And suddenly, California Democrats got it into their heads that appropriating $50,000,000 to use as lawsuit money to "resist Trump" was a bad look in a state that will likely need 100 times that amount to rebuild L.A. Welcome to the West Coast, Messed Coast™, where every week we go through a smattering of misanthropic antics of the left whose main objective is to upend common sense in Washington, Oregon, and California. Let's get started!
Resistance 2.0
If you're new here — and if you are, welcome! — you probably know that Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and his predecessor, Xavier Becerra, spent millions of taxpayer dollars to bring more than 140 lawsuits against the first Trump administration in Resistance 1.0.
Democrats in the supermajority-led legislature were fixing to do it again by setting up a $50,000,000 legal kitty to bankroll whatever other creative lawfare they could come up with for Trump 2.0. Newsom called it "Trump-Proofing" California, hoping that any legal victory against Hitler would help propel his 2028 presidential candidacy.
The legal fund passed the state Senate and then it was up to the Assembly to ratify before sending it to Newsom's desk. And then... nothing.
After major backlash from Californians and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the Assembly walked back a vote on Newsom’s $50 million slush fund to sue Trump.
— Brian W. Jones (@SenBrianJones) January 30, 2025
Los Angeles is battling a catastrophic wildfire, and California faces a massive budget deficit for future years. The…
Our colleague, Ed Morrissey, over at HotAir, characterizes the pause.
Quelle surprise! The biggest shock is that it took these geniuses twenty full days to realize that Trump would be the one person who would dictate the terms of federal aid they will desperately need to keep voters mollified enough to prevent them from punishing the party that ran California into the ground. Not to mention, it may have finally occurred to them how self-obsessed Sacramento Democrats looked while going out of their way to spend $50 million on their Orange Man Bad obsession while tens of thousands of Californians watched their homes go up in flames.
In last week's West Coast, Messed Coast™ report, West Coast, Messed Coast™: Any L.A. Bailout Money Must Be Accompanied by a Pirate With a Green Eyeshade, I called for a special master to be put in charge of all government monies for rebuilding L.A. (That report had to be put on the back burner for a few days because of my latest bout of flu. Day 13, here. Whee!).
President Trump's special envoy, Rick Grenell, said he'd help find an appropriate special master to disburse federal funds, but he's currently off to Venezuela to have a chat with Nicolas Maduro.
Resistance Oregon-style
The state of Oregon has begun training state employees on how to defy U.S. law, Donald Trump's executive orders, and the Laken Riley Act.
The sanctuary state training, "which was rolled out this month, prohibits state employees from using resources to assist federal immigration enforcement and instructs them to report requests from immigration authorities to a Sanctuary Promise Hotline instead of complying."
Grants Pass Republican Representative Dwayne Yunker called for the state to knock it off.
The State of Oregon is actively instructing state employees to defy federal law and obstruct immigration enforcement. This is not only reckless—it is illegal. I have sent a letter to DAS demanding that they immediately halt this training and work with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure Oregon is fully cooperating with federal immigration authorities. Oregon must put the safety of its residents first.
We're sure that the unfortunately-named Tina Kotek, the governor, will get right on it — after the body count gets high enough.
Supermajority authoritarians
The Washington State legislature supermajority Democrats have changed a 132-year-old rule that will shorten debate so as not to allow GOP members to participate in floor debates. Read that again.
After changing the rule to silence Republicans, Democrat House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon said, "It is very important that we have robust debates on this floor.”
We guess they'll say they're doing it to preserve democracy or something.
Newsom-proof California
Rep. Kevin Kiley says his efforts to Newsom-proof California are going well. We're not entirely sure what it all means, but Kiley has put forward a bill to yank the teeth from the California Coastal Commission, and that is a fantastic start.
Our movement to Newsom-proof California has incredible momentum. Many people who told me they had given up hope for our state have a newfound optimism. It's an exciting time to be a Californian and an American. pic.twitter.com/hTILGdp3j7
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) January 28, 2025
I like the sound of that.
Ode to mental illness
Former University of Washington statistics professor Michael Perlman, who retired in 2020, decided to put out the lyrics to his Trump resistance song on my alma mater's listserv. Consider this for a moment. So confident was he that he would be rewarded with encomiums from fellow travelers on the faculty that he outed his mental fragility.
Related: A Catastrophic Breakdown of L.A. Fire Alert System Left People in Harm's Way Until it Was Too Late
Jason Rantz provided a few of the lyrics:
My Country, ’tis of Thee,
Land of lost Liberty,
Of Thee I sing.
Virtue and Honor died,
Gone is the Pilgrims’ Pride,
Integrity is cast aside,
Let Resistance ring.
It gets worse. On any given day, Rantz reports, the listserv is full of "virulently anti-Trump, anti-Israel, and anti-conservative propaganda and smears. It’s a near-daily, disturbing look at the radical and often unhinged beliefs of UW faculty."
Speaking of crazy
As both VodkaPundit and I pointed out this week, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has gone "full commie" in her attempt to wrest control over planning the charred neighborhood known as Pacific Palisades. By all means, read both, but the shorthand is that she's hired a consultant to represent both the city and the owners. She's done this without consulting any of the neighbors.
If this looks like a way to put herself and her representative between people and their property rights, then well spotted.
Stranger strangeness
The Stranger is a profane and disgusting Seattle rag that features a sex advice column that is as disturbing as it is profane.
Now, we're learning that the reporters at the paper have been put on leave for failure to disclose that someone at the paper, which endorsed a winning Seattle city council member, was having an affair with said candidate.
Related: Trump Gloriously Lays Waste to L.A. Politicians Standing in the Way of Rebuilding
Get the popcorn.
Mailbag
Letters. We get letters!
Hi Mrs Taft.
I enjoy your articles! Your biting sarcasm is so delicious!
I just read your piece on "Messed Coast". The comment about letting water flow out into the ocean to save bait fish has more history behind it. While we drain lakes every spring (prior to fire season) for the fish is complete crockery! The small Smelt fish in the delta have a one-year lifespan. The state of California maintains them in fisheries because they wouldn't have survived on their own. It's a self-made problem.
Meanwhile, farmers are denied water, fires rage without resources and everyone is forced to ration water. It's simply mind boggling to rationalize the continuous process. I wanted to offer some thoughts on the topic. When I read your article, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Because it really is Messed Coast out here!
Respectfully, Richard G.
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