California is losing jobs—54,800 during the first three months of this year. Valero this month announced plans to close a major refinery, portending gasoline shortages and price spikes. Insurance and electricity rates are soaring.
Fifty-four percent of Californians say things in the state are generally going in the wrong direction, up 14 points from when Mr. Newsom became governor in January 2019. But by his telling, everything in the Golden State is going swimmingly, or was until Donald Trump started his tariff barrage.
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Filling up a Jeep will cost you $100. Charging a Tesla isn’t much cheaper since California’s electricity rates are double the rest of the country’s and continue to climb owing to Mr. Newsom’s reckless climate policies. Pacific Gas & Electric recently proposed another rate increase, following six last year. Nearly 1 in 5 households is behind on utility payments.
To afford a typical home in the state (median sale price $884,350), Californians need to earn nearly $200,000. Many are increasingly struggling to find work as employers lay off workers and move jobs to more business-friendly states like Texas.
Since January 2020, California has lost jobs in information (54,100), finance (62,200), professional and business services (49,100), leisure and hospitality (59,200) and manufacturing (70,200). While employment initially rebounded after the pandemic lockdowns, most industries have been losing jobs since summer 2022.
Not that Democrats in Sacramento care. They strive to set the pace for job-killing regulations. California has lost 33,400 jobs in “limited service” restaurants since Mr. Newsom signed a law in September 2023 establishing a $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast-food employees. Oh well. These aren’t “good” union jobs
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Mr. Trump’s election was a blessing in disguise for Democrats in Sacramento. The president provides a convenient scapegoat for the damage wrought by their own policies. Rising unemployment and prices? Not our fault. While Mr. Newsom may try to pass the buck, he surely realizes the state’s problems will be an albatross if he runs for president in 2028.
