Orange County Register- November 14, 2025
A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California indicates that 60% of Californians distrust their state government to some degree. Even worse, 65% of Californians say Sacramento is run by special interests that prioritize the few at the expense of everyone else.
Californians are losing trust because our state government is failing on affordability, safety, and accountability.
These poll results come as no surprise. For too long, Sacramento’s one-party rule has tipped the balance of power so far to the left that the consequences are painfully clear. While the Governor is so quick to point out that California boasts the fourth largest economy in the world, the lived reality for most Californians tells a different story.
California ranks #36 in math proficiency, has the 2nd highest cost of living, the nation’s highest unemployment rate, 2nd highest utility rates, ranks 46th in auto insurance affordability, and nearly a quarter of the nation’s homeless population lives in California.
And while California’s steady population decline is finally slowing, we are on pace to lose up to four Congressional seats following the next decennial census.
When the California Legislature proposed over $16B in new taxes in 2025, it proved to me just how out of touch some of my colleagues really are. I hear from my constituents every day about the cost of living in California and the pressures it places on family and small business budgets.
By almost every meaningful measure, California’s quality of life is slipping, and families feel it every day. It is time for the Legislature to reset its priorities, focus on the real work of governing, and deliver tangible results for the people we serve. Californians deserve more than platitudes and empty promises.
I’ve heard from business owners frustrated that California’s unemployment payroll taxes are increasing again- at the same time that the EDD lost over $32 billion to fraud, much of it going overseas.
I’ve heard from seniors that can’t understand why their utility rates continue to rise, despite cutting their home energy usage.
Meanwhile in Sacramento, many common-sense measures meant to ease the affordability crisis or build on our recent public safety successes are unceremoniously killed with little debate on the merits. AB 99, my bill to keep utility rates from increasing beyond the rate of inflation died in committee. Another bill, AB 81 to address the female veteran suicide epidemic, was vetoed by the Governor earlier this fall. Last session, my bill to curb the prostitution problem in Stanton was killed without a vote, disenfranchising an entire city’s real solution to its most urgent public safety challenge.
If there is good news in any of this, it’s that the people still have a voice. Two of my bills recently signed into law came from my constituents that identified a real problem and presented a real solution to make their lives better. AB 88 ensures that California dependents of military personnel stationed overseas are eligible for California financial aid instead of being penalized but for their parent’s work abroad in service to our country.
AB 951 improves the quality of life for those with developmental disabilities and their families by removing the burdensome requirement to regularly re-diagnose a lifelong condition. For families with loved ones with intellectual disability, AB 951 ends a costly and exhausting process.
California’s challenges are very real and complex. But complexity is not an excuse for failing to deliver on public safety, affordability, homelessness, and accountability in state government.
When the balance of power shifts back toward the middle, I am confident Californians will start to see meaningful change in their everyday lives. Until then, I will keep fighting to ensure that the priorities of my district guide my work in Sacramento.
It’s time for Sacramento to stop making excuses for poor performance. We need leaders in both parties to work together, put aside political differences, and focus on results. California deserves leadership that is laser focused on tackling every one of these problems head on with conviction and moral clarity.
Link: https://www.ocregister.com/2025/11/14/californians-have-rightly-lost-trust-in-california-government/