On April 1, 2020, Gavin Newsom hailed the novel coronavirus as an “opportunity” for a “new progressive era.” A year later, we are living with the nation’s worst and most regressive outcomes.

On that prior April Fools’ Day, Newsom called COVID-19 “an opportunity to reshape the way we do business and how we govern.” He said the virus was an “opportunity for reimagining a progressive era as it pertains to capitalism.”

He then proceeded to create dozens of “progressive” policies by fiat. He named Tom Steyer chair of an economic “recovery” commission to “shape a fair, green, and prosperous future.” He shut down our schools and economy, making families dependent on government checks and services he woefully failed to deliver.

In the process, he brought California’s long-term decline to a total freefall:

• Before COVID, California had the nation’s worst poverty. During COIVD, we’ve had the worst lockdowns and job loss.

• Before COVID, California’s schools had the worst achievement gaps. During COVID, we’ve had the worst school shutdown and learning loss.

• Before COVID, 53 percent of Californians were looking to leave. During COVID, record numbers have done just that.

In a recent poll, two-thirds of Californians said kids growing up in our state today will be worse off than their parents. This is what the Recall is truly about: saving the California Dream before it’s too late.

This year, we can begin a new era that’s exactly the opposite of Newsom’s faux progressivism. A new era of sanity and decency, where public servants actually serve the public. A new era of humility and restraint, where power is returned to the people. A new era of opportunity and prosperity, where California starts leading the nation in the right ways.

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