\n<\/p>\n
Californians\u2019 quality of life has plummeted under Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s leadership. Utility rates have <\/span>increased<\/span><\/a> 39% over the past six years, and the Golden State heavily <\/span>imports<\/span><\/a> oil and gas from hostile nations like Brazil and Iraq. Yet, Governor Newsom is now seeking to fail up \u2014 planning to run for president in 2028. More importantly, though, it risks the spread of contagious, toxic ideas from California\u2019s policy laboratory to the entire country.<\/span><\/p>\n Newsom\u2019s low <\/span>approval rating<\/span><\/a>, a meager 44% among Californians, hasn\u2019t deterred his presidential aspirations. He gave this labyrinthine response in a <\/span>recent interview<\/span><\/a> when asked if he was running: \u201cYou gotta have a big enough why, right? You gotta meet the moment. You gotta have the humility and the confidence at the same time to think that you can add value that doesn\u2019t exist versus the lineup of other people.\u201d This word salad would make Kamala Harris proud. Newsom clearly covets the Oval Office, but isn\u2019t willing to say so yet.<\/span><\/p>\n Life with Newsom in charge is challenging. The governor\u2019s tenure has seen him trade affordability and human flourishing for a radical policy agenda. His policies have <\/span>begun to spread<\/span><\/a> to left-wing states. Cars, solar panels, and water are just some of Newsom\u2019s policy weapons of choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First, California\u2019s <\/span>Advanced Clean Cars II<\/span><\/a> Act, which would require 100% of vehicles purchased by 2035 to be electric vehicles (EVs), has been <\/span>adopted<\/span><\/a> by 12 other states. The EV example shows Newsom\u2019s nanny-state mentality and logical contradictions. He claims the <\/span>reason<\/span><\/a> we need EVs is \u201cbecause people want something differently,\u201d but is using government coercion to <\/span>force<\/span><\/a> people to buy EVs \u2014 meaning it\u2019s not really about what people want. According to Newsom, without EV mandates, America will be left in \u201cthe dust\u201d by China. Of course, that is totally backwards: EV mandates <\/span>harm<\/span><\/a> American automakers\u2019 competitiveness, only aiding Beijing. Already, some states are jumping ship and reversing Newsom\u2019s nonsensical lead: <\/span>Vermont<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Oregon<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Maryland<\/span><\/a> have stopped enforcing their EV mandates.<\/span><\/p>\n Second, California <\/span>requires<\/span><\/a> solar panel installations in all new nonresidential, multifamily, and single-family buildings with a few exceptions. All the while, electricity prices are astronomical due to solar power flooding the grid and regulations crippling baseload power. Since Newsom became governor, his <\/span>regulatory madness<\/span><\/a> has <\/span>caused<\/span><\/a> over 300 energy companies to stop operating in California, and the number of oil drilling permit submissions has <\/span>fallen<\/span><\/a> by 95%. Yet climate mandates have made California susceptible to energy insecurity with increased renewable energy curtailments. This occurs when excess power is \u201cthrown away\u201d to avoid overloading the system. The <\/span>California Independent System Operator<\/span><\/a> (CAISO), California\u2019s grid operator, <\/span>reports<\/span><\/a> that solar, one of the <\/span>least reliable<\/span><\/a> energy sources available, accounts for 93% of energy curtailments in 2024. Unsurprisingly, these mandates end up <\/span>poisoning<\/span><\/a> the electricity grid and raising power costs. No wonder California\u2019s energy prices <\/span>rank<\/span><\/a>\u00a049th out of 50 states.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, Californians are permanently urged to <\/span>ration<\/span><\/a> water and take very short showers. Why? Save water during droughts. However, the California water rationing only applies to urban areas and affects <\/span>10%<\/span><\/a> of California\u2019s annual water consumption. Forcing rationing on the masses just to virtue-signal is the definition of bad policy. According to the EPA, practical water conservation involves a <\/span>focus<\/span><\/a> on infrastructure, not arbitrary mandates.<\/span><\/p>\n Under the full Newsom plan, a Californian\u2019s daily routine could be as follows. After waking up, the Californian would eat breakfast \u2014 at a <\/span>far higher price<\/span><\/a> than the same meal would cost in another state. Then they would need to drive to work \u2014 but their state-mandated EV either <\/span>needs maintenance<\/span><\/a> or is <\/span>out of charge<\/span><\/a>. They can\u2019t go to work. So, they decide to stay home \u2014 in the sweltering heat. The air conditioning stays off at Newsom\u2019s <\/span>request<\/span><\/a>. At their children\u2019s school, the air conditioning <\/span>doesn\u2019t work or perhaps doesn\u2019t even exist<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Newsom says his opponents do not care about the environment and just want money. He recently <\/span>accused<\/span><\/a> President Trump of \u201cmaking deadly pollution great again.\u201d Yet, of course, Newsom has <\/span>no corporate interests<\/span><\/a>, and he simply wants the best for everyone. Sure.<\/span><\/p>\n If Newsom were to become president, he would do much of what he has already done in the Golden State: use his <\/span>facade of moderation<\/span><\/a> to foist <\/span>radical agendas<\/span><\/a> on the public. Under Newsom\u2019s tenure, each aspect of Californians\u2019 lives has been put under a microscope \u2014 micromanaged, then mismanaged. The results plainly speak for themselves. Rampant crime, the skyrocketing cost of living, and resource mismanagement plague the Golden State. Even liberal Californians are <\/span>leaving<\/span><\/a> in droves to escape Newsom\u2019s vision \u2014 the same vision he has for governing America.<\/span><\/p>\n Newsom wants to turn California\u2019s environmental policy laboratory into a national experiment. The experiment has failed, yet Newsom is not reconsidering his hypothesis. Instead, he wants to make the United States his new lab rat.<\/span><\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n