From Earl Warren to Ronald Reagan, California has had a strong, established place in American politics. A tradition of leading from the front has been emblematic of California’s political role, and complimented by the enormous economic output generated by the Golden State annually.
However, the current administration seems determined to marginalize California’s power and attack the values we hold dear. The result has been multiple attempts to dismantle our state’s improving healthcare system, politically-motivated targeting of immigrant communities in so-called ‘sanctuary cities’, and proposed tax reforms that directly target big states like California.
With the nation becoming increasingly more polarized, California and Californians—because of our policies and values—have undoubtedly become targets.
The House and Senate’s multiple attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and end Medicaid as we know it are aimed at eradicating the progress the ACA has made in California in enhancing access to quality healthcare by creating the Covered California insurance marketplace and extending Medi-Cal to many working class families.
California has seen dramatic increases in health coverage under the ACA, both through Covered California as well as the Medi-Cal expansion, helping to drop the rate of uninsured Californians to just 7% in only a few years.
Beyond repealing the ACA, the bills would’ve undoubtedly forced our state to scale back Medicaid benefits and reduce eligibility in order to save money.
Currently, nearly 14 million Californians depend on Medi-Cal coverage, and Trump’s direct attack on those Californians is an affront to the entire state. According to Mike Odeh, Director of Health Policy at Children Now, the Senate’s recently failed healthcare bill would’ve resulted in 539,000 Californian children losing insurance.
Additionally, President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have continued and intensified their crackdown on immigrant communities in California’s ‘sanctuary’ cities. California has led the resistance against the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies, serving as a bulwark against cruel Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and deportations that needlessly separate families because of changes in policy that determine who is a priority for deportation.
California law enforcement authorities have steadfastly maintained their commitment to defending all Californians, including our immigrant communities, by refusing to involve local police departments in the business of immigration enforcement, unless the person is a violent criminal.
The most recent and looming threat to California’s safety and stability is the ongoing legislative proposal to gut taxes for millionaires, billionaires, and big corporations. To pay for these radically exorbitant cuts for those who need it least, Congressional leaders are discussing offsetting these costs by eliminating key tax deductions, which are used by over 40 million taxpayers in high-tax states throughout the country to reduce their federal tax burden.
To add insult to injury, the House-sponsored Republican tax reform proposal would further attack one of the most popular deductions used by Californians and other states with highly valued real-estate markets—mortgage interest deductions.
Currently, Americans can deduct interest payments made on their first $1 million worth of home loans. Under the proposed new Republican tax code, they would only be able to do so on their first $500,000 worth of loans.
This directly affects high-value real estate markets like California by making it much more difficult for people to afford homes and house-related payments, an explicit attack on the American dream of homeownership.
The bill also prevents people from claiming deductions on local property taxes from their taxable income after $10,000. With California and other Democrat-governed states usually having larger state and local taxes rates, these are punitive federal measures against blue states.
Under the new bill, Americans would also no longer be able to deduct their medical expenses, property and casualty losses, moving expenses, or alimony payments. Tax credits for electric cars would also be eliminated. In short, Californians would undoubtedly see their expenses rise.
However, California has not been content to sit back and let Washington easily dictate terms. The fight to maintain and enhance our state’s political power has been spearheaded by a bipartisan team of local leaders, State Senators Henry Stern and Scott Wilk.
Despite living in the biggest, most dynamic, and highest producing state in America, Californians are essentially overlooked when it comes to Presidential nominees, in large part because our primary takes place so late in the process when the contest has all been decided.
Senate Bill 568, which both Senators Stern and Wilk advocated for, will move California’s primaries from June to March. This will enable California to have an early advantage in building momentum behind favorable presidential candidates, and have a much more prominent voice in electoral politics.
While moving our Presidential primary process earlier in the election cycle and ensuring California’s peace officers are focused on public safety are both tremendous steps to enhance our state’s power and combat this unrelenting assault on Californians, there is still much more we can do.
Make no mistake; California—along with its values, policies, and objectives—is under attack, and we must continue to vigorously fight back.