California, with an economy larger than every country but the United States, China and Germany, is the epicenter of artificial intelligence development. It’s also a basket case, deteriorating at a pace that cannot be ignored or denied in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
Democrat Xavier Becerra debated Republican Steve Hilton on Wednesday night at CNN’s studio in Burbank, outside Los Angeles. While the two candidates were technically debating each other, the most prominent name onstage wasn’t there and isn’t on the ballot.
President Donald Trump was repeatedly invoked by Becerra, who served as secretary of health and human services under President Joe Biden. Trump has endorsed Hilton, and Becerra used every opportunity to try to tie his opponent to the president, whose job approval rating in California sits at just 27 percent. Becerra accused Hilton of “promising Trump tax cuts,” referencing a proposal to eliminate state income tax on the first $150,000 people earn.
“All you ever say is ‘Trump, Trump, Trump,’” Hilton said. “And that’s nothing but an insult to every Californian who is desperate for something to change in this state.”
In this environment, in a state as blue as California, running against Trump works. According to the latest polling, Becerra holds a 25 point lead.
Bashing Trump may work as a campaigning tactic, but it does nothing to fix the state’s myriad problems. The president’s tariffs and Iran war have no doubt raised the cost of living, but a Democrat has led California since 2011. It is the state government levying the highest gas tax in the country, phasing out fracking and trying to put refineries out of business. Something, eventually, will need to change.
California is tied with Connecticut and Oregon for the country’s second-highest unemployment rate. The most populous state has the sixth-highest rate of homelessness and the highest unsheltered homelessness rate, at 63.5 percent. Excessive regulations and overly stringent environmental laws make construction difficult, which reduces supply and makes homes too costly for most Californians.
What happens in the coming years will have worldwide implications, as the AI revolution is shaped and shipped from the West Coast. The next governor will inherit big problems. Solutions need to be crafted in Sacramento, not D.C.
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