The CALIFORNIA WAY and a formal for success primer

  

The CALIFORNIA WAY and a formal for success primer

The California Way was a proto-form of libertarianism — something not fully developed or ideological in the pure sense, but rather a practical, real-world application that emerged organically. One could also fairly call it a reasonable application of libertarian principles.

Let’s face it: most reasonable people find full-on libertarianism just as scary as totalitarianism or anarchy. The California Way avoided those extremes. It was never about tearing down all government or letting markets run completely unchecked. Instead, it meant light regulation, small and efficient government, low taxes, and a general atmosphere of live-and-let-live — enough structure to protect basic rights and contracts, but not so much that it strangled opportunity or personal freedom.

For more than a century, this approach worked spectacularly well. People poured into California, worked hard, got married, raised families, bought homes, started farms and businesses, succeeded, and built one of the most dynamic economies on Earth. That environment of practical freedom and opportunity turned California into a global capital of creativity, innovation, and prosperity.

These are exactly the same ideas we now see producing strikingly similar results in states like Texas and Florida.

Unfortunately, California has since veered hard in the opposite direction — not as a thoughtful correction to genuine problems, but largely because politicians resented how little power the old California Way left in their hands. The consequences are now painfully clear: an economy under severe strain, a once-thriving middle class that is shrinking rapidly and faces a real risk of vanishing altogether.

California: A Primer for Success

A Positive Vision for a Prosperous, Resilient Future

California has the talent, the land, the innovation, and the economy to lead the world for

decades to come. We already produce world-changing technology, grow the majority of the

nation’s fruits and nuts, power global industries, and attract the brightest minds.

Yet too many families face high living costs, unreliable water in dry years, expensive electricity,

wildfire smoke that lasts for weeks, and businesses leaving for other states. These problems are

real — but they are solvable.

The central insight is simple and powerful: economic strength and environmental health

reinforce each other. A thriving economy generates the revenue needed to protect forests,

rivers, watersheds, and air quality. Healthy natural systems provide reliable water, affordable

power, and stability that allow businesses and families to succeed.

This short primer outlines two connected strategies that can deliver more jobs, more secure

resources, lower costs, cleaner air, and greater opportunity for every region of the state.

 

1. Create a Business Climate That Keeps Companies Here and Attracts New Ones

Businesses generate the paychecks, tax revenue, and innovation that lift communities.

California remains home to the world’s most valuable companies and most dynamic startup

ecosystem. But high taxes, slow and unpredictable permitting, and overlapping rules are

pushing investment, jobs, and talented people to other states.

 

Practical steps can change this direction without cutting essential public services:

Competitive taxes — especially for small and medium-sized businesses and for industries

that create large numbers of good jobs (technology, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, clean

energy). 

Broaden the tax base through growth rather than repeated rate increases.

Regulatory simplification first, then smart digitization — 

 

Reduce redundant, overlapping, and sometimes contradictory requirements so the rules are clear, consistent, and

navigable for applicants and agency staff alike. Once the underlying system is simpler, deploy

user-friendly one-stop digital portals that coordinate reviews across agencies and provide real-

time feedback. When these tools are designed and continuously improved with direct input from

builders, installers, inspectors, and other practitioners who live the process every day, they

become far more effective.

 

Broad-based competitiveness reforms — Lower and stabilize taxes and fees across the

board, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, startups, agriculture, manufacturing,

and clean-energy innovators. Remove artificial barriers so every entrepreneur, farmer, builder,

and inventor can compete on merit — without Sacramento designating which industries or

companies “deserve” special help. When the playing field is level and the road is clear,

California naturally attracts and retains the next wave of breakthroughs and good jobs.

When barriers fall, more companies stay, more start here, wages rise, and governments gain the

steady revenue needed for schools, roads, parks, wildfire protection, and water infrastructure.

 

2. Manage Water, Forests, Fire, and Energy with Science, Scale, and Common Sense

California’s future depends on reliable water, healthy forests, fewer catastrophic wildfires, and

affordable, dependable electricity. Climate swings make these challenges more intense, but

large-scale, science-based solutions can turn them into strengths.

Water

Our farms produce over half the nation’s fruits and nuts and a major share of vegetables. Cities

and industry depend on the same rivers and aquifers. Most precipitation falls in winter, while

demand peaks in summer. The answer is balance: capture more of the wet years so dry years

do not hurt as severely.

 

Build and upgrade strategic off-stream reservoirs (such as Sites Reservoir, now federally

approved and advancing toward construction) to store flood flows for later use.

 

 Modernize conveyance systems — better pipes, canals, sensors, and leak prevention — so

less water is lost.

 

 Expand proven tools: groundwater recharge, water recycling, desalination where it makes

sense, and efficient on-farm practices.

These steps protect agriculture, ensure safe drinking water, and — when designed with modern

environmental standards — support fish, wildlife, and ecosystems.

Forests, Wildlife, and Wildfire

Overgrown forests and grasslands fuel massive fires that destroy homes, timber, watersheds,

and air quality for months. Proactive management is far cheaper and more effective than

endless suppression.

 

Greatly scale prescribed burns, mechanical thinning, and managed grazing to reduce

dangerous fuel loads across millions of acres.

Use selective, science-guided logging and rotational grazing to create rural jobs, improve

soil health, generate timber and beef revenue, and restore natural resilience.

Protect wildlife corridors and riparian zones so species like salmon and birds can thrive

alongside human activity.

Harden communities with defensible space, underground or fire-resistant power lines, and

early-warning systems — reducing smoke, healthcare costs, and insurance premiums for

everyone.

 

Energy

No modern economy runs without reliable, affordable power. California has made enormous

progress on renewables. The next step is making clean energy reliable 24/7 without blackouts or

extremely high bills.

 

Upgrade existing dams and reservoirs for more dependable hydroelectric power that

balances intermittent solar and wind.

Invest in large-scale storage, smarter transmission, and a diversified mix that includes

natural gas for peak demand and — where feasible — advanced nuclear and other firm

sources.

 

Prioritize efficiency and cost discipline so electricity rates move closer to the national

average, making electric vehicles, manufacturing, data centers, and homes more affordable.

 

A Future Worth Building

Imagine California in 2035:

Families pay reasonable power bills and experience far fewer smoke-filled summers.

Farmers have water security even in dry years and can plan with confidence.

Rural counties have good-paying jobs in timber, grazing, restoration, and tourism.

Businesses expand here instead of leaving, creating more opportunities for the next

generation.

Rivers, forests, and wildlife are healthier because we invested in active, science-based

management rather than relying on hope alone.

This is achievable with the tools, talent, and resources we already have. It requires cooperation

across regions and political lines, public-private partnerships, and the willingness to choose

practical solutions over prolonged debate.

 

California has solved hard problems before. We can do it again — together.

References

(accessed February 2026)

(accessed February 2026 – most are free PDFs on public websites)

California Department of Food and Agriculture. (2025). California Agricultural Statistics

Review 2023–2024.

www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). (2025). Water Supply and Demand in California.

ppic.org

California Natural Resources Agency & Department of Water Resources. (2026). Sites

Reservoir Project – Record of Decision & Project Status. water.ca.gov or sitesproject.org

CAL FIRE & California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Action Plan (annual updates 2024–

2026). fire.ca.gov and readyforwildfire.org

Legislative Analyst’s Office. (2025). The 2025–26 Budget: Wildfire and Forest Resilience.

lao.ca.gov

Tax Foundation. (2026). State Tax Competitiveness Index. taxfoundation.org

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation & Sites Project Authority. (2026). Final Environmental Impact

Report / Statement – Sites Reservoir. usbr.gov or sitesproject.org

California Energy Commission. (2025). California Energy Demand Forecast & Electricity

Rate Trends. energy.ca.gov

 

Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment & PPIC. (multiple years). Wildfire Economics

and Fuel Management Studies. woods.stanford.edu and ppic.org

 

Various state bond propositions (Prop 1 [2014], Prop 4 [2024]) and budget documents for

water and wildfire funding. sos.ca.gov and ebudget.ca.gov

 

USGS Water Resources References (added for deeper water context)

 

U.S. Geological Survey. (2025). Water Availability and Use in California – Overview and Recent

Trends. pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2025/xxxx (search USGS California water overview)

 

U.S. Geological Survey. (ongoing). National Water Information System (NWIS) – California

Streamflow, Groundwater Levels, and Snowpack Data.

waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis (real-time and historical data for rivers, wells, snow water

equivalent) Faunt, C. C., et al. (2016, updated 2023). Groundwater Availability of the Central Valley

Aquifer, California.

pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1766 (classic Central Valley groundwater report – still foundational)

U.S. Geological Survey. (2024–2026 updates). California Water Science Center –

Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and Delta–Mendota Canal reports.

ca.water.usgs.gov (search “Delta” or “San Joaquin” for recent fact sheets and data)

U.S. Geological Survey California Water Science Center. (2025). California Drought and

Precipitation Patterns – Historical and Projected.

ca.water.usgs.gov (search “drought” or “precipitation variability California”)

These USGS sources give the raw hydrological and geological facts — stream gauges, aquifer

storage changes, snowpack measurements — that form the physical reality behind water policy

discussions. They’re especially helpful for understanding the natural limits and opportunities that

any water plan (including off-stream storage, conveyance upgrades, or recharge) has to work

within.

Curtis Neil/Grok 4.0,  September 2025, February 2026