Siyamak Khorrami at the Epoch Times: California Insider is giving these people a platform that is rarely offered by legacy media. Every legacy media outlet, progressive podcast, and entertainment channel give California Democrats and progressives multiple opportunities to have their voices heard. There are radio and television interviews where Newsom has been allowed to wax eloquent about his viewpoints, philosophy, and his version of governance. There are very few platforms that allow California conservatives, independents, and Republicans to do the same.

Khorrami did recent interviews with Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who is standing with the Victims of Violent Crime for the Recall of District Attorney Gascón.

Khorrami asked why a County’s law enforcement leader would align himself against the County’s district attorney.

“It’s real simple. In normal times you’re supposed to have a district attorney that represents the people. You have a public defender, an alternative public defender, their supposed to represent the defendant in any court proceeding. And between the two sides, that’s how justice is carried out on behalf of the people, and protecting the constitutional rights of the defendant. We have a district attorney who is acting also like a public defender, there’s no one left representing the people. I need to work in partnership with someone who is representing the people—I don’t have that right now.”

It has become clear in the last six months since Gascón took office, that he has no interest in being in partnership with anyone. Gascón has intimidated and threatened his own district attorneys if they do not fall in line with his Special Directives, and he has maligned the victims who he is forcing to re-live the horror of their loved ones violation or murder.

Villanueva gives concrete examples of why Gascón’s supposed “science” is merely bunk, and does nothing to maintain or improve the quality of life of the citizens or of the criminals.

“Eliminating the death penalty off the table. Eliminating gun enhancements, eliminating gang enhancements. Not entering prior strikes in a three strikes type case, not treating older juvenile offenders as adults when they commit murders—double murders, all these things. And then, quality of life issues, not addressing them at all, just giving a pass. Those things impact public safety. Had he campaigned and said, ‘I’m going to do that’, he wouldn’t have even gotten close, he would have lost in a landslide.”

Khorrami asked why other Los Angeles politicians and leaders, who offered support to Gascón, but have been silent since his true agenda has been revealed, do not speak out. Villanueva had his harshest criticism for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Governor Gavin Newsom, Vice President Kamala Harris, Mayor of Long Beach Robert Garcia, and others who gave full-throated support to Gascón’s candidacy.

“I think the majority of politicians in L.A. will never give you an honest answer on that, because they’re afraid they might offend somebody—the WOKE crowd. They’re afraid of people with bullhorns on the street, yelling and not listening to what’s the right thing or the wrong thing to do. Most of the decision making is based on how they perceive it impacts their election, not what is the right thing or the wrong thing to do.”

Former San Francisco Board of Supervisor and mayoral candidate Tony Hall had similar words and thoughts about politicians, and how they have ruined the once grand city of San Francisco.

“It’s deteriorated in the last 40 years because it’s been mismanaged. Because of its politics. It’s caused problems up there that occurred long before the rest of the state.”

Hall discussed with Khorrami the role and political influence that San Francisco has had, not only on the State, but the rest of the nation.

The second and third in line for the presidency are both San Francisco politicians. That should give everyone pause.

Hall outlined how somewhere in the late 1960s, the policies that governed the city shifted:

“The policies that have run that city have been almost the exact opposite of what they should have been. It’s not to the advantage of the average person living there, it’s to the detriment of the average person living there.”

The policies became “a matter of political philosophy”. Since the late 1960s, progressive Democrats have held elected office in San Francisco, pushed social programs, and staffed their offices accordingly with people who could maintain those programs. An overabundance of civil servants who run policy, rather than elected officials who answer to the people.

Hall pointed to the result of this form of dysfunctional governance; results which first showed up in San Francisco, but are now rampant throughout the State.

• Homelessness.
• Exodus of the middle class.
• Extreme wealth vs. Extreme poverty.
• Native San Franciscans/Californians leaving the state.
• Tourism dwindling down to practically nothing.

The 2020 pandemic helped to drive more nails in that last coffin.

Hall also had nothing good to say about the current crop of elected officials.

“The average politician in California today is a con artist”, he said.

