CommentsLEANING RIGHT--It's not unusual for a politician to divert and diminish glaring problems so that he/she can avoid being the obvious perpetrator or enabler of said problems.
From the president on down, we have one politician after another blaming "others" for what should be confronted by those who elected him/her. And forget "the buck stops here" as the way to gain credibility among voters.
Arguably, we have ourselves to blame here in the Golden State...because anyone with the temerity to point out that the emperor has no clothes is dismissed as either the cause of our problems, or dismissed as a useless "whiner".
So, if one is a partisan Democrat, then is it too much to ask if we can get BETTER Democrats? Similarly, if one is a partisan Republican, then is it too much to ask if we can BETTER Republicans to restore California back into a two-state system with better checks and balances?
Of course, as anyone who's dealt with Sacramento and LA's housing, planning, infrastructure, and economic shortcomings, the concept of "checks and balances" is dismissed as purist, overly zealous, and quite outdated.
1) Case in point: Governor Newsom screams about climate change deniers while ignoring his inability to prevent the state's huge fires on HIS watch.
Can't we agree that climate change is a big issue, while agreeing that Newsom didn't secure the safety of those most affected by these fires? Similarly, can't we agree that--presuming that climate change is especially worsened by nations throughout the world, and outside of America's influence to stop them--preparing for the impacts of climate change is something we should have done YESTERDAY?
So is Governor Newsom addressing the problem, or is he just diverting the fact that HE has failed the state, and not any other entity who has no power or mandate to create better fire/first-responder infrastructure (the president, THOSE climate change deniers, or THOSE utilities, etc.)? Can we confront climate change AND listen to the environmental scientists who want to return to proven methods of reducing the powder kegs that are California's forest floors?
2) Similarly, President Trump need not be the only one to complain about water being allowed to run into the ocean, despite needing it more than ever during and between our horrible droughts...because Californians have been complaining for years about that. They really have.
Californians' water conservation, change in behaviors, and calls to restore our aquifers and ground water levels have been exemplary, but can Sacramento and local city/county governments do just as well? Is it any better at fixing the problem than to blame the agriculture and water supply tactics that helped make this state habitable from the ages-long desert it was until modern technology came along?
Rather than a few token studies and cute innovations that really don't fix the urgent problems of our water supply is Governor Newsom willing to confront the "faux-environmentalists" who are limiting our water supply and supporting over densification that makes climate change WORSE?
Or does Newsom have the guts, spine, and stones to remind Californians that dams, reservoirs, and water pipelines MADE this state into what it was, and that we need to create new inland urban centers and allow more water for Californians who settle inland for affordability and livability? You know, the projects supported by REAL environmentalists who aren't misanthropes?
3) California doesn't have enough electricity. Power blackouts and brownouts are too routine to ignore, and unless we want to make this reality the "new normal", we can blame COVID-19, climate change, people who use electricity (for their jobs, their communications, and their quality of life)...or we can create more electricity to keep up with current demand.
You like clean energy? I like clean energy! Who on earth doesn't like clean energy? Even oil/gas companies are investing in more clean energy!
But the "inconvenient truth" about energy policy is that "green energy" doesn't always cut it. As we transitioned to "green energy" our electrical grid became insufficient for Californians' needs.
Solar is great, but giving up first oil and even natural gas (which is arguably the cleanest form of carbon-based energy sources), while also giving up on nuclear power (France is virtually carbon-free in its energy needs because of it) may make a few uncompromising purists happy (and if you get to know them, they really DON'T like people much), but it's left us in the dark.
Literally.
If Governor Newsom knew what true leadership was, he'd have the guts to tell the uncompromising misanthropes among us that he was going to back up his statements of Green Energy's unfortunate (but OBVIOUS, dammit!) limitations with action.
Hence Governor Newsom's "order" (which is really more like a wish list) to ban the sales of gas vehicles by 2035 is a worthy goal, but otherwise a government fiat worthy more of derision than praise.
And, of course, it's another diversion to show that Governor Newsom is "green" rather than a sober, brave leader who will tell his constituents what they MUST hear rather than tell a few state/local oligarchs what they WANT to hear.
Democratic governors and other leaders in the Golden State USED TO have the foresight to create more water, electrical, and other infrastructure for the economic, environmental, and quality of life needs of their constituents. Ditto for Republican governors and other leaders.
But now it's much easier to blame those pointing out our problems rather than fixing the problems.
We need more water, we need more electricity, and we need REAL environmentalists willing to stand up to the faux-environmentalists who are both killing us with their zealotry, and killing us with what is (more likely than not) a host of financial and political conflicts of interest.
And if Democratic Governor Newsom doesn't have the leadership in his belly to confront and resolve our problems, and has only the ability to make public statements blaming "someone else", then perhaps California can vote in a BETTER Democrat to replace him. Or a Republican. Or an Independent. Whatever. Whoever.
But the problems aren't going away. And anyone reading this can go blame ME or any other volunteer raising the issue...but if or when that happens, it's to be reminded yet again:
The problems are NOT going away.
(CityWatch Columnist, Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father to two cherished children and a wonderful wife. He was termed out of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) twice after two stints as a Board member for 8-9 years and is also a Board member of the Westside Village Homeowners Association. He previously co-chaired the MVCC Outreach and Planning Committees, and currently is Co-Chair of the MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee. He was previously co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee, the grassroots Friends of the Green Line (which focused on a Green Line/LAX connection), and the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
