AMAC Exclusive – By Claire Brighn
For years now, California politics has been synonymous with left-wing progressivism, and the state has become notorious for producing such radical figures as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Maxine Waters, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and of course Vice President Kamala Harris. But this year, with so many Democrat-induced crises at top of mind in the Golden State – crime and public safety chief among them – there are some signs in public polling that voters may have finally had enough.
According to a recent Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, California voters cite crime and public safety among their top three concerns – behind only “homelessness” and “housing affordability.” Pair this with the fact that 51% of California voters say Governor Newsom is doing poorly on the issue of crime – up 16 points from 2020 – and it appears support for progressive Democrat leadership is souring.
This shift in public opinion follows a worsening trend in crime nationwide. In 2020, there was a 30% surge in the homicide rate. But in 2021, when the effects of the “Defund the Police” movement started to take their toll, many California cities saw the problem grow far worse: in Oakland, there were 134 killings; in Los Angeles, 397 – the highest in 15 years for both cities. Already, killings in LA are on pace to surpass last year’s totals. In pockets throughout the state, last year’s extraordinary spike in retail theft, smash and grab robberies, and property crimes continues unabated.
By now it’s obvious that progressive district attorneys have played an outsized role in fanning the flames of lawlessness. LA District Attorney George Gascón is a prime example of this. Elected in 2020, his “new approach” to criminal justice included no juveniles tried as adults, no cash bail except violent felonies, and no death sentences. Moreover, he did away with sentencing enhancements.
Combined with a $150 million cut to the LAPD budget last year, and the result has been a complete breakdown in law and order in the city. Last year, for example, leaked audio showed an inmate planning to attack a police officer in LA County during a prison transfer so that he could be resentenced under Gascon’s more lenient directives.
The effort to recall Gascón (led by Desiree Andrade, the mother of a young man brutally murdered whose killers received lenient sentences under his policies) is on the cusp of having enough votes to put it on the ballot before the July deadline. Conversely, Los Angeles Sherriff Alex Villenueva – a tough-on-crime Democrat who once called out Gascón for living in a “woke palace” and has pushed for clearing out homeless encampments – appears on track to win re-election, with BPS polling showing that 55% of Latino voters in Los Angeles have a favorable opinion of him compared to only 24% who have an unfavorable opinion.
San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin is already on the ballot for recall on June 7, and the outlook for him is grim indeed. One poll found that 68% percent of likely San Francisco voters say they will vote to recall him – including 64% of Democrats. As DA, Boudin has refused to prosecute many crimes, ended cash bail, and expressed open hostility toward law enforcement.
Digging into the data behind these recalls and other ideological trends among California voters shows an alarming trend for progressives, who are losing support with the very groups they proclaim their policies will help the most. According to a recent April 2022 California Community Poll, for example, 63% of Latinos and 58% of African Americans are dissatisfied with crime and public safety in their area – more than any other demographic –an 18 point and 15 point jump from February 2020, respectively. This shift alone clashes with the notion of “systemic racism” that radical progressives cite as reason for their soft on crime policies.
Given that California has had a Democrat supermajority since 2011, a quick, full-fledged red flip seems unlikely. But history suggests a turnaround is not impossible. In his book “San Fransicko,” Michael Shellenberger (once a Democrat who is now running as an Independent against Governor Gavin Newsom) writes: “the chaos, political radicalism, and rising crime in the late 1960s provoked a desire among all races and both political parties for greater law and order.” In 1976, beginning with the Uniform Determinate Sentencing Act, then throughout 1980s and 90s, “voters, policy makers, judges, and prosecutors pursued steeper charges and longer sentences.”
The first part of that equation is undoubtedly already in place in California now. And seeing as today’s Democratic Party is dominated by uncompromising radicals completely devoted to rigid partisan ideology, the prospect for reform seems remote. Given those two conditions, the opportunity may be ripe for more moderate Democrats and Republican challengers to channel voter frustrations into some real and much-needed changes in the cradle of American progressivism.
Claire Brighn is the pen name of a conservative researcher and writer with previous domestic and foreign policy experience in the Executive Branch.
Not all Californians are wacko liberals. There are plenty of conservative people here ( including myself) who disagree with the Governor, legislature, and everything else that the democrats propose. The trouble is that we’re outnumbered, so unless a lot of liberals wake up & switch allegiance, we’re doomed. I didn’t want to move here 35 years ago and have watched things deteriorate since then. I no longer have hope for conditions to improve.
I took my tax money and my vote to Texas. California has become a third world country.
Just before the Newsome recall vote, a druggy was arrested with multiple ballots. That story disappeared and Newsome beat the recall. I believe voter fraud is rampant in California so progressives can’t lose.
Hollywood is too strong. California has been and is done.
Yeah, if they can’t get rid of that governor, I doubt if they can get rid of the progressives.
California was once the true Golden state. It was safe, clean, well run. The diversity of the state in it’s forests, mountains, clean beaches…kids could spend the day in the still unspoiled foothills surrounding Encino and the valleys, and not worry about crazies….it was home.
But that was in the 50’s. When the 60’s hit it started the downhill slide and the final insult? The demorats came in like cockroaches and left their filth on every thing. Forests were left untended thanks to the long haired self proclaimed hippie freaks, fires became the norm, crime rose like a meteor…California the once Golden state was turned into a neglected garbage dump. Tho’ possibly the biggest garbage dump is Hollywood. Long live California, the once and beautiful Golden State, glad I got to know you back when….
I am not positive a change in California politics will occur. Most of my friends who vote Democratic are more tied to ideology than logic and results. California needs a viable two party system where ideas are exchanged and negotiated. I changed my voter political affiliation to no party. We used to enjoy driving to San Francisco to enjoy the opera or the city’s ambiance. That has all changed. San Francisco is not safe. Crime has increased tremendously. Human feces and needles are found on the sidewalk. Your car is subject to a break-in wherever you park. The homeless and mentally ill are in many locations. Los Angeles is no longer safe either for many of the same reasons. Sacramento is also changing with more crime and shootings. I sincerely hope a change will happen in California but I am not holding my breath. The country needs to focus on 2 parent families and a return to religious traditions.
Democrats have a two-to-one registration advantage over Republicans. The leaky borders have ensured further dilution of the power of conservative voting. It will likely require some major catastrophe to shake these liberal birds out of their trees. Does this writer live high in the mountains of anywhere but CA?
sounds like an election year “click” story.
Vote for Brian Dahle for governor!
Voting 6-7 , ready 2 send out ballott
Do not hold your breath. CA has lost many, many voters who would have ousted the bad guys and they are now elsewhere.
It would be nice if they would kick the socialist government out.
The only way Cali. will ever change is if it breaks off and sinks ,,,sad but true ,,,
I would like to think they’ve come to their senses but I doubt it. They’ve never been known for their high intelligence.
You reap what you sow. The people of California have inflicted on the rest of us some of the worse political (so called) leaders. Time to smarten up and cut the PC and socialist crap.
Wonderful tools, Polls……easily manipulated, hard to assess, useless for the most part. The proof will be the way the people of Calif. vote and respond to the next round of progressive offerings. Most of these folks are clueless and many just don’t care, unless their own little corner of the world is being rattled. It’s like earthquakes…..unless it is happening to YOU, so what. Perhaps enough will be enough and the citizens of Calif. will wake up, rise up, and stop putting up with their leadership and it’s bad acts and policies. But I won’t be holding my breath on this……too far gone as far as I am concerned. By the way…if you live there, and are a liberal, stay there! Take your hits like a man.
Yippie , now flush and wash your hands .
It would be nice to believe that Californians finally got wise, but even if they did, I doubt that there will be much change.
Even putting rigged elections aside, coastal cali voters are, to be blunt, idiots. They had their chance to be rid of newsome with a recall vote in September of 2021. They elected not to recall him. Trafalgar polling, probably the most accurate pollsters in the U.S., indicated that he would not be recalled in several polls leading up to the vote. In cali’s case, can’t blame rigged elections when the state has so many “cut off their nose to spite their face” voters. There are quite a few “red areas” in cali; unfortunately the blue voting dimwits in the population centers crush any type of statewide red wave.
Oh LORD, let it be so but sadly I am not optimistic.
My internal polls indicate this is the year i join the pga and play in the majors. I can already visualize winning one …or more.
Everyone knows that Gavin Newsom is being groomed for president. He is a “pretty boy” so he will get elected because leftist people are very stupid. I am a Republican living in California (born and raised) and am not proud of it. My career was in Silicon Valley so had to sort of hide my political views to avoid getting fired. It was not fun. I have seen this state go downhill over the years. There are not enough of us to beat the left wing. Most of the conservatives have moved out of the state.
Doesn’t matter how bad conditions are a Democrat will always vote for a Democrat, it’s an affliction called stupidity, you can’t reason with them and facts don’t matter.
Seriously???? Did hell freeze over? … because nobody told’ me’.
The democrats are so dumb that they think that guns jump off the wall and load there self and go kill somebody.Punish people for killing other people and most crimes will stop. You can’t tell a person that just killed people that is wrong if you don’t show them. Death for a death.
I think that this is too little too late. California already has so many homeless people, so many illegals and so many violent criminals, it will be very hard to fix now. Unfortunately, the current state of California is causing way too many of you to bail out and then infect other better run states with the same liberal nonsense that ruined your state. You can flee, but please respect our nice, safe gun owning Red States and stop trying to turn us into what you fled from. Californians remind me of Muslims who flee here to escape the brutality of Sharia Law and then want Sharia Law here. Why flee and then recreate what you just left?
The democrats have quite a hold on California. They may arrange to keep it. Or the voters may finally say enough. I hope it is true.
IT is no longer California it has been Commiefornia for some time now. They will not stand up for themselves why should I expect any difference now. I PROPOSE A BAN ON ALL OF THEIR RODUCTS.
AMAC – – Excellent articles, fantastic writers, thank you all !
Since it’s legal to print your own ballet in CA there will always be widespread cheating. I’m pretty sure that Gaven Newsom did not fairly win the recall election. Conservatives running for any office in CA don’t stand a chance.
No chance unless the elections are honest and the progressives controlling that state will insure they are not honest. Progressives are dedicated to the ends justifying the means. They will do anything necessary to get or retain political power.
Californians are way too stupid to ever figure out that the democrats are only about putting money in politicians pockets. every promise democrat politicians makes will always be broken.
The stupid Californians are so ridiculously dumb they even move out of California because it becomes unbearable and then vote democrat anyway.
The fact is anyone voting democrat is a fool
An earthquake making the San Andreas Fault line the new West Coast would expedite California’s becoming part of the U.S. again. I’m not advocating deaths, just shake up the Left Coast attitude a bit. Progressives can evacuate to Oregon.
Polls mean nothing. If there’s anything I learned from the 2020 elections, the Left will cheat to the max if that’s what it will take for them to retain power. Until there is a “purging” of these corrupt Democrats from office, California will remain in its clutches.
This would be great news IF it actually happens. Hopefully, NY State will have a similar awakening.
I won’t matter if they get a recall…..last year they had the recall numbers and got an election and the imbecilic morons again voted to keep Gavin, the governor. So, if they get a recall on this D.A., the same stupid people will again keep him in office. Too many stupids out there in Califormexico and it is a proven fact that you cannot fix stupid. Unfortunately, they are moving out of Califormexico in record numbers…a state that they have voted for these communists for years, and coming to my state of Texas. Hopefully, they will leave their progressive left winged votes in Califormexico since their voting records have destroyed Califormexico….I would hate for them to do the same in Texas and Florida.
Those who are fed up with the communist state of California are moving out and that makes the liberals happy. They only want people who agree with them and will vote for them.
I agree
What the polls say doesn’t mean it will happen. The voter fraud machine is still alive and well in CA. Gruesome Newscum defeated his recall by a 2 to 1 margin. Never before in CA was there ever such a wide margin for any vote. Defeat the fraud machine and then, maybe, there will be a chance. Most people know their vote is meaningless. Those who can are leaving this state.
First, I stopped believing in polls when Trump got elected. Every single poll indicated he’d lose, which, of course, he did not. Second, until voter fraud is eliminated (Dominion machines, mail-in ballots, etc.), I don’t see how in the world things will change, especially in California.
We will see it when we believe it. California will have submit to a collective cranial rectumectomy before it ever slips to the right