Why a growing number of residents are losing trust in their lawmakers
By B. Jun | Radio Seoul AM1650
There was a time when California was admired as the land of innovation, opportunity, and progress. Today, that image is slowly being replaced—by skepticism, fatigue, and growing unease among everyday citizens. The culprit? A troubling pattern of legislation emerging from the California State Assembly, particularly from its dominant Democratic leadership.
While the state wrestles with surging crime, homelessness, and the erosion of small business life, lawmakers are proposing laws that seem not only disconnected from daily reality—but in some cases, dangerously counterproductive.
Just recently, a proposal was introduced to decriminalize welfare fraud under $25,000. Yes, you read that right. At a time when Californians are struggling to afford housing, commuting past tent cities on their way to work, and locking their doors in broad daylight, Sacramento appears more focused on offering leniency to wrongdoers than relief to the law-abiding.
This is no isolated case. We’ve already seen:
- Retail theft under $950 go virtually unpunished.
- Marijuana legalized with minimal safeguards.
- Jaywalking decriminalized.
- Drug possession and public use met with de facto tolerance.
All in the name of justice. All under the banner of equity.
But is it just? Is it equitable—for the single mother robbed on the way home, the immigrant store owner losing thousands to shoplifting, the elderly citizen afraid to walk at night?
What’s going on in Sacramento?
The answer lies in a toxic blend of ideology, interest-group politics, and electoral convenience. Many of these bills are championed not for their merits, but for the optics they generate. They are polished with language about “compassion,” “equity,” or “decarceration,” yet rarely withstand the test of common sense—or common experience.
Behind these initiatives are powerful advocacy groups, well-funded nonprofits, and consultants with outsized influence. Lawmakers know that supporting these causes earns them media praise, activist endorsements, and campaign donations. Meanwhile, the average voter is left wondering why their daily quality of life keeps declining.
Even worse, the media often plays the role of cheerleader rather than watchdog. Alternative viewpoints are dismissed as regressive. Critics are labeled as out of touch. And honest debate is replaced with political theater.
A slow erosion of public trust
As laws become more detached from lived reality, trust in governance erodes. What good are progressive ideals if they come at the cost of safety, order, and basic fairness? Californians are not asking for a return to the past—they are demanding balance, pragmatism, and accountability.
You can’t build a compassionate society by ignoring crime.
You don’t protect the vulnerable by excusing lawbreakers.
And you certainly don’t promote justice by legalizing disorder.
It’s time to restore sanity
Citizens must become more vigilant—reviewing the voting records of their representatives, demanding transparency in policymaking, and rejecting slogans that mask failure. If the silent majority remains silent, the damage will only deepen.
California needs leaders who listen—not to consultants, but to the people. Leaders who believe public safety is not a privilege, but a fundamental duty. And above all, leaders who respect that common sense is not a political position—it’s the foundation of a functioning society.
It’s time to restore balance.
It’s time to restore reason.
It’s time to restore California.