Gov. Jerry Brown put California on a dangerous path by embracing anti-border rhetoric and policies, particularly the ushering in of sanctuary state status and the expansion of legal benefits for illegal aliens. But it could get even worse for residents of the Golden State once Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom grabs hold of the wheel.<\/p>\n
Newsom, who once favored<\/a> reporting illegal aliens to federal law enforcement officials, rode to victory by normalizing the violation of U.S. immigration laws and promising to spend even more taxpayer dollars on lawbreakers. All signs indicate he plans to make good on bad policies.<\/p>\n During an election night speech, the former San Francisco mayor\u00a0said<\/a> he would protect DACA beneficiaries, illegal aliens and to ensure California remains \u201ca state of results and of refuge.\u201d<\/p>\n Eschewing the political pragmatism that Brown occasionally demonstrated<\/a>, Newsom is taking an activist viewpoint that sees no difference between his constituents and foreign nationals, including members of the Central American caravan.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel a deep sense of responsibility to address the issues that we as a broader community face and I think we need to humanize this issue, not politicize the issue,\u201d he said<\/a> after touring a detention center in San Ysidro, California.<\/p>\n He doubled down saying that California taxpayers are \u201ccapable\u201d of parting with even more of their hard earned paychecks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can’t do everything ourselves but I know we’re capable of doing more,\u201d added Newsom.<\/p>\n The responsibility Newsom and his anti-border cohorts are ignoring is the obligation to represent the interests of law-abiding Californians. Instead, the incoming governor and Democrat legislators are gearing up to challenge the Trump administration and pro-enforcement lawmakers.<\/p>\n Before even taking the oath of office, Newsom backed a plan to bar immigration officials from making courthouse arrests, and <\/strong>told Politico<\/strong><\/a> of his plans to pull National Guard troops from their duty protecting the Southern border, and explore ways California\u2019s Office of Emergency Services could aid refugees who have recently arrived in the state. <\/strong><\/p>\n After failing in the last legislative session, Democratic legislators already resurrected<\/a> several disastrous measures, including one to extend coverage<\/a> under Medi-Cal, the state\u2019s low-income health care program, to any adult over the age of 19.<\/p>\n While Newsom told Politico that he will not take immediate action on achieving the goal of universal health care in California, he <\/strong>told Politico<\/strong><\/a> that expanding coverage to everyone regardless of immigration status remains at the core of his agenda. <\/strong><\/p>\n With more than 200,000 illegal immigrant children presently able to access Medi-Cal services, the consequences of the effort to expand Medi-Cal coverage would be monumental. Simply consider that of the estimated 2.8 million Californians who are uninsured, some 1.8 are illegal and upwards of 1.3 million are poor enough to qualify for Medi-Cal.<\/p>\n Presently, illegal aliens can receive limited Medi-Cal benefits including pregnancy and emergency care. If passed, Medi-Cal expansion for illegal aliens would cost California an estimated $3 billion annually, according to a May analysis by the Senate Appropriations Committee.<\/p>\n Since federal limitations on illegal aliens using publicly funded health care require the state to shoulder the full cost, most previous proposals have not passed. With Newsom at the helm and more left wing legislators prepared to pony up to please political interests, the road ahead for California is going to be a rocky one.