California Candidates Must Address Unelected Bureaucratic Agencies That Harm the State's Economy
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "California Candidates Ignore Unelected Agencies | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." May 27, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
The author argues that California politicians talk about making the state affordable but ignore the real problem: powerful unelected agencies that drive up costs and block development. These agencies answer to no voters but make decisions that hurt California's economy and force people to leave the state.
Conclusion
California political candidates must take clear positions on eliminating or reforming powerful unelected agencies like CARB and the California Coastal Commission to make the state more affordable
Premises
- Unelected agencies like CARB and the California Coastal Commission wield enormous power over California's economy and environment without voter accountability
- CARB's climate policies have intentionally driven up gasoline prices and caused businesses and refineries to leave California
- The California Coastal Commission blocks development projects and overrides elected local governments, making coastal housing unaffordable for working people
- These agencies have rejected beneficial projects like desalination plants and opposed SpaceX launches based on political considerations rather than merit
- California candidates promise affordability but ignore the unelected bureaucracies that are major drivers of the state's high costs
- Elected local governments are capable of handling land-use and environmental issues without unelected state oversight
Assumptions
- Unelected agencies are inherently less legitimate than elected officials
- Economic considerations should generally outweigh environmental regulations
- Local elected governments would make better decisions than state-appointed agencies
- Climate change policies are primarily 'superstition' rather than science-based necessity
- Voters would support eliminating these agencies if given the choice