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[ LOS ANGELES ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles)
# Governor Newsom Survived Recall...and California is Still Going Into the Toilet
September 20 2021
Written by Ken Alpern.
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THE DOCTOR IS IN - Just because the Republicans, Independents (and a few Democrats) chose not to recall Gavin Newsom doesn't mean that our state's problems are going away.
Did Larry Elder let himself be caught up the COVID-19 issue, and not focus on California's real problems (such as the plight of the middle class, the ridiculous cost of living, the lack of affordable housing, the homeless crisis that's ruining just about everyone's lives here in the Golden State, and the ridiculous death-grip that our state's teacher's unions have on our taxes and well-being)?
Certainly.
Are we still stuck with an elitist idiot who, with the rest of the left-of-left wing elites and lobbyist cronies and enablers in Sacramento?
Certainly.
Did the SB9 and SB 10 bills that are purportedly written to support affordable housing, but which will allow unbridled development (in violation of zoning and environmental laws) to support housing for the wealthy and make both greenhouse gases and the misery index of the middle class who still favor [single-family housing](https://paloaltoonline.com/news/2021/09/17/newsom-signs-housing-bills-that-reform-single-family-zoning) go up?
Certainly.
Did Newsom intentionally sign the bill after the recall, and despite the shrieking opposition from even Democratic cities and environmental groups who really DO care about the environment and DO care about REAL affordable housing?
Certainly.
Would libertarian Larry Elder be any better than Gavin Newsom with respect to slowing down and properly establishing affordable housing?
Certainly not.
Is our shrinking K-12 student population getting lots of money while the exploding population in our UC and Cal State colleges is paying ever and ever more for what used to be subsidized by a burgeoning middle class?
Certainly.
Is school choice being thrashed--particularly to the suffering of Black and Latino Californians--by a over-dominating K-12 teacher's labor unions who really don't give a damn about their students' needs, and allowing only the wealthy and connected to access our state's best schools, both private and public?
Certainly.
Is the need for vaccinations, both for the healthy and seniors/immunosuppressed/health care workers and teachers, as high as ever?
Certainly.
Are the incidents and incidence of vaccine complications, and the conflicting/mixed messages of the CDC and academia freaking out many Americans, including Californians, and including government workers about getting the vaccines that both President Trump and President Biden have fought for?
Certainly.
Are those shunning these aforementioned vaccines in favor of antibody treatments (perhaps, if not probably naively so!) being ignored and belittled, while the Biden Administration is not helping these treatments to be available to states and cities who prefer that as an alternative to the vaccines?
Certainly.
Did the GOP and Independents of California let COVID-19 destroy an otherwise appropriate recall effort that at least merited a robust and appropriate debate over California's other problems?
Certainly.
Did the Democrats who are wealthy enough to not be concerned about the aforementioned/above issues fight the problem, and/or the Democrats who would rather die and stick rusty needles in their eyes before they would ever vote for a Republican or Independent, kill and maintain a status quo that's driving middle-class individuals of all ethnicities out of our state?
Certainly.
And what's certain is that the average Californian who wanted this recall, and/or those who originally wanted this recall but changed their minds when they saw where this recall was going, and/or those who opposed the recall but still despise what California has done to its residents not wealthy enough to be impacted by the aforementioned problems...
rue the fact that this recall got hijacked by the pandemic, and that our state's many problems will be ignored.
Certainly. Most certainly. Undeniably certain.
*(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father to two cherished children and a wonderful wife. He was termed out of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) twice after two stints as a Board member for 8-9 years and is also a Board member of the Westside Village Homeowners Association. He previously co-chaired the MVCC Outreach, Planning, and Transportation/Infrastructure Committees. He was previously co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee, the grassroots Friends of the Green Line (which focused on a Green Line/LAX connection), and the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at . The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)*
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