We elect leaders to keep our taxpayer-funded public utilities, roads, and related essential services running smoothly—and certainly not take action to prevent these functions. Yet, this once-proud state cannot even maintain its basic infrastructure. Fire hydrants mysteriously have no water during wildfires. Fire department budgets were slashed and funding reallocated. The electric grid cannot handle year-round demand. And now, thanks to burdensome, short-sighted regulations brought upon residents and businesses by its leadership, actual garbage is piling up with no practical disposal plan.
Perhaps public frustration regarding the crumbling amenities we expect to function well in a civilized society is partially responsible for people and businesses fleeing California for more stable states.
In yet another instance of incomprehensibly poor public policy decisions, California and Los Angeles’ governments have forced one of the biggest landfills in L.A., Chiquita Canyon, to cease operations. Now, in the wake of devastating fires, the City will unexpectedly need to clear and dispose of incredible amounts of debris.
Zooming out, this crisis isn’t a surprise. California’s political leadership has created an economic and planning downfall in recent years that is unprecedented for the Golden State. This means government at all levels is in less of a position to appropriately respond to emergencies, much less be able to do business as usual.
From 2018 to 2021, 352 companies moved their headquarters to more business-friendly states. Of those, eleven are fortune 1000 companies, such as Tesla, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise—and now entire divisions of Facebook are even relocating. The money is leaving, yet the regulations continue to increase.
This troubling trend has only escalated during Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tenure and, as such, both his leadership and economic records should be scrutinized as he weighs seekinghigher political office.
California’s leaders should recognize where California places in various categories. It leads the nation in overburdensome regulations for businesses and high taxes when compared to other states in the nation. It slashes budgets where the public is poised to be most impacted in favor of pet projects and ideas that arguably have no place taking tax dollars.
In a recent survey of CEOs for Chief Executive magazine’s annual list of “Best of Worst States for Business”, California was pitifully ranked last. Why? California’s regulatory environment is significantly more extensive than that of any other state, with more than 395,000 separate regulations that have created bureaucratic mazes businesses are forced to navigate for fear of running afoul of just one—and suffering crippling fines.
The garbage collection industry is no exception. Onerous regulatory burden appears to be what prompted the Chiquita Canyon landfill to announce that they will no longer be able to accept trash in 2025. Apparently, Chiquita Canyon still has thecapacity to service the community, but due to California’s rottenregulatory environment, ongoing operations at the landfill are no longer economically viable.
While local officials plan to conduct an assessment of the impact this landfill closure will have, it should come as no surprise that residents and small businesses in the region will likely have to shoulder the increased costs of hauling their garbage to outside locations, assuming those can handle the additional waste.
It is long overdue that state and local officials consider the unintended consequences of forcing companies to jump through hoops to operate in the state. They must be held accountable for how their decisions on paper immensely impact vital areas of the local economy and infrastructure.
California, which previously had a reputation as a business and economic powerhouse, is in rapid decline. The state’s excessive taxation, burdensome regulations, and deteriorating quality of life are driving businesses and residents to better opportunities. As companies continue to relocate and individuals opt for more affordable and less restrictive states, California’s economic future becomes increasingly less certain.
Elected officials must reverse the rubbish regulations that have made it impossible to even take the state’s actual trash out. This reality is now center stage in light of the destructive fires that swept Southern California in January. Unless her people insist on significant reforms, and elected officials are held accountable for their terrible decisions, California itself will end up in the dustbin of history.