Written by Justin Culetu
After the 2020 Census results, California is set to lose a congressional seat for the first time in the state’s history.
This is because of the exodus of people and businesses that has been worsening for decades. Especially in the last decade, Californians have fled the Democrat stronghold due to excessive taxation, a growing homeless population, and a degrading quality of life in the state, among other things. Additionally, the overbearing COVID-19 restrictions only further amplified the exodus. Luckily for Republicans, the biggest beneficiaries of this are red states, which gained congressional seats this year.
For a whole year, California remained one of the most locked-down states in the country, with little results to show for it. On the other hand, Texas, which gained 2 congressional seats, was one of the first states to remove government mandated COVID restrictions, and actually saw a decline in cases. Florida, which also gained a congressional seat, had very few restrictions from the very beginning and continues to outperform California.
Meanwhile, Gov. Newsom’s lockdown kept children out of school, caused financial hardships for many families, and forced thousands of small businesses to permanently close down. Also, rather than prioritizing the people of California during a time of uncertainty, Gavin Newsom signed legislation allowing $600 stimulus checks to be handed to illegal immigrants.
In terms of taxes, California remains one of the highest capital gains taxing states in the country. And as a result, multiple tech companies and billionaires have moved their headquarters out of the state, leaving the economy in shambles.
Similarly, the quality of life in the state has been steadily declining. With a high homeless population that state officials struggle to solve, popular cities like San Francisco have seen their streets overrun with trash, feces, needles, and more; all disrupting the health and quality of life of the public. Crime has also been an increasing problem, with California ranking 36th overall in public safety.
Based on the Census results, it can be inferred that the leaders of the Golden State have become unfamiliar with the actual needs of their constituents. California has become the prime example of how a one-party ideology does not work in government, now they have lost congressional representation, and an electoral college vote, as a result.
