The California Dream is fading. Democrats should stop resisting bipartisan solutions | Opinion

California has long served as a beacon of hope and opportunity. Now we are known for our historic problems - declining affordability, homelessness, and rising crime - that leave many wondering if the California Dream is still alive.

It’s not just us Republicans who see these problems. Long-time observers of state politics are increasingly pointing out that Democrat lawmakers have a direct responsibility for California trending toward a state of few “haves” and lots of “have nots.”

Despite decades of decline, we believe there is hope to turn things around. But our leaders must put aside polarizing politics and instead advance real solutions that put people over party. That’s where Republican lawmakers are focusing our efforts.

Attack affordability from the political middle

Affordability simply doesn’t exist in this state today. In one of California’s most notorious cities, San Francisco, an adult with one child and a minimum wage job would have to work 22 hours a day, seven days a week, to afford just basic living expenses in an average paying job. California’s poverty and homelessness are the highest in the nation and current policies fail to offer lasting solutions.

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The responsibility for today’s affordability crisis lies with one party. Democrat officials occupy all statewide elected posts and control both houses of the legislature. Meanwhile, the so-called “progressives” that have taken over the California Democrat Party largely abandoned any desire to collaboratively implement solutions to our shared issues.

They’ve instead spent the last few decades eroding and undoing laws that protect public safety, stimulate economic growth, and ensure public services reach those in need. They’ve imposed taxes and fees that drive up the price of everything from gas at the pump to coffee in the pot, they’ve spent public funds on failed social experiments, and they’ve put party platforms ahead of the public good.

If Democrats were willing to reach across the aisle to find common-ground solutions, rather than cater to their radical far left, we could make collaborative progress to make California once again an affordable place to live.

Make crime illegal again

On crime, Republicans warned that the “progressive” Proposition 47 would devastate our small businesses by essentially decriminalizing smash-and-grab robberies and organized theft rings. The proposition made it a misdemeanor to steal less than $950 of merchandise each and every day.

Since its passing, we’re facing a crime wave unseen since the 1980s. Seeing the error of their ways, some Democrats have joined forces to support a new ballot measure to roll back Prop. 47’s failed policies and make crime illegal again.

If California elected officials can make crime illegal again and pass measures that punish felons when they smash main street windows or peddle fentanyl in our schools. If we can come together for the common sense goal of fixing the homeless crisis. If we can stop driving employers from the state, leaving workers hungry for jobs that no longer exist.

If California’s leaders can do these things, there is not just a glimmer of hope, but an absolute certainty of a future rich with opportunities for everyone to achieve the California Dream.

Homelessness: Democrats now borrow our strategy

Recently, as Democrat experiments continue to crumble under the weight of social and economic realities, some of the common sense alternatives we’ve proposed have gotten a second look.

For years Republicans advocated to compassionately clear encampments, deliver services, and lift homeless Californians off our streets. Instead, Governor Newsom opted for ill-conceived approaches leading to $27 billion in wasted tax dollars.

Recently, however, Newsom has shifted course and issued an executive order to compassionately clear homeless encampments on state property. He’s even gone so far as to use the same verbiage that Republicans advanced all along and it’s not because he’s our biggest fan, it’s because it simply makes sense.

Of course, Democrat politicians aren’t saying out loud that these ideas are ripped straight from the pages of Republican policy proposals, but that’s just fine with us — we don’t need credit or headlines. We just want results for Californians.

We aim to help Californians fulfill their ambitions, achieve their goals, and enjoy the fruits of a California Dream that may have soured in recent years, but that still promises the same sweet sustenance it has throughout our history. With reasonable solutions and policies, we can fix California and return our state to glory.

Senator Brian W. Jones serves as the California Senate Minority Leader and represents the 40th Senate District which includes portions of the City and County of San Diego. Assemblyman James Gallagher serves as the California Assembly Republican Leader and represents the 3rd Assembly District which includes all or parts of Butte, Glenn, Placer, Sutter, Tehama, and Yuba counties.