Uchikura & Co., LLC

From the perspective of a business owner who operates in California, the idea of California as an independent nation is not romantic—it is unrealistic.

 

If California became its own country, Gavin Newsom might call himself president, but the state would collapse almost immediately. Without federal military protection, without access to U.S. monetary policy, and without federal financial support, California would face an immediate economic shock. Capital would leave, credit would tighten, and stability would disappear. Independence would last days, not years.

 

I say this not as a political commentator, but as someone who actually runs a business in California. California is one of the most indebted states in the United States, carrying enormous long-term obligations and promises it cannot realistically sustain. Infrastructure projects stall for years, building permits are increasingly difficult to obtain, and regulations grow more complex every year. Employers are effectively punished for hiring people through rising taxes, fees, and compliance requirements, discouraging job creation instead of encouraging it.

 

For business owners, California is becoming less attractive every year. Companies are leaving the state, energy costs are among the highest in the nation, electricity supply is strained, and fuel prices remain elevated. Running a business here often feels like swimming against a constantly strengthening current.

 

To be honest, the thought of leaders with the same mindset as Gavin Newsom running the United States genuinely scares me. California is already struggling under policies that ignore economic reality. If such thinking were applied at the national level, the consequences would not be regional—they would be global. Policies driven by ideology rather than structural reality do not scale; they amplify weakness. Leadership that ignores constraints does not create progress—it accelerates decline.