By State Sen. Brian Jones, R-Calif.
California continues to attract global scrutiny for its government mismanagement. The state’s taxpayer-funded initiatives—marketed as visionary projects—have repeatedly exposed severe negligence, waste, and fraud under Governor Gavin Newsom.
The Los Angeles County wildlife crossing project, initially budgeted at $114 million, is now over schedule and behind budget with no functional results. Meanwhile, the decades-old high-speed rail initiative, promised to cost $33 billion, has ballooned to an estimated $126 billion without a single track laid.
Amid mounting criticism, Newsom recently allocated up to $19 million from taxpayer funds to a public relations firm tasked with addressing “negative narratives” ahead of his anticipated 2028 presidential campaign. Critics argue this money would be better invested in tangible infrastructure like the LOSSAN rail or Sites reservoir projects.
Since taking office in 2019, Newsom has implemented some of the nation’s highest taxes on income, business, and fuel while spending over $300 billion annually. Yet California’s services have deteriorated, with public accounts revealing a staggering $425 billion lost to waste, fraud, and abuse over five years.
The unemployment insurance system exemplifies this crisis. Newsom’s pandemic-era reforms created vulnerabilities exploited by fraud rings, including neo-Nazi organizations and prison inmates—some on death row—who accessed billions through stolen identities.
Medi-Cal spending has doubled from $93 billion to nearly $200 billion since 2019, with a significant portion allocated to illegal immigrant healthcare. Investigators estimate roughly $146 billion in fraud has occurred within this system.
In Los Angeles County alone, at least 700 hospices billed taxpayers for fake charges, part of a scheme where healthy individuals received monthly payments to pose as terminal patients. Federal authorities are now suspending over 111,000 small business loan recipients who exploited pandemic-era state programs.
The homeless crisis has worsened despite $30 billion in taxpayer funds spent since 2019, with tent cities replacing once-thriving neighborhoods. The Legislative Analyst’s Office confirms the state cannot track where most of these funds have gone.
Critically, Newsom has not restored safeguards removed by his administration nor strengthened fraud enforcement mechanisms—a pattern that continues to undermine public trust.
As a 2028 presidential candidate, Newsom promotes California as a “beacon” and “policy blueprint” for national governance. The state’s fiscal failures demonstrate how taxpayer money is being misused rather than delivered to citizens.
Brian Jones is the Senate Republican Leader in California
