InvestigationAt a time when the program of the Biden administration is inspired by measures put in place in California, the Golden State is in a state of heart while its model falters.
Donald Trump out of harm’s way, the stronghold of the “resistance” should exult. For four years, California fought tooth and nail against the ukases of the 45e President of the United States. The state brought him more than 110 lawsuits, the last nine of which were announced, on January 19, by the attorney general, Xavier Becerra, himself leaving for Washington, where Joe Biden enlisted him as minister of health.
Environment, immigration, consumer protection, protection of endangered species: California prides itself on having won 23 lawsuits. Six were lost, the others are promised to be reconsidered now that the White House has changed occupants.
Donald Trump was overtaken by Joe Biden in the presidential election by 7 million votes, including 5.1 million in California. In the Golden State, the Democrat won with 63.5% of the vote, a record. The relief is great, but the mood is not triumphal. The Californian model, of European redistribution, is in crisis; some say it is in decline. Let’s not talk about the dream, this California dream utopian and hedonistic that has long since dissolved into reality: tech, fires, traffic jams, inequalities. And now the pandemic, which Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is failing to contain.
With 40 million people, California is the country’s most populous and wealthiest state – its gross domestic product is $ 3 trillion (roughly $ 2,473 billion), the equivalent of the sixth world economy. It is home to the country’s leading agriculture and also Netflix, Hollywood, Google and Apple, which has become, in the midst of a pandemic, a company valued at 2,000 billion dollars. It has 165 billionaires, but the functional poverty rate (which takes into account the cost of living) is the highest in the country (17.2% in 2019) and a third of its inhabitants receive less than 15 dollars of the hour.
“Make America California again! “
The state is also the laboratory of an America in transition. Since 1998, whites (37%) no longer constitute the absolute majority. Latinos account for 40% of the population, Asian Americans for 15%, African Americans for 6%. California is “America in fast-forward “, summarizes Manuel Pastor, sociologist at the University of Southern California: “America, but before its time. “
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