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Even Democrat voters rejected leftist policies and politicians in the most surprising places
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In a seismic shift, voters across traditionally progressive strongholds like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland are starting to send a clear message: the progressive experiment in public safety, housing and drug policy has failed. Decades of policies promising reform and social justice have instead delivered a relentless rise in crime, out-of-control homelessness and the normalization of rampant drug use in our communities. It’s the Democrat voters who have finally had enough.
Rejecting district attorneys like Los Angeles County’s George Gascón, declining to support mayors like San Francisco’s London Breed, and showing support for candidates vowing to aggressively tackle homelessness like Portland’s new Mayor-elect Keith Wilson, voters are signaling an end to the progressive playbook that’s led to urban chaos. This backlash marks a return to a public safety-focused agenda, a demand for accountability, and a turn away from the ideologies that have left countless communities in ruin.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Gascón, elected in 2020 on a promise to “reimagine” public safety, has become the face of what’s gone wrong with progressive criminal justice policies. His tenure has been defined by controversial “reforms” that have left criminals emboldened and the public terrified.
SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR-ELECT TOUTS ‘COMMON SENSE’ APPROACHES AFTER BEATING PROGRESSIVE INCUMBENT
Policies like no-cash bail, reduced sentences and an overall dismissal of traditional prosecution standards were supposed to right the wrongs of the system. Instead, they’ve given criminals free rein to continue breaking the law with no fear of consequences. Property crimes, car thefts and organized retail theft have surged to unprecedented levels under his watch. Since 2020, homicides surpassed 300 in four consecutive years, which hadn’t happened once in the 2010s.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon’s time in office is coming to an end after voters rejected his liberal views of how to handle crime. (Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The message was simple: Los Angeles no longer valued law and order. But voters finally responded, demanding accountability and a return to policies that prioritize the safety of law-abiding citizens over the protection of repeat offenders. They booted Gascon from office for former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman.
Similarly, in San Francisco, Mayor Breed, once a rising star of progressivism, found herself on the wrong side of public opinion as her city deteriorated. San Francisco, a once-thriving hub of culture and innovation, has become infamous for its open-air drug markets, sprawling homeless encampments and streets littered with needles and human waste.
Progressive policies like decriminalizing drug possession, establishing “safe” injection sites and refusing to enforce basic quality-of-life laws have rendered the city unrecognizable. Even Breed, who has occasionally flirted with stricter law enforcement policies, has been unable to undo the damage inflicted by years of leftist governance. The voters’ rejection of Breed, to Levi Strauss heir and nonprofit founder Daniel Lurie, reflects a community desperate to restore sanity and safety to their streets.
Statewide in California, voters embraced Proposition 36 — essentially undoing some of the disastrous “reforms” implemented by Prop 47 — showing that the state’s liberal policies on crime may finally be reaching a breaking point. Originally sold as a way to reduce prison populations and give non-violent offenders a second chance, Prop 47’s reclassification of numerous felonies as misdemeanors led to a surge in crime rates.
Proposition 36, which reinstates harsher penalties for repeat offenders, demonstrates a growing realization among Californians: unchecked criminal behavior can’t be excused by progressive ideals. Proposition 36 was supported even as Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom, undoubtedly looking to shore up support ahead of his inevitable presidential run in 2028, asked voters to reject it.
Then there’s Portland — a city that became a national spectacle as protests, riots and “autonomous zones” dominated the headlines for months on end. But more recently, the focus of Portlanders’ ire has become the explosion of homeless encampments. For years, Portland served as a petri dish for every progressive experiment imaginable. Lenient policies toward encampments and open drug use turned the city into a dystopian cautionary tale. But in the recent election, Portland voters gave the mayorship to Wilson, a political outsider who promised to end the homelessness crisis with a more aggressive plan to bring people indoors.
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The progressive agenda that voters in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland once supported has now run its course. But we should not forget the toll this has taken on some of society’s most vulnerable — ironically, the very people progressives claimed to champion.
Homeless people struggling with addiction have been turned into political pawns, used to justify policies that, in reality, have trapped them in cycles of poverty and dependency. Cities flooded with addiction services handing out fentanyl freebasing kits have only seen addiction rates climb, and open-air drug scenes have transformed once-vibrant neighborhoods into no-go zones. Instead of offering a hand up, these policies have encouraged a devastating lifestyle that’s nearly impossible to escape from, often costing lives.
The message was simple: Los Angeles no longer valued law and order. But voters finally responded, demanding accountability and a return to policies that prioritize the safety of law-abiding citizens over the protection of repeat offenders. They booted Gascon from office for former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman.
This backlash should be a wake-up call to Democrats across the country and it shouldn’t come as a shock. As I detail in my book “What’s Killing America: Inside the Radical Left’s Tragic Destruction of our Cities,” these policies have provided little more than misery and chaos, doing the exact opposite of what they were supposed to. Voters aren’t rejecting progressivism because they’re “reactionary” or “fearful” — they’re rejecting it because it’s failed them, plain and simple.
They’re not voting for tougher policies because they’re “ignorant” or “backward” but because they understand that safety, order and accountability are the foundations of any functioning society. Politicians like Gascón and Breed refused to acknowledge this, found themselves on the wrong side of history — and out of a job.
As voters in these cities reclaim their right to safe and livable communities, one thing is clear: the progressive experiment has failed, and no amount of idealism can hide the gritty reality of what it’s wrought. With each ballot cast against crime, disorder and chaos, voters are steering the country back toward common sense. It’s a rebuke of progressivism’s failed promises and a rallying cry for leaders who will put the well-being of their constituents above ideological dogma. The message is clear — voters are done with the empty promises, and they’re ready to take back their cities.
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City lights of bustling San Francisco shown dimly along the shore, while the headlights of cars making their morning commute streaked quickly along one of the towering bridges of the Bay. We floated below the cement city, rocking gently with the waves of the sea and sitting silently as the world woke up around us. As the sun rose with the people from its sleeping slumber, our group of hunters waited for our boat Captain, Melynda Dodds, to say the magic words: “Scoters on the horizon, get ready.”
San Fran Scoters
When hunters think of sea duck hunting, images of the snowy, blistering winter conditions of remote Alaska or coastal Maine come to mind. And while it’s true these destinations see their fair share of sea ducks migrating through, so do warmer climates.
California is more than just movie stars and Los Angeles. It’s a state that is steeped in hunting heritage but often overlooked because of its Hollywood fame. The Pacific Flyway stretches some 4,000 miles north to south and encompasses The Golden State and the Pacific Ocean. The state is a waterfowl hunting destination as it sees thousands of birds migrate through including not only divers like goldeneyes and blue bills, but puddle ducks and sea ducks.
Instead of ice and snow, hunters are given a unique hunt in warm climates as surf scoters make their way south along the Pacific coast from their far north breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada.
The surf scoter is a unique species of sea duck. The drakes are often referred to as “Old skunkhead” because of the unique black and white patches that line its head, while a bright orange and white bill is florescent against its black plumage.
Although they may sometimes fly inland to lakes during migration, their primary range is wide open seas. Like all sea ducks, scoters do not respond well to calling. They are, however, excellent decoy and flagging birds. They fly fast and low along the water, making hunting and connecting on this fowl a test in skill as you battle shooting on rolling ocean seas.
Unlike most hunting, where you find yourself far off the beaten path, a healthy population of surf scoters passes through the San Francisco Bay area, making for a unique urban hunt. Sprawling cities with tall tech buildings and refineries line the skyline and sit as your backdrop, while cargo ships sail by your small, in comparison, hunting vessel. While you swing on fast flying scoters, city life is thriving just a few miles away on the shore.
Hunting Scoters with California Guide Service
It was 5 a.m. and in the middle of December as my friends and I pulled into the boat ramp in the San Francisco Bay. We expected to see a line to launch duck boats during prime hunting season. Instead, it was empty except for a lone Toyota Tundra hauling a 25-foot Bankes Titan boat and two women moving with purpose around the vessel.
With skilled precision from many mornings of this same routine, Melynda Dodds, owner of California Guide Service, and her deckhand Maddie Day, prepared the open water boat for launch as we stepped out to greet them.
One wouldn’t know Melynda was an adult-onset hunter. Her depth of knowledge regarding how to shoot California sea ducks and skills as a boat Captain gave off the conviction that she had been hunting these open waters since an early age. Instead, Melynda began her love for the outdoors as a young woman growing up in Texas, a far cry from the busy San Francisco area.
“I grew up in a hunting family, but I was never invited to hunt, they didn’t think I would be interested,” explained Melynda. “It wasn’t until I was 30 that I would shoot my first deer and hog. I was told I couldn’t do it…you don’t tell a Texas girl that.”
After taking her first big game animals, Melynda was hooked on hunting and would make it her career soon after. Relocating with her family to the Bay area, she experienced the thrill of hunting ducks along the Pacific Flyway and never looked back.
“I was at a crossroads after my kids were both in school,” said Melynda. “I could either go back to the corporate world or dive into guiding for fishing and hunting, two things that I was actually passionate about. So, I dove right in.”
Starting from the bottom, Melynda began by working as a deckhand on charter fishing boats to gain experience before applying for her Captain’s license. Once licensed, she set out to learn how to drive as many boats as possible, skippering seven different boats—from 50-foot Deltas, to Six-Pack boats, to 56-foot Westports. While mastering her Captain’s license, Melynda’s knowledge for hunting ducks in the Bay went from novice to expert, and California Guide Service was born.
Sea Duck Hunting in California
With the boat ready for launch thanks to our skilled guides, I watched as Melynda backed the 25-foot duck boat down the ramp with ease, her years of hard work and experience showing itself.
We were ready for our California sea duck adventure. With gear loaded, and Melynda’s black Lab, Nova, in her place next to deckhand Maddie, Captain Melynda Dodds steered us through the harbor, the city lights twinkling in the distance.
Having embarked on blistering boat rides for sea ducks in years past, it was satisfying not to have to hunker down for warmth on the short ride before Melynda slowed the throttle. Working as a proficient team, our Captain maneuvered the boat while Maddie prepared and launched multiple strings of scoter decoys.
Soon after legal shooting light, flocks of scoters began flying. Unlike puddle ducks or divers that provide high in the sky shooting, sea ducks fly low and fast along the water, making it very difficult to connect on birds. If we were lucky, we could spot flocks of sea ducks off in the distance so we could prepare ourselves for shooting if we saw the birds turn towards our decoys. Other times, the ducks would zip into the decoys without notice, their black bodies blending in with the dark of the water.
Your positioning in the boat tested your skills as a shotgunner. At times, you were lucky, and the scoters would cup their wings for landing straight on in your shooting lane, while other times, you were dealing with hard crossing shots. Because they fly low on the water, it’s easy to determine whether your shots are behind or ahead thanks to your shot string making a visual splash.
My friends and I marveled at the scoters who humbled us for a time before we had our lead times tuned in. Soon, we were enjoying the cool California morning, picking our shots carefully on drakes while Captain Melynda and Maddie laughed with us at our epic hits and misses.
Nova sat patiently, waiting on us to get our sea legs so she could work. The drakes were easy to pick out of the flocks, the white paint on their heads serving as a makeshift target that was easily distinguishable from the all brown plumage of the scoter hens. Soon, Melynda gave Nova what she wanted, releasing her to dive into the dark seas to retrieve our quarry.
An All Women Guiding service
Melynda and Maddie worked as a smooth operating team during our two days hunting the San Francisco Bay. In fact, Melynda prides herself on being a Women Owned Small Business with a crew of only females for both her fishing charters and hunts.
“It’s important for me to provide opportunities to women and young girls,” said Melynda. “In this industry, ladies are generally guided by men—few are full female outfits. I want to show women that they really can hunt all on their own. I feel having a team comprised of all women helps to build confidence and expand possibilities for other ladies.”
Melynda and her crew had our respect long before the hunt began, but after days on the water together, that respect only grew. Her passion for hunting California burned bright, making this urban sea duck hunt one for the record books.
Gear For Hunting Surf Scoters
Sea ducks are tough fowl. Their plumage is made to withstand the harshest ocean conditions, making it hard for shot to penetrate. Additionally, close ranging shots on these fast flyers are rare—most of the time they’re zipping past the end of your decoy lines, typically 30 to 40 yards at the minimum.
Benelli Ethos A.I.
Scoters proved a fantastic opportunity to put an Ethos with the new Benelli Advanced Impact (A.I.) barrel technology to the test.
The new A.I. barrel is packed with enhanced features, making it one of the most advanced shotgun barrels of all time. The interior contours as it makes its way down the barrel, making an hourglass shape that is extremely long and tapered. This creates pressure in the barrel that not only increases velocity and energy at impact, but keeps shot strings compact and uniform. At 30 yards, velocity is 21 percent higher than a standard barrel, giving the Ethos 50 percent more penetration on target.
benelliusa.com
B&P Dual Steel
To bring down tough ocean scoters, a reliable steel shot load was needed. The B&P Dual Steel Magnum shot is made with two layers of pellets: steel and plated steel. This combination helps maintain consistent shot patterns, even at distance. The loads are also made with B&P’s Green Core wad, which is not only completely bio-degradable, but also made to withstand varying inclement weather and temperatures like those found when hunting sea ducks.
baschieri-pellagriusa.com
Colorado
Colorado wildfires: Evacuations ordered for 13,000-acre wildfire burning on Colorado-Oklahoma border
Southeastern Colorado residents were ordered to evacuate Sunday afternoon as the rapidly growing Sharpe fire in Oklahoma spread across the state line, according to emergency officials.
As of Sunday afternoon, the mandatory evacuation zone included the town of Campo in Baca County and an area bordered to the north by County Road J, to the east by County Road 36, to the west by County Road 24 and to the south by the Colorado-Oklahoma border, according to Baca County Emergency Management officials.
Emergency officials announced the fire had crossed into Colorado from Oklahoma at 12:47 p.m. Sunday and first issued mandatory evacuations at 2:06 p.m.
The Sharpe fire sparked Friday evening in Oklahoma’s Cimarron County and was estimated to have consumed roughly 3,500 acres as of Sunday morning, according to a daily incident report from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
By Sunday afternoon, the burn area had exploded in size to an estimated 13,198 acres, according to maps from the National Interagency Fire Center. It’s unknown how many of those acres are in Colorado.
A roughly 70-mile stretch of U.S. 287 was closed between Lamar and the Oklahoma-Colorado border for the fire, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Heavy smoke from the fire created low visibility and unsafe conditions on the highway, state transportation officials said.
“Oklahomans in the Panhandle are facing active wildfires, and our state is mobilizing resources to respond,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement on social media. That includes sending air support to fight the Sharpe fire, he said.
Southern Colorado was under red flag warnings for critical fire danger on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The warnings included parts of Baca, Crowley, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa and Otero counties . Another round of red flag warnings was forecast for the southern state on Monday .
“Elevated fire danger is expected,” the warnings stated. “Fires will catch and spread rapidly and erratically.”
Videos posted by Denver7 of the fire showed walls of smoke stretching up into the sky from a dirt road as trucks from the volunteer-based Springfield Fire Department responded.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A man was injured Saturday night after a driver allegedly hit him on Kapiolani Boulevard.
At about 9:05 p.m., a 39-year-old male driver was heading westbound on Kapiolani Boulevard with his 54-year-old male passenger.
The victim, a 36-year-old man, was walking in the road outside of a marked crosswalk when the vehicle struck him, said police.
Emergency Medical Services treated and took the victim to the hospital in serious condition.
The driver and his passenger stayed at the scene. They were not injured.
Police suspect speed is a factor in this crash, while alcohol and drugs are not.
The investigation is ongoing.
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