“Leaving California” - A new documentary Well Worth Watching
This Epoch TV documentary is spot on in summing up root cause of the once Golden State's Decay
I highly recommend the new “Leaving California” documentary produced by Epoch TV. You can access it through Epoch Times directly:
OR through the documentary’s own URL
In my opinion, Siyamak & the Epoch Times team are right on the target in identifying the root cause of California’s decline in their “Leaving California” documentary. Watching this film was one hour and ten minutes of my time well spent! As a 19 year California Resident and 11 year Irvine resident, it really rung home for me. As noted in the film, the Public Education policies in place in our state have contributed to its decay. I have been entrenched in trying to shift the public education policy pendulum at a local level within Irvine Unified School District, back to the middle (a more sensible place) for the past two-and-a-half years. I have chronicled a big part of that journey in my Substack. The question remains- will we ever be able to turn our state back into the paradise and epitome of The American Dream it once was?
I’m not giving up & I remain committed to the quest! Since I have made the choice to stay in California, I must remain committed and am also forced to accept reality for what it is. Complacency and doing nothing are not options and will not lead to better outcomes. I owe a commitment to improving the condition of our state to my daughter, my family and each successive generation that follows. I’m just one small person but I do believe I can make a difference and so can you. This documentary has inspired me to continue the pursuit. In addition to shifting the public education policy pendulum locally, my efforts are focused on informing families and bringing more transparency to local Governance. The more transparency we have at the local level-the more informed our residents will be -the more galvanized they will feel to advocate for better policies which will in turn improve quality of life for all.
As highlighted in “Leaving California”, for more than a decade our state Legislators/Policy Makers/ Governors have chosen to prioritize policies that address social issues above all else. Priority has been given to sanctuary state declaration, climate alarmism, reduced sentences and penalties for crimes committed, equity, reparations for marginalized populations to name just a few. These are things that do little to make the state more livable and hardly matter to most California residents. Nonetheless, addressing these social issues remains forefront for most of those in positions of power and influence from the local level on up to state and in some cases National level. If this sounds familiar to out-of-staters it’s likely because the Biden Administration is parroting the California agenda at a national level. Please take note- IT DOESN’T WORK! The once pristine highly revered city of Irvine and its policy decisions over the past 3 years are a perfect example. I will cover that in more detail in subsequent Substack posts. Those in power and with influence have a dystopian view of our state. The sensible people in power advocating for policies which will actually improve the quality of life for ALL residents are consistently overshadowed, ignored and even berated by the Politicians, Policy Makers and Special Interest Groups who remain immune from the consequences of their policy decisions. Often mis-labeled as extremists, those seeking to govern sensibly are promoting policies that support the following:
family,
community,
appropriate penalties for crimes committed,
growth of small businesses,
entrepreneurship,
infrastructure improvement,
balanced energy and public utility plans,
equal opportunity for all,
addressing root cause of homelessness
Sensible policies would go much further towards improving quality of life and the economic situation in our state than what is being imposed upon us today. This begs the question- are the radical policy makers/setters truly blind, impervious, or both?!
“Leaving California” does a superb job in covering the grim reality California residents are faced with and presently living through. In spite of the grim, I love how it’s wrapped in an overarching sense of optimism and offers an inspiring message for those who remain in our state. It’s heartwarming hearing there are so many people out there who do care and are making a difference. There are an abundance of good people making a difference on their own dime without any helping hand from the government- proof that it can be done. It’s also proof that measurable impacts can be attained without abundant bureaucracy and incurring exorbitant cost. What an inspiration! Irvine Unified School District (choosing to prioritize explicit focus on Social Justice) should take note rather than repeatedly reminding residents they are one of the lowest funded Districts in the state forced to do more with less. If you are one of these people making a difference on your dime because you care, THANK YOU! I encourage you to get in touch with the “Leaving California” documentary team so you can share your story and continue to inspire others.