California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) wife, First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom, recently said, “It’s time for America to follow California’s lead.” While California’s progressive elites love to market the state as a model for the nation, critics point to sky-high taxes, rampant homelessness, rising crime, and an exodus of businesses and residents as proof that its policies are more of a cautionary tale than a success story. If anything, Siebel Newsom’s comment underscores how out of touch California’s leadership is with the struggles facing everyday Americans.
NEW🚨: Governor Newsom’s wife says, “It’s time for America to follow California’s lead.” pic.twitter.com/WYZX7tHJLE
— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) July 24, 2025
However, what Newsom failed to mention is that her husband's radical policies are wreaking havoc on California. As she tried to sell the state as a model for the rest of the country, the state is actually the epicenter for decline, dysfunction, and ideological extremism.
Let's take a look at the model of a state, California, thanks to its leadership.
Under Gov. Newsom’s leadership, California has become a cautionary tale, with the state leading the nation in homelessness, despite spending billions on failed “housing-first” policies that provide little accountability and no meaningful improvement. Crime has surged in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where soft-on-crime policies, no-cash bail, and refusal to prosecute theft and drug crimes have emboldened criminals and left small business owners defenseless. Sky-high taxes and overregulation are driving residents and businesses out in droves, and California’s economy is buckling under the weight of big government and environmental mandates that punish working-class families and cripple job creators. Companies such as Tesla, Oracle, and Hewlett-Packard have already relocated, and every day, Californians are following them to states like Texas and Florida in search of lower costs, more freedom, and safer streets.
The state is also the helm of radical gender ideology, critical race theory, and illegal immigration.
If that’s the future Gov. Newsom's wife wants for America, it’s no wonder millions are rejecting it.