Fareed Zakaria Criticizes California Governance and Spending

In a recent segment, CNN host Fareed Zakaria delivered a pointed critique of California's governance, framing the state as a paradox of immense economic power coupled with a failing model for delivering basic services. Zakaria, in comments made on his show and in a social media post on June 14, argued that despite its wealth, talent, and natural assets, California is struggling with housing, education, and homelessness while its government spending has skyrocketed.

Zakaria characterized California's situation as a "successful economy attached to a failing model of governance." He cited fiscal data showing that since the year 2000, the state's population has grown by approximately 15 percent, but general state expenditures have increased by more than 200 percent, from $78 billion to about $248 billion. Per-person spending has risen from around $2,300 to roughly $6,300. He questioned whether residents feel government services have improved proportionally.

Housing was identified as the central policy failure. Zakaria referenced a Wall Street Journal analysis stating that from 2021 to 2024, the Los Angeles metro area issued only 118,000 building permits for new homes, while Atlanta,...