Well, Gavin Newsom is at it again, turning California into his personal laboratory for progressive social engineering. This time, he’s using the January 2025 Southern California wildfires as the latest excuse to push his housing agenda — one that’s not about rebuilding what was lost, but about reshaping the state to fit a left-wing fantasy.
Newsom’s big idea? Plop low-income housing, including units reserved for the homeless and recently incarcerated, smack dab in the middle of Pacific Palisades…the scenic, multi-million-dollar enclave perched above the Santa Monica Bay, home to Hollywood elites and Silicon Valley escapees. Nothing says “recovery” like sticking an apartment complex full of recently jailed tenants right next to Tom Hanks’ ocean view.
This $101 million “recovery” fund is part of a scheme where housing projects will get scoring preferences if they’re close to the burn zone. Apparently, the closer to the flames, the more likely you are to get a cash infusion to build four-story apartment blocks in neighborhoods where the average home sells for eight figures. Welcome to Newsom’s California, where geography is destiny and ideology trumps common sense.
And it doesn’t stop there. These developments must allocate at least 40% of their units for the homeless or people who’ve spent 15 days in jails, mental institutions, or hospitals. That’s not rebuilding communities — that’s forcibly transforming them. Jennifer Seeger, some deputy director at the state’s housing department, gushed about how these funds would make California “more equitable.” Translation: If you live in a neighborhood that’s beautiful and safe, get ready to share it with whoever Sacramento decides belongs there.
Newsom’s also slashing red tape (for once), fast-tracking permitting, and offering multiple funding opportunities to “incentivize” builders. Translation again: taxpayer money is about to flow like Napa Valley wine to politically connected developers. Of course, there’s a bigger pot — $382 million — from a previous grant fund that builders can stack with this one. Because what’s better than one government handout? Two.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about recovery. It’s about control. It’s about Newsom imposing his utopian vision of a state where million-dollar homes get replaced by government-subsidized complexes, and communities no longer get to say who lives among them. He’s not rebuilding California; he’s reprogramming it.
Welcome to the new Golden State — where wildfire recovery means burning down what’s left of local control, property rights, and basic common sense.