The excesses of our ruling class during the COVID pandemic will live in infamy—the lone paddleboarder arrested, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer banning seeds, authorities on the West Coast dictating that you could only stand on wet sand at the beach but not the dry, while officials on the East Coast said you could do whatever you wanted on the shore—just don’t enter the water.
The idiocy was off the charts.
You might not remember the exact name of the restaurant, but you probably remember one of the most viral stories that exposed the totalitarian fantasies of the pandemic zealots—most of them Democrats—and their utter hypocrisies. In Los Angeles (of course), they shut down Angela Marsden’s restaurant, the Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill—yet opened up a parking lot right outside her door and allowed a Hollywood film crew to cater their production staff.
They literally tried to crush a small business while bowing to the elite. For so many who were suffering at the time, her story became emblematic of the misery they wrought:
Watch this video, folks. Sound on. pic.twitter.com/Oo6LMdmE1p
— Spencer A. Klavan (@SpencerKlavan) December 4, 2020
I’m happy to report that the strong-willed Marsden and her restaurant have survived—but the pandemic wasn’t the only challenge she had to face, as authorities in the Golden State turned their backs on her time and time again, something I learned in several interviews with her:
A Failure of Leadership: Criminals, Homeless, and Big Labor Thrive While LA Businesses Are Crippled by Government
There’s a reason I’m bringing up these past pains. As I said, Marsden continues to fight—and serve excellent burgers—and on Tuesday night, the newest candidate for California governor, Steve Hilton, held a campaign rally at Pineapple which I attended. It was right smack in the middle of the outdoor area that soulless officials had shut down in 2020.
Not surprisingly, his message was excellent, but let’s first look at what Marsden had to say about what happened when progressive government ran amok. “The whole world built the little tent that could,” she marveled:
Thank you to the Pineapple Hill Saloon for hosting us tonight and sharing your message of freedom ☀️
— Steve Hilton For Governor (@SteveHiltonShow) April 23, 2025
It’s time for a California who SUPPORTS small business instead of shutting them down through ridiculous hypocritical mandates! pic.twitter.com/cRGwJSvvcK
It’s not an accident that newly announced candidate Hilton picked this venue for one of his first campaign events—after his earlier rally in Manhattan Beach where thousands of supporters showed up—because it’s emblematic of the failure of Golden State leaders to stick up for their residents and business owners but also highlights the strength and resolve of so many who are fighting against what has happened.
WOW! Over 2,000 people in Huntington Beach today!
— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) April 22, 2025
Thank you everyone who came out, let’s make California golden again ☀️ pic.twitter.com/3xPXa6irYW
I’ve seen many people comment, “forget California, those dumb-a** voters get what they deserve.” What they fail to understand is that what starts in the Golden State doesn’t stay in the Golden State—because it’s the number five economy in the world and the most populous state in the union, and infections that start here spread. The rot may emanate from Sacramento, but it ends up in Colorado and New Mexico and Arizona and Austin, Texas and then on to the rest. California must be turned around or the whole nation is in peril.
Turning Point co-founder and Salem Media talk show host Charlie Kirk agrees:
Thank you man I cannot tell you how proud I am to have your support.
— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) April 22, 2025
With your help we can and will save California and make this beautiful state truly Golden Again 👊@charliekirk11 pic.twitter.com/EkWVUudS72
Residents of red states can laugh off the foibles of the “idiot freaks” on the Left Coast, but they jest at their own peril: if it’s not stopped, it’s soon headed their way. Steve Hilton faces many obstacles in winning over this one-party state, but people like Angela Marsden have proven that there is still plenty of fight left in the Golden State. Most people don’t realize that there are millions of GOP voters in the once-vaunted paradise—it’s just that, unfortunately, we are outnumbered.
Hilton, Marsden and Kirk aren’t backing down, and nor should you. Trump didn’t take no for an answer, and now he’s back despite all conceivable odds.
There’s a lesson in that, and we should learn it.
Together, we'll make California Golden Again! ☀️https://t.co/rtySdYWe0x pic.twitter.com/tUB1FGos4v
— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) April 23, 2025
