Our Issues
Yes, California Has "Issues"
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But, at Spirit of California We Can Be Practical
Denial is a state of mind, not a political philosophy. California has issues. We all know we have issues. At Spirit of California we're optimists, we think we should confront our issues.
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Accepting reality is the first step towards finding workable solutions.
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Unless we confront our issues, we'll never fix our problems.
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We want to take a practical approach to politics. Too many PACs, too many activists, throw metaphorical mud at the metaphorical wall. They shout change, spend a few million dollars, and do nothing except make some noise. For generations, Californians have been thinking outside the box. We want to think outside the traditional political boxes. We don't want to make noise shouting change, we want to actually do practical things. (Other people can then make the noise shouting when they notice we've changed things.)
We want to practice what we call political triage. Think about the stereotypical noisy go-nowhere statement campaign in California. Someone raises three million dollars, spends a bunch on social media ads, makes some noise, then everything fizzles. Their intentions might be good, but their follow-through is non existent. Imagine thinking outside the box. Imagine looking at that three million dollars and actually thinking about how far you could make that money go in an election cycle. Imagine identifying three potentially tight Assembly races, recruiting high quality candidates with a good message and a solid platform, and supporting those candidates. Imagine supporting District Attorney candidates who want to prosecute crime and enforce the law. Imagine putting together candidate bootcamps to help first-time local candidates understand the process. We all love the local mom or dad who decides to run for school board, but how can an amateur with a dream take on an establishment candidate who may potentially be backed by big money special interests? (Well, the amateur can take on the establishment, if the amateur has help from some people who know the ropes, know how to get a website up and running, know how to file the paperwork, know how to put together a campaign platform, know how to strategically pick which doors to knock on.)
We want to focus on the potentially winnable races that too many people just ignore.
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The Spirit of California is about finding creative solutions and supporting the candidates who are willing to confront the issues. Yes, we're dreamers, but we're realists too. We want to take a realistic approach to the California political landscape. We're not here to make noise and protest, we're here to make plans and work.
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About Our Issues:
Homelessness:
27% of the United States' Homeless Live in California.
Roughly 11.7% of all Americans live in California. Roughly 27% of the United States' homeless population lives in California.
Education:
52% of Kids in the California Public K-12 System Can't Read at Grade Level.
As of 2022 roughly six million kids were enrolled in the California public K-12 system. Roughly three million kids are failing to meet basic standards. Compared to the nation as a whole, California's public K-12 schools now rank in the bottom 50%.
Crime:
As of 2023 California had the 3rd highest Vehicle Theft rates in the country.
Focusing on car theft may seem odd, but stats on car theft are usually the most up-to-date comparable crime stats available. Available comparable homicide stats by state are only up-to-date through 2021. Vehicle theft data is updated every 3 to 6 months by major car insurance companies. In March of 2024, Forbes Magazine assessed a number of different risk factors --arrests, property crimes, assaults, murders, etc.-- and put California on its list of the five "riskiest" states to live in in America.
Fentanyl & the "next Fentanyl":
In February of 2024 64 San Franciscans died as a result of Fentanyl overdoses.
Prior to 2013 Fentanyl was largely unknown outside of the medical community. Between 2016 & 2022 fentanyl overdose rates increased by over 1600% in Los Angeles County alone. The exponential increase in the rates of addiction, overdoses & deaths in barely a decade is a stark warning for the future. On average there will be at least two fentanyl related fatalities every day this year in San Francisco alone. The next generation of killer drugs are already hitting the streets. The first "Tranq" related deaths were reported in Santa Rosa in 2023.
Regulations:
California is one of the least business friendly states in the nation.
The myth of California entrepreneurship is still alive and well. But, in 2023, California didn't even make the top-ten list of business friendly states in Business News Daily. Since 2005 over half of the companies leaving California have gone to Texas. Business managers cite regulations, costs and quality of life issues when they explain why they leave California. We want to support sensible regulations that make people want to start and keep businesses in California.
Water:
California hasn't built a new reservoir with more than a million acre feet of capacity since the late 1970s.
California hasn't completed a major new reservoir project since the Lake Melones Reservoir Project which was begun in the 1960s and completed in 1979. In 1979 California had a population of just under 24 million people. According to the United States' Census the 2024 population of California is estimated to be just under 39 million people. In the past 45 years we've added fifteen million people to the population without building a major reservoir. The California lifestyle is unsustainable without investing in our water storage infrastructure.
Antisemitism:
Hate Crimes Surged by over 22% in California in 2022. In Los Angeles alone, specifically antisemitic hate crimes surged by 38% between 2022 and 2023.
Too few people are willing to overtly say this. We loudly, continually and overtly decry antisemitism. Antisemitism should be called out in every shape and form. The specific targeting of any individual, or group, on the basis of faith or ethnicity is antithetical to the Spirit of California. At the Spirit of California we oppose antisemitism in all forms. We have been deeply disturbed by the rise in overt displays of antisemitism since 2023 and we are thus making publicly OPPOSING antisemitism a major part of our mission. We support the First Amendment. We oppose antisemitism.
