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THE STATE OF THINGS - “Incompetence, in the limit, is indistinguishable from sabotage.” – Elon Musk. Are they using DEI to disguise deliberate sabotage as incompetence or stupidity? Diversity has no inherent value; there is only value in merit, achievement, and earning it. While "genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped." — Elbert Hubbard.
I have never seen a Governor express such glee at making public policy that causes so much pain, contributes to foreseeable-preventable disasters, and takes such pride in diminishing human flourishing. Gavin, the good hair is aided and abetted by legions of politicians, administrators, and bureaucrats who are only too anxious to comply and make rules that make life harder and more expensive.
California is a failed state. It is functionally bankrupt, although rating agencies like Standard and Poor's and Moody’s have yet to realize it; it will be too late once they do. This situation has been entirely caused by the misguided priorities of California's State Legislature, the Governor, and local Governments run by activists who only know how to tax, impose red tape, and bureaucratic obstruction. This has become an art form of unidentified bureaucratic terrorism, along with their instinctual position of anti-citizen policies.
Our state has spent over $24 billion in the last five years on housing the “homeless.” Yet, it has no system to analyze and collect data on how the money was spent, what the outcomes are, and whether they have positively, or negatively impacted issues related to homelessness, drug addiction, or mental illness. Furthermore, the deficit for the period from 2022 to 2024 is estimated to be between $68 and $73 billion, with an additional $2 billion in red ink projected for 2025. There is no clearer evidence of California being a failed state than this budget deficit and the mass migration of large and small businesses and families leaving. Don’t forget the emblem of failure, the California Bullet Train, which has no trains, $11 billion spent in nine years for 1,600 feet of railroad bed in the middle of nowhere.
I understand (gasp) that President Trump has an enormous task to tackle regarding the federal government’s incompetence, malfeasance, mismanagement, and weaponization of the Executive Branch over the past 20 years, including during his first term as president. However, the Executive Branch in Sacramento and the State Legislature transform every terrible idea (see Scott Wiener) into law and, along with the Mayor of Los Angeles, the City Council, and the Board of Supervisors, have acted so horrendously that Trump should declare Martial Law, remove these worthless politicians from their positions of power.
Most of California’s elected officials have engaged in insurrectional behavior with their Sanctuary City Laws and interfered with interstate commerce through their absurd restrictions on carbon and devices and machines that use hydrocarbons. The Federal Government should appoint special masters to address the people’s business. This includes ensuring we have adequate and reliable electricity, fuel prices comparable to those in other states, affordable housing, decent roads, taxes that don’t border on extortion, crime that is no worse than the national average, and an adequate water supply.
Water is essential, and its limitations and costs imposed by California contribute to the continuing immolation of the state. Aided and abetted by the drug-addicted-mentally ill crowd that would rather camp and run wild than seek treatment or shelter.
Newsom has been diverting billions of gallons of fresh water, reportedly for a fish that does not exist, while arguing with President Trump about environmental issues and sensible water policies. Governor Newsom notably goes out of his way to validate President Trump's criticisms. This situation is so outrageous that no mainstream newspapers or broadcasters are willing to cover this latest punch in the mouth to common sense and responsible management of our land and water. Gavin, known for his good hair but poor management of the state, plans to spend $500 million dismantling critical dams on the Eel River in Mendocino County.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) owns and manages the dams that comprise the Potter Valley Project (PVP). This century-old project has been providing water to 600,000 residents in Northern California. The area where these dams are situated is among the most fire-prone and drought-affected in the state, so dismantling them would put the lives of 600,000 individuals from Novato to Potter Valley at risk.
In 2014, when Governor Brown was in office, voters in this state passed Proposition 1, officially known as the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. This proposition authorized $7.5 billion in General Obligation Bonds to fund water supply, infrastructure, watershed protection, and restoration within the state. Eleven years later, approximately $2 billion of this funding from the proposition has been spent, with around another $875 million allocated to other water projects.
This is a perfect opportunity to utilize Proposition One funds to preserve these two dams. PG&E asserts that these dams are unprofitable. Nevertheless, the fact that they produce hydroelectric, clean, and renewable energy, along with supplying invaluable water to 600,000 residents, underscores why these dams should be preserved. Perhaps a more effective operator could implement sufficient improvements to keep this project viable and profitable. We all know that PG&E has struggled with the electrical power lines in Northern California and has incurred the highest fines of any utility in the state, including the largest.
These two dams are significant because they have broken the cycle of flooding for communities along the Eel and Russian Rivers. They are also vital in late summer, supporting wildlife in areas where other water sources, like streams and brooks, typically dry up. This makes them essential watering holes for wildlife. Not only does the demolition of these two dams threaten wildlife, but Mendocino County's drought resilience plan presents a dire picture of the county’s ability to withstand a prolonged drought without them. During late summer, most groundwater, brooks, streams, and other alternatives dry up, which means that without diverting water from nearby counties, this region will face water deprivation.
An uproar was made about the Santa Yenz Dam in Pacific Palisades being empty during fire season due to a cover repair that presumably started over a year ago. Over 100 million gallons of water went missing during the fire, hindering efforts to combat the flames properly. This contributed in part to the largest natural disaster in U.S. history, now totaling approximately $500 billion. And now we find out that another essential large reservoir in another upscale neighborhood is bone dry as well. What's going on with that?
The 360-million-gallon reservoir in the Palos Verdes Peninsula is empty. It was drained in 2009 due to a cover issue similar to that of the Santa Ynez Dam. The dam was supposed to be returned to service in early 2017, but 16 years later, it remains empty. According to the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), refilling and repairing the dam have been priorities since 2010. It is mind-boggling that the MWD, which has a $2.25 billion budget and has been raising rates by 5% annually in 2023 and 2024, cannot find the funding or the skilled labor to repair the Palos Verdes Dam. MWD boasts that 35% of their employees are professionals, over 25% are skilled craft workers, and another 13% are technicians. If they can't get a dam repaired in 15 years, is that incompetence or criminal neglect?
California has 42 dams where the state has restricted storage because of safety concerns, indicating they require repair. If these dams were fully operational, they could store an additional 170 billion gallons of water. “It’s crucial that we have the storage capacity to collect water during wet periods so that we have it available during droughts,” said Cindy Tuck, a deputy executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, representing over 450 public agencies.
In June 2024, Governor Newsom cut state funding for dam repairs despite having ample funds from the 2014 Proposition One water infrastructure measure. He apparently slashed the budget because he allocated all the money to homelessness and undocumented immigrants instead of essential infrastructure. California’s dams received a C- on their most recent infrastructure report card in 2019 from the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 2021, the state’s auditor stated, “The condition of some of the State’s potentially most hazardous dams remains a concern.” Dam safety inspectors have rated conditions at 133 of these dams as less than “satisfactory.”
Now, observe not just what they say but what they do. They are deliberately attempting to harm us by mismanaging the abundant water resources in California. All that will remain is parched earth, flammable vegetation, and millions of pounds of the dreaded carbon dioxide rising into our precious atmosphere because we are intentionally drying out the land. This creates the perfect conditions for a conflagration; we all witnessed the devastation of the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires. Gavin and his minions are obsessed with saving the planet. In doing so, they destroy the environment and are ruining one of the nicest places to live on the earth.
(Eliot Cohen has been on the Neighborhood Council, serves on the Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council, and is on the Board of Homeowners of Encino and was the president of HOME for over seven years. Eliot retired after a 35-year career on Wall Street. Eliot is a critic of the stinking thinking of the bureaucrats and politicians that run the County, the State, and the City. Eliot and his wife divide their time between L.A. and Baja Norte, Mexico.)
