutoffs whenever the wind blows has put Californian’s access to necessities like power, water and fuel at the mercy of the state. These shutoffs are not just unnecessary, but they can be life-threatening to people with medical needs that rely on power for life-saving treatments.,” Rep. Mike García explained.
“California’s laser focus on passing radical climate change policies continually results in higher energy costs, rolling blackouts and a disregard for the forest fires that ravage the beautiful hills and towns across the state. In D.C., California’s war on energy is being uploaded in the form of the Green New Deal,” he added.
The Republican, quite critical of the Democratic agenda, said the list of policies the left wants to replicate from California to the rest of America “is endless: caving into teachers unions that keep schools closed, immigration policies that prioritize illegal immigrants, and law enforcement reforms that endanger the men and women in blue.”
Los Angeles Times anticipated Mike García’s criticism
With the certainty that Joe Biden would ascend as president of the country, the Los Angeles Times wrote an article titled: “Make America California Again: That is Biden’s plan.”
In the article, they explained that Biden’s administration would seek to replicate California policies in the rest of the country with the support of his vice-president, Kamala Harris, who is a former senator from California and Nancy Pelosi, who also represents the Golden State, and the majority in both Houses.
The Biden administration, according to the Los Angeles Times article, sees California as a “de facto think tank” and the idea is to prop up the most progressive state in the country as a national benchmark; making the U.S. a more “egalitarian” and eco-friendly state.
California is in bad shape
The Golden State is going through a complex situation, not only because of the pandemic, which caused health and economic devastation, but also because of social, demographic and service problems.
California’s problems have become, over the years, structural problems that have not been solved by its Democratic authorities.
The electricity and homeless crisis are California’s calling card, although there are other issues of concern to the state’s residents. For example, the high cost of living for the middle class, a problem that has increased the relocation of Californians to other more profitable states with a better quality of life; the increase in crime – robberies and drug trafficking -, the crisis of services in general and the moving of billionaires such as Elon Musk to other states in the country.
It is precisely this situation that Rep. Mike García criticizes: that Washington wants to export the failed socialist policies that are hitting California hard.
La crisis eléctrica y de homeless son la carta de presentación de California, aunque a su vez, hay otros asuntos que preocupan a los habitantes de este estado. Por ejemplo, el alto costo de la vida para la clase media, problema que ha incrementado la mudanza de californianos a otros estados más rentables y con mejor calidad de vida; el aumento de la criminalidad —robos y tráfico de drogas—, la crisis de servicios en general y la huida de millonarios como Elon Musk y otros capitales a otros estados del país.
Justamente toda esta situación es la que critica el representante García: que desde Washington se quiera exportar las fracasadas políticas socialistas que están golpeando fuertemente a California.
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
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