Policy Priorities

  • Easing the COST OF LIVING and Doing Business in California

  • Emphasizing PUBLIC SAFETY for All California Families

  • Tapping into Unparalleled ENERGY Capacity

  • Putting Parents in the Driver’s Seat of their Kids’ EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE

  • Ensuring that CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS are Fair and Secure

Download America First California Summary

California embodies the pioneering spirit that anything is possible and that ours is a country of boundless hope and opportunity. This is what drove men and women past the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on covered wagons and against all odds, toward this land of milk and honey. The land itself began to represent something unconquerable in the human spirit, something that was uniquely and undeniably American.

Later still, drawn by stories of gold speckling the riverbeds, small towns started to form among old Spanish outposts. Orange groves crept up the coast. Trains and automobiles arrived, and oil derricks began to appear. Earthquakes came, but the brave people of California rebuilt. The cities grew bigger and wider and the freeways broader, and the people, with the horrors of two world wars behind them, sought warmth and the ocean. This time, they were driven by different dreams, but the indomitable American spirit was still at the heart of them.

And yet, at some point in the last 40 years, California lost its way. Unfortunately, burdensome regulations, crippling taxes, high energy costs, and even higher crime rates have become the norm. And sadly, departing businesses and abandoned storefronts now mark what was once the land of plenty. On top of all this, California is now witnessing an increasingly intolerant culture war waged against those who do not subscribe to certain ideologies.

Based on the belief that there is still hope for turning things around, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a nonprofit, non-partisan research institute that educates lawmakers and the American public on the policies that put America first, has founded a state chapter in California. Building on AFPI’s America First Agenda, AFPI-California is committed to the renewal of California. By embracing the policies that helped build California’s economy, this state can once again experience a bright new chapter.

Team

Mike Garcia

Chairman, America First California

June Cutter

Executive Director, America First California

Latest

Op-Ed | August 18, 2025

After Years of Neglect, Southern California Is Finally Secure from Border Threats

After four years of chaos, President Trump’s border policies are finally generating relief at the Southwest border. In the entire month of June, Border Patrol's San Diego Sector encountered 895 aliens attempting to cross the border illegally. Compare this to June 2024, when Border Patrol encountered 25,612 illegal aliens in the San Diego Sector. This represents a historic 97 percent decrease in just one year.

Op-Ed | August 1, 2025

Fueling Poverty, Not Progress: Why Extending Cap and Trade to 2045 Is a Bad Deal

As President Donald Trump champions a “big, beautiful” economic revival, California’s cap-and-trade program stands as a stark reminder of legacy policies that burden everyday Americans for no clear gain. This system, which forces oil companies to buy emission allowances to cover the carbon emissions from the fuel they sell, drives gasoline prices to punishing heights. This hits (you guessed it) working-class Californians the hardest. But just as America stands at the precipice of economic revival after four hard years, some advocates say it’s time to extend cap-and-trade policies. I couldn’t disagree more – it’s time to reject this flawed approach that “enriches” the state at the expense of its people.
Op-Ed | July 25, 2025

It’s Time to Derail California’s High-Speed Rail Boondoggle

President Trump’s recent decision to terminate $4 billion in unspent federal funding for California’s high-speed rail project is more than a policy shift, it’s a long-overdue act of accountability for taxpayers. For years, this project has been a case study in government mismanagement, with billions spent, no track laid, and no end in sight.
Op-Ed | July 16, 2025

‘Green’ Regulations Could Be the End of the Road for California Drivers

Remember the California dream? Golden sunshine, endless opportunity, and a car to take you there. For many, that dream now sputters to a halt at the gas station, with prices that feel like a punch to the gut. We’re told it’s a complex global issue and that greedy oil companies are at fault. Meanwhile, across most of the country the average gasoline prices have dropped to the lowest levels in roughly four years—suggesting that California’s far higher prices are self-inflicted. Indeed, a significant part of this pain is homegrown, a direct result of state policies like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). And with recently implemented new rules, the already crushing burden on California families and businesses could send prices soaring towards an unthinkable eight dollars per gallