During Public Safety Crises, Democrats Perform; Republicans Lead
My latest CA Post column looks at Orange County’s response to the Garden Grove chemical emergency, and what it reveals about the difference between political performance and actual crisis leadership.
Our morning content is free for all subscribers and guests! If you are not yet a paid subscriber, consider upgrading — you are missing a significant portion of what we produce each week, and your support makes it possible. If you want to get it all and support my efforts, please consider a paid subscription!
You can also listen to this post — along with my California Post column — on our podcast feed, So, Does It Matter? SPOKEN. It is available on your favorite podcast app. And you can listen to it here.
Republicans Lead When It Matters
Over Memorial Day weekend, Orange County faced a public safety crisis that could have become catastrophic.
A chemical storage tank at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove began overheating. Nearby homes, schools, businesses, and roads were at risk. Tens of thousands of residents across several Orange County communities were ordered to evacuate.
The worst-case scenarios were serious: explosion, fire, chemical release, contamination.
But the worst did not happen.
In my full California Post column, I look at how Orange County’s Republican leaders responded — including Sheriff Don Barnes, Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein, Stanton Mayor Dave Shawver, Sen. Tony Strickland, and Assemblyman Tri Ta.
The broader point is not simply that one emergency was handled well.
It is that crisis leadership reveals something about governing culture.
In Orange County, officials coordinated, communicated, evacuated, escalated, and acted. In too many Democratic-run crises in California, we see a different pattern: narrative management, bureaucracy, finger-pointing, and political self-protection.
California is not going to run out of crises. Fires, floods, earthquakes, crime, homelessness, industrial hazards, and infrastructure failures are now part of life in this state.
Voters should stop judging politicians by speeches and slogans. They should judge them by performance.
👉 Read my full column in the California Post HERE. (No Paywall)
If you want to get the print edition of the California Post (which is awesome) to your doorstep, you can get more information here. (I don’t make a dime if you do, just passing along the info!).