Welcome to a pre-Christmas edition of the West Coast, Messed Coast™ update, where, if you don't like to read bad news, just skip to the Balboa Island Christmas festival item or to our update on a notorious serial killer.
Washington State is underwater again with rainfall from what they used to call the Pineapple Express, but which has been given a far more interesting moniker of an "Atmospheric River." That river is flooding the lowlands of the state...again.
We learn anew why Gavin Newsom is the worst governor California has ever had — and that's pretty bad, considering the list, including the notorious Gray Davis.
And Oregon leads us off because the City of Roses has just shown the country what it looks like when criminals run the criminal "justice" system.
Reason 59
Mayors and other public officials in blue cities along the West Coast, Messed Coast™ have come up through the leftist pipeline of NGO-working, government job-hopping, community organizing, and "Hey, how hard could it be?" business types, all of whom assume running government is a turn-key operation. They assume, or act as if they do, that endless spending on social programs, giving criminals another break, and woke-teacher-led schools are the way to socialist nirvana.
This is true, but only if you want that city to come crashing down, people to leave, and kids to get dumber.
Well, it turns out, these self-styled leaders need a lesson in the basics of what makes a citizen feel safe to live in a community.
In last week's West Coast, Messed Coast™ report, we heard from the head of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, Andrew Hoan, who reminded city and county leaders that whatever it is they're doing has led to more than two years of job losses in the city.
Related: West Coast, Messed Coast™ — What's the Deal With California and Cults, Anyway?
"Consumer confidence, a leading economic indicator for how people are feeling about the economy — we're last in the nation," he told a local TV station holding a televised town hall about how to fix the state's largest city.
Nowhere did he mention the law and order crisis facing the city.
If you don't feel safe, you don't want to stay in any town.
Enter our 58-time thief.
Multnomah County prosecutors allowed a man who committed 58 thefts and burglaries (and counting) at the local Plaid Pantry stores to post $25 bond. Not a typo. The local district attorney also waited until it was too late to charge him on 58 counts of theft and burglary, and his entire case was tossed out.
Also not a typo: The same bad guy resumed his string of thefts in which he walks into the convenience stores and steals hundreds of dollars worth of cigarettes, as the Plaid Pantry clerk watches helplessly. In all, one man was responsible for terrifying multiple store clerks and walking off with $38,000 worth of cigs.
"Holding individuals like this accountable is one of my top priorities, and I am as frustrated as anyone when I see individuals out reoffending," DA Nathan Vasquez told KGW TV with a straight face. This guy, believe it or not, was the more normal candidate available after woke Soros DA Mike Schmidt was shown the door by voters, after he refused to charge multitudes of Antifa rioters and arsonists.
Vasquez blamed the lack of funds for the DA's office and a shortage of public defenders.
A Plaid Pantry owner said he was "pissed off" and said the "catch and release" form of law enforcement has "got to stop."
'The most unserious governor in California history'
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been called a lot of things: elitist, gangster, and a spendthrift who talks like Batman. A new state audit, however, indicates, unsurprisingly, that he continues to be a complete disaster on the state's economy. As a result, another state agency has been put in the "high risk" category of near-failure to thrive.
"In this report, we conclude that the California Department of Social Services met our criteria to be designated as a high-risk agency, and we are adding it to the high-risk list," the report stated. That makes eight state agencies that are under a high risk of failing, thanks to Gavin and the Democrats.
The federal plunder the state has reveled in for decades is also coming to an end under the Trump presidency.
"[T]he State will soon be required to pay a portion of its CalFresh [food stamp] benefits. This cost, which could be as much as $2.5 billion in federal fiscal year 2028, is based on California’s payment error rate, which measures the accuracy of the State’s eligibility and benefit determinations," the report concludes.
That's because the state continues to ring the dinner bell and give free stuff to people who aren't citizens.
It gets worse. After failing a 2023 audit that found utter incompetence in the disbursement of "homeless" funds, the state auditor put the Newsom regime on notice. In an update, the auditor said an alleged "fix" the Democratic supermajority passed in 2024 is going so slowly that "it may cause us to add accountability over homelessness spending to our high‑risk list before our next cyclical update [in 2027]."
Whoa: California's Last Stand
And on the most important issue — water — Newsom has also been a disaster, the audit indicates.
"[T]he State is at risk of forgoing significant water savings that would aid in stabilizing the water supply. For instance, Water Resources estimates that if the Delta Conveyance Project had been operating for just the past four winters, it could have captured enough water to supply 21.6 million people for one year," the audit pointed out.
The report continued, "[T]he financial future of the project is uncertain. Additionally, the anticipated completion date of the project has been delayed from 2028, as stated in the supply strategy, to 2032," and now won't be fully operational until 2045.
As governor, Newsom has signed into law the highest income taxes in the country. Gas prices soon will be $8 a gallon. Four million residents have fled to other parts of the country to escape California's untenable taxes and regulatory tyrannies since 2000, which Newsom has only supercharged with his disastrous governorship.
Political watchdog Mike Netter calls Newsom the most unserious governor California has ever had.
Here's why U.S. Attorneys are important, Senators
The U.S. Senate blue slip process continues to stymie the approval of U.S. Attorney confirmations.
In California, Bill Essayli, the former Acting and now "First Assistant United States Attorney," who has been kicking ass and still hasn't been confirmed, rolled up a tranche of Mexican Mafia bad guys
Law enforcement continues to search for the following defendants charged in federal criminal complaints targeting members and associates of the San Gabriel Valley-based Puente-13 street gang: Larry Castillo, 42, a.k.a. “Lil Dee,” of Victorville; Soo Kang, 31, a.k.a. “Easy,” of… pic.twitter.com/T3WTQYulBj
— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) December 17, 2025
The Green River killer is getting ready for hell
Gary Ridgeway, who killed more than 59 women in the so called "Green River Murders," is at death's door, according to My Northwest reporter Charlie Harger, who is the only reporter ever to interview Washington State's —and the country's — most notorious serial killer.
Ridgeway reportedly is receiving end-of-life care. The state denies it, but Harger trusts his sources.
Harger wrote about his interview with Ridgeway:
“How hard was it to get prostitutes to get in a car with you, especially when there was all the hysteria about the Green River Killer being out there?” I asked him during one call.
“It wasn’t a problem at all,” Ridgway answered matter-of-factly. “My opinion was they were just homeless and needed the money, basically.”
“How would you convince them?” I pressed.
“Normal talking to them, basically,” he said.
That was it. He acted normal. The women, desperate for money to survive, got in his truck. And they drove away to their deaths.
“In prostitution, the guys, the johns, don’t give a crap about the women,” Ridgway told me.
Mind blown: West Coast, Messed Coast™ — How Many Ex-Californians Are Still Getting Mail-In Ballots?
Levee breaks
The Green River levee break brought Washington the first tranche of flooding. Now with the latest bout of flooding from yet another storm front, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated, and the Skagit, Snohomish, Puyallup, and Green Rivers have overflowed their banks.
Federal help is coming, and the National Guard has been helping with rescues and evacuations.
🚨🇺🇸 The Pacific Northwest of America has been absolutely devastated by extreme flooding
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) December 17, 2025
There is almost total legacy media blackout on what’s happening across the impacted States pic.twitter.com/Xjbk54JOH4
The storm front is set to hit California next.
They haven't ruined everything — yet
Christmas magic in Newport Beach's Balboa Island.
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