The fact that life in California is downright inhospitable for many millions of its residents is a huge problem for the Democratic elected leaders who dominate local and state governance. How can they deal with the reality that they’re firmly in charge at a time when the Golden State has emerged as the epicenter of U.S. poverty? This isn’t a tendentious Fox News talking point. As liberal Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton wrote this week about the state’s failure to respond to fundamental challenges, “Any resident who’s conscious should be alarmed.”
Here’s how many state politicians deal with it: by seeking out scapegoats. This is why Gov. Gavin Newsom blames oil company “gouging” for California having the highest gasoline prices outside of Hawaii — even though costly mandates requiring that only specially formulated gasoline be sold in-state are clearly the main factor. It’s why Newsom engages in character assassination against the USC policy wonk who pointed out these mandates and the state’s push to phase out internal-combustion-powered vehicles could soon lead to gas costing a staggering $8.40 or more a gallon.
A case can be made that we are now seeing this tactic in San Diego, where City Council with strong from local unions are preparing to mandate a $25 hourly wage be paid to many of the workers in the visitor industry. That this will be popular with all the households it benefits is beyond dispute.
But that shouldn’t be the only consideration. Here’s what else matters: The 45% hike in the city’s current citywide minimum wage of $17.25 an hour would be a body blow to many employers — and the ongoing trash fee debacle shows no one should trust City Hall to be competent in crafting and executing any major policy.
Such concerns matter little to the proposal’s leading advocate. In his recent U-T essay, besides scorning “corporations [that] suck profit out of our city,” Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera wrote the following: “These workers power a multibillion-dollar tourism industry. And yet, many of them are living in poverty. Let that sink in.”
Huh? These allegedly evil corporations are not remotely responsible for what economists call the overwhelming driver of poverty in California: the extreme cost of housing. What is driving this cost? Veteran columnists like Skelton and Dan Walters, think tanks and academics all cite the ability of environmental groups and construction unions — both powerful Democratic allies — to use poorly crafted state laws to block desperately needed housing developments that they don’t like. Reflecting their reflexive opposition to growth, greens also block efforts to make it much easier to rezone land and make building much cheaper.
But will Elo-Rivera be honest about the fact that it’s his party that bears much of the blame for the fact that millions of Californians “are left struggling to survive,” as he said in February? Don’t count on it. Until voters figure out that incumbent officeholders are responsible for state dysfunction — not those they clumsily seek to scapegoat — nothing will change. Being re-elected means never having to say you’re sorry.
