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To observe that California faces some serious problems is to engage in some serious understatement. The once-Golden State has the nation’s highest homeless population, the highest percentage of residents on welfare, the highest population of illegal aliens, and some of the highest taxes and highest prices on everything from real estate to gasoline. California also has a Democrat majority in the state legislature, and almost all of the major urban jurisdictions are run by Democrats.

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If you think that’s a coincidence, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

On Thursday, the California Assembly Republican minority leader, James Gallagher, sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, looking to work together on some solutions:

The letter states in part:

California is grappling with a variety of problems, including devastating wildfires, an escalating housing crisis, rising crime, and unaffordable energy and gas prices. Additionally, there is a critical need to ensure swift accountability for criminals throughout the state.

These issues require federal support, and I firmly believe that working together is the best way to deliver meaningful solutions for Californians. While Governor Gavin Newsom wants to “Trump-proof” California; Legislative Republicans want to partner with you to pursue real solutions. We have been fighting tirelessly to fix California, but we need your support. Californians deserve real progress, not political showdowns that ultimately cost taxpayers and distract from the urgent needs of our state and nation.

I respectfully ask for your assistance in addressing these problems and supporting Californians who are looking for common-sense solutions. Your partnership in these efforts will make a real difference to families, communities, and businesses across California that have been struggling under the weight of these challenges.

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While California’s problems are considerable (and shared in other Democrat-dominated jurisdictions) and while we sympathize with Mr. Gallagher’s frustration with Sacramento, in many of these problems the federal government is constitutionally limited in what action it can take. Most of the issues cited, except for illegal immigration, are state or municipal-level matters.

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Mr. Gallagher does not name any specific actions he wishes the incoming Trump administration to take, but those are details that would have to be hammered out after January.

Any permanent, long-term fixes for the issues vexing California will have to come from Californians, in the end. It’s important to note that California wasn’t always a bastion of “progressive” policy; in presidential elections, the Golden State voted for Ronald Reagan twice, in 1980 and 1984 – that’s after Reagan served two terms as California’s governor. California likewise voted for Reagan’s successor, George H.W. Bush in 1988 – the last time that state’s electoral votes went to a Republican.

There are, though, plenty of conservative Californians, who are fighting to turn their state around. Many of them are my friends and my RedState colleagues. I admire their pluck and determination in working to set things to rights in their home state. And if California is going to change course, to get back on a road towards fiscal and political sanity, it will be in large part because of their efforts. 

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That, not Washington, is what will finally fix California.