California's job crisis

California has long been celebrated as a land of opportunity, but in recent years, it has become increasingly unfriendly to businesses. Just last year, Chief Business Magazine ranked California as the worst place in the nation to start a business.

This is a tragic turn of events, especially for a state that has been home to so many entrepreneurial dreams. It doesn't have to be this way, but unfortunately, government policies are stifling the very spirit that once made the American Dream thrive here.

We are witnessing the consequences of a bloated government, which only creates more bureaucracy and hinders economic progress. In San Diego County, we have seen this firsthand with the introduction of numerous new departments that have added significant costs to the taxpayers.

Many of these departments are not contributing to the greater good of our region but instead are examples of government overreach that stifles growth. We need to allow businesses to thrive by reducing the size and influence of the government.

Consider this: between January 2022 and June 2024, employment in U.S. private businesses grew by 7.32 million jobs. However, California businesses contributed only about 5,400 of those jobs – just 0.07% of the national total.

If California's private-sector job growth had kept pace with the rest of the country, we would have seen over 970,000 new jobs during that period – 180 times more than the actual increase.

It's no secret that California has consistently lagged behind other states in job growth. Still, the latest figures reveal a deeply concerning trend: the overwhelming majority of new jobs in our state are government positions. Between January 2022 and June 2024, California added approximately 156,000 jobs, a staggering 96.5 percent of which were in the public sector.

Even more alarming is that since January 2023, the state has seen a decline of over 46,000 private-sector jobs. This unprecedented drop in private employment is not just a crisis for California but also poses a significant threat to the health of the national economy.

We cannot continue down this path. It's time to implement policies that support business growth and reduce the burden of government.