Former Monte Sereno Mayor Liz Lawler has voiced concerns regarding California's financial direction, asserting that the state's increasing taxation is jeopardizing the opportunity and prosperity that once made it attractive. In a recent commentary, Lawler suggested that Sacramento's "tax-and-spend tyranny" is enabled by voters who continue to endorse such policies.
Lawler characterized the current state administration's approach as reminiscent of "Mad King George III," describing state leadership as believing they "know better than anyone" without concern for the populace. She drew a sharp contrast between the California she experienced growing up and the state today. The earlier California, she said, offered the "California Dream" characterized by "sunshine, opportunity, and a home." In contrast, the current California presents what she termed a "nightmare of unfettered free handouts," citing examples such as "needles and cash to the homeless," and "free healthcare and house down payments to undocumented migrants." Lawler rhetorically asked, "who wouldn't want free stuff?"
According to Lawler, this shift towards extensive government handouts has pushed California "to the brink of fiscal insolvency." She likened the state's response to this financial precariousness to a monarch who would "Tax everything you own and then some," referring to current state leadership. Lawler indicated that Sacramento has been actively pursuing these taxation measures.
Despite these trends, Lawler noted that Governor Newsom appears to oppose a proposed "billionaire" tax. However, she observed that voters seem prepared to approve it. For Lawler, this indicates that the "tax-and-spend policies of CA Democrats are still popular," and that the public has not yet grown weary of what she described as "unfair taxation."
Lawler attributed this political landscape to a significant demographic change over the past few decades. She stated that the state's population and voting demographic have transformed from a "problem-solving pragmatic electorate" to an "ideological one feigning moral superiority." She contended that today's majority voter tends to favor government generosity, criticizes those who achieve success, and appears unconcerned with the state's schools.
This environment, where "ideology has trumped pragmatism, and divisiveness has replaced cooperation," creates a challenging scenario for moderate and more conservative-leaning candidates, Lawler explained. She described the task of reaching voters as "herculean" in a state where overcoming the perceived "stigma attached to being something 'other' than a Democrat" is difficult. Lawler questioned how much longer it would take for voters to express their discontent through political change, and who might emerge to lead such a movement. She concluded that the outcome of the November election, or possibly December, would reveal the state's future direction.