“Some of these guys that are in office, they couldn’t make a living on their own. They’re con artist. They’re just telling the people what they want to hear.”

What the politicians think people want to hear is that more money will be thrown out for the “homeless crisis”. A crisis that money has not only not solved, but seems to have worsened. Currently, we spend $74,000 a person on homelessness. The only people who have been helped are the directors of these so-called homeless outreach initiatives.

“A vacuum’s been created in California in the political arena, and all these clowns have jumped in and capitalized on it. They come up with programs where you can fool the majority of the people.”

[…]

“We’ve elected people who don’t have the ability to govern. These people are interested in their career, they’re not interested in providing the best for the people they represent.  They’re only interested in exploiting. That’s what’s happening now. So if we don’t wake up, I don’t see a future here.”

L.A. County Sheriff Villanueva also pointed out this malfeasance on the part of politicians, particularly in the area of the homeless crisis.

“We are enabling and condoning deviant behavior. And it’s only getting worse. What used to be considered deviant now is becoming normalized,” Villanueva said.

“The climate is getting so bad that we are losing control of some of the basic functions of a civil society. And that is a cold, calculated decision from people who are in charge, or supposed to be in charge, who decided that the best course of action was to not do anything.

“But they’re going to do a study, they’re going to do a plan, they’re going to hire consultants, get this blue-ribbon commission, and they’ll report on that in a year. Preferably after the election is over. And the problem is just going to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger.”

The problem has reached boiling point in Venice Beach in Southern California, which used to be a hot tourist destination, but is overrun by homelessness, and the disease and crime that come with it. On Monday, Los Angeles mayoral candidate and City Councilman Joe Buscaino was almost stabbed by a homeless person at his campaign launch in Venice.

A visit to Venice could result in getting stabbed, imagine what it is like living here @DavidSacks @GloriaJRomero @johnandkenshow @LarryOConnor @drdrew @ShellenbergerMD @BoardwalkVenice @LawrenceBJones3 @EmilyTVproducer https://t.co/Q7Iti8tiTE

— Soledad Ursua (@SoledadUrsua) June 7, 2021

“It’s like a third world country; the people in charge, don’t seem to care,” Villanueva sadly opined.

Like Villanueva and Hall, those who are fighting back still hold out hope that the State can be turned around, and that our actions and voice will make a difference in seeing that occur.

“We have to get back to honesty, we have to get back to truthfulness, Hall said. “[W]e have to get back to caring for our neighbor.”

Villanueva also pointed to the responsibility of the citizens to hold their elected officials accountable.

“Just like in law enforcement we need to hold the bad guys accountable—including our own across the line. The public, voters, need to hold their elected leaders accountable for the outcome of what they propose,” he said.

“They gotta be able to sift through and know what’s bullshit and what is not, what works and what doesn’t work. And if they’re selling something that’s not working, they need to be held accountable.”

Hall had a similar, but much harsher, exhortation.

“Please, please, please, stop and use your brains. Stop and think what the people are talking about,” Hall said.

“Please, use your education, use your experience to require enough from your elected leaders to make it a good place. It’s one of the best places in the world—it’s totally mismanaged.”

Along with the exhortation, Hall issued this warning on the future of the State if we don’t take the appropriate action.

“If the people don’t wake up, and start voting into office people who are looking out for their own interests. If they don’t wake up and start voting into office—regardless Republican or Democrat—People who are honest and have the ability to govern, we’re not gonna survive, it’s gonna become a welfare state, a total welfare state—it’ s almost there now.

“California it’s not a great place to live, that’s why so many people are leaving right now. You’ve got a mass exodus going on in California, they’re going to Texas, they’re going to half a dozen different states—they’re going to Nevada.

“I don’t see a future unless we start electing intelligent, young people who are honest, they have the fiduciary sense of responsibility, they have the people’s needs and desires at heart.”

With these leaders standing in the gap with us, initiatives like The Precinct Strategy taking hold across the State, as well as more grassroots candidates stepping up and winning unlikely voters, there is still hope in our future.

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