Several savvy Legal Insurrection readers noted that Californians who flee our progressive paradise have the nasty tendency to take their politics with them.
In light of the success business mogul and pugnacious political candidate Donald Trump has had in the GOP primary, Governor Jerry Brown may have stumbled upon a solution that should bring joy to many Americans.
Gov. Jerry Brown, mocking Donald Trump for his plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, suggested Monday that if the Republican frontrunner wins the election, California might have to take protective measures of its own.“If Trump were ever elected, we’d have to build a wall around California to defend ourselves from the rest of this country,” Brown told labor organizers at a dinner in Sacramento.
This idea may now have a lot more appeal to the citizens in our remaining 56 states, as the Golden State’s crime rate has spiked.
Preliminary data from the FBI offer discouraging news about crime trends in California’s largest cities. A number of cities—such as Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Riverside—reported increases in violent crime in 2015. The recently released FBI data also show that California cities are seeing property crime increases. These increases, particularly in property crime, are widespread and not trivial in magnitude. However, the data also show that cities in other states are also experiencing increases, especially in violent crime….Comparing January through June 2015 to the same months in 2014 reveals that many US cities included in the preliminary FBI data saw increases in crime. Of the 66 California cities in the data, 49 saw increases in violent crime and 48 experienced increases in property crimes. Many of these cities saw double digit percent increases—34 in violent crime and 24 in property crime.
The reason for the jump? California voters passed Proposition 47, after they were promised it would be a cost-saving measure that wouldn’t have a significant impact on crime.
What it actually achieved was reversing the successes associated with “three strikes” measures that had been in place.
The measure was approved at the ballot box in 2014 and downgraded many nonviolent offenses like property crimes and simple drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, part of an effort to reduce prison over-crowding in the state.But as the measure has been implemented, several police departments have reported a spike in shop-lifting and auto theft, among other crimes, and in part blame Prop 47.”In the past year and a half, we’ve seen an increase in theft-related crimes, including robbery, burglary, and identity theft,” said Sgt. Tasha Descosta, with the Hayward Police Department.
And if all this were not bad enough, just in time for Easter, the Democrats in Sacramento want to create a new tax…on candy.
[Assemblywoman Cristina] Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, has already introduced legislation to lift taxes on feminine hygiene products like tampons and pads, arguing the fees burden women who have little choice in making those purchases.In pushing for that bill, Garcia and allies have argued that California’s tax code already exempts many products, including yoga classes, farm equipment, medication – and candy. Now she wants to reimpose a sales tax on sweet treats and snack food.
Californians overwhelmingly voted to exempt candy and snack foods from sales tax by passing Proposition 163 in 1992, so Garcia’s measure is a constitutional amendment that would need to win a two-thirds vote in the Legislature and then be approved by voters.
Personally, I will be leading to charge against the measure if it should hit the ballot.
A Chinese firm recently purchased a number of American hotels, including the historic Hotel Del Coronado. Perhaps we can get the Chinese to send over a portion of the Great Wall in an exchange!
That might be one deal with China that Trump would approve very enthusiastically.
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