Top 5 Stories Californians Should Watch in 2024

After 13 years of the Democrats controlling all branches of government in California, the problems are mounting and Californians are now fleeing the state in record numbers.

“For the past decade, California Democrats have abused their Super-Majority status to cram through a number of  extreme policies in our state – and only now are all the ill-effects being seen,” says Carl DeMaio, Chairman of Reform California.

However DeMaio says there are five stories he’s watching closely in 2023 that may “erupt” politically and give reformers a chance to turn the tide in California.

5.  STATE FISCAL CRISIS: How Will Californians Be Impacted?

After claiming in 2022 to have record surpluses in state and local governments, California Democrats had to admit in 2023 that they are now facing the reality of massive budget deficits - $68 billion this year alone!

Will Democrats actually have the wisdom to cut wasteful spending? Not a chance says DeMaio – who predicts that politicians will refuse to cut wasteful spending and instead will look to raise taxes and “fees” on struggling California families.

That’s why DeMaio and his team at Reform California have launched a budget watchdog initiative to identify wasteful spending in state and local government budgets to eliminate the need for unfair and costly tax hikes.

Contribute: Help Us Expose Wasteful Spending

4. PROP 13: Will California Democrat Politicians Finally Get Their Wish to Repeal Prop 13 and Raise Taxes?

The state budget crisis will be the convenient backdrop for the Democrats’ latest push to repeal Prop 13 and raise Californians’ taxes in 2024!

Democrats have placed two sinister measures on the November 2024 ballot to gut Prop 13. ACA-1 would gut Prop 13's 2/3 vote requirement for new taxes by lowering it to 55%. ACA-13 would gut Prop 13 by blocking the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative.

DeMaio is helping to lead a statewide coalition to pass the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative – which he describes as “the most consequential tax reform proposal since Prop 13 itself was passed in 1978.”

The California Taxpayer Protection Initiative restores the power and provisions of Prop 13 by requiring that voters be allowed to vote on tax increases with honest ballot titles.  It also bans politicians from calling something a “fee” when it really is a tax.

If CA Democrats repeal Prop 13 – and if the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative fails - expect a number of costly tax hikes to be imposed on you – including a Mileage Tax, a variety of local sales tax hikes, a Savings Tax, and even an Exit Tax if you try moving out of state!

Contribute: Protect Prop 13 and Block Tax Hikes‍

3. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: Will the Border Crisis Become a National Security Disaster?

California will be on the front lines of the rapidly escalating border crisis that the Biden Administration has caused – with help from California Democrat politicians.

“California is incentivizing human trafficking by giving away taxpayer-funded welfare to illegal immigrants – and it has to stop if we are to secure the border,” DeMaio says.

DeMaio points to the fact that in 2024, California will now offer free taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits to all illegal immigrants on top of a variety of other existing taxpayer-funded welfare programs the state has provided in the past. On top of that, California is a Sanctuary State to protect criminals and recently California politicians awarded taxpayer-funded legal defense funds to illegal immigrants to fight deportation.

DeMaio warns that negative impacts of illegal immigration will likely get worse as national security threats rise with an open border.

“Could 2024 be the year we trace back a terrorist incident to the open border?” DeMaio asks.

“Unfortunately, the chances are unacceptably high that happens,” DeMaio warns.

Join the Fight: Enact a Voter ID Law in California

2. MASS EXODUS: How Many People Will Flee California in 2024?

For the past ten years, California has lost more people to other states than have moved here.  California Democrats and the state’s liberal media denied the mass exodus movement, but the US Census data confirmed it in 2020.

Last year, Census data showed nearly 1 million Californians fled the state – the most ever recorded!

In 2024 we’re watching the trends to see if the mass exodus accelerates or if it subsides.

Which leads us to the final story to watch in 2024 – the most important one!

1. THE TURNING POINT: Will California politics finally reach a turning point with wins by Republicans in key state races?

Since he founded Reform California, Carl DeMaio has been on a mission to change California’s far-Left politics by shaking up the state’s failed Republican Party and adopting a more effective and aggressive approach to the failures and corruption of California Democrats.

DeMaio says he believes the state is reaching both a tipping point – and a turning point.

“Things have gotten so bad that people have been voting with their feet by fleeing California – but we are also seeing major shifts in voting as well,” DeMaio says.

DeMaio says he’s targeting 8 Congressional seats, more than a dozen state legislative seats, and more than a hundred local seats.  

DeMaio says Reform California’s approach is gaining momentum as his movement scored key wins in the 2020 and 2022 elections in a variety of target seats.

“In seats where we targeted our resources, we won – and Democrats know it,” DeMaio notes.

“We aren’t being naïve in thinking we’ll get a majority, but we definitely can flip a bunch of seats to send a message and build a base,” DeMaio notes.

“In 2024 we are targeting the most seats ever and we simply need to get more people engaged in the fight to prevail,” DeMaio says.