We’ve seen a special election sweep through all of California — Proposition 50. Gavin Newsom’s latest campaign to gain more congressional seats. Will it win or lose in the courts? That remains to be seen.

Racial gerrymandering is illegal. That isn’t debatable. Yet history shows Newsom is willing to push every boundary, test every limit, and burn it all down to the ground before he leaves office. Power matters more than principle, and Californians are left to deal with the consequences.

We’ve also watched out-of-control fires tear through communities — from the Palisades Fire to the Eaton Fire in Altadena. Homes destroyed. Families displaced. Entire neighborhoods left unrecognizable. And yet the same leadership that promised prevention and preparedness offers little more than excuses after the damage is done.

Did we already forget that Newsom bears responsibility here, too? Years of failed forest management, ignored warnings, blocked mitigation efforts, and misplaced priorities didn’t happen by accident.

They happened under his watch, year after year, while Californians were told everything was under control — until it wasn’t.

Then there’s homelessness.

What was once described as a crisis has turned into a billion-dollar profit machine. Government agencies and 501(c)(3) organizations rake in massive funding while showing dismal numbers when it comes to actually helping homeless individuals off the streets.

Encampments grow. Public spaces deteriorate. Families feel less safe. Every year we’re told “significant progress” is being made. Do we really believe that? Or do we believe what we see with our own eyes as billions disappear and the problem only worsens?

We were told Proposition 36 was the answer to retail theft. Californians overwhelmingly passed it because they were tired of lawlessness destroying their communities.

Voters did their part. Small business owners believed help was finally on the way.

Yet Newsom failed to fully fund it — leaving small and family-owned businesses to continue suffering day after day until they too shut down or move out of state. Laws without enforcement are worthless, and promises without action are just politics.

Gas prices remain the highest in the country. That’s not speculation — it’s fact.

Newsom will continue to blame “their greed” for why Californians are paying more at the pump. But let’s be honest — it’s not corporate greed driving this. It’s government greed.

It’s endless taxes, fees, environmental surcharges, and regulations coming out of Sacramento, always paid for by working families who are already stretched thin.

Californians aren’t confused. They know who’s taking more from their paycheck every time they fill up.

Californians have been hit from every angle and are barely holding on. Crime. Taxes. Housing. Energy. Insurance. Food.

The cost of simply existing in this state has become unbearable for many.

I ask you honestly: How much more can you handle before you too become homeless — or are forced to sell everything and move to a state that doesn’t financially destroy you for simply trying to live?

Make better choices.

Democrats have ruled California for well over a decade, and it’s not getting any better. The results are undeniable. “Vote blue no matter who” doesn’t work for you or anyone else. It never has.

Blind loyalty has led us here. Vote to survive. Don’t be afraid to vote for someone who actually wants to help Californians — someone who believes in public safety, accountability, and fiscal responsibility instead of taxing us all into the poorhouse and calling it progress.

My question to you all is simple: Have we reached rock bottom yet?

My answer is no — not even close. Rock bottom comes after you’ve been pushed over the cliff. And that’s exactly where Newsom and his legislators are taking this state, step by step, policy by policy, tax by tax.

When they push you over, you’ll have a choice. Stay there — or climb back up. Take California back from the ashes. Because ashes are all that will be left if we don’t stop this now.

I’d usually tell you to go out and vote to make that change. I’m not. You already know that responsibility.

Instead, I’ll leave you with a prayer.

I pray that Californians wake up and discover the truth behind the deception that’s been pulled over your eyes. I pray you refuse to be victims of lies being sold as truth. I pray that clarity replaces confusion and courage replaces fear.

This is Patrick Lee Gipson signing off for the year — saying goodbye to 2025 and believing that 2026 can be the year the scales fall from your eyes and you finally see clearly.

Patrick Lee Gipson is a Santa Clarita resident and former deputy sheriff. “Right Here, Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.

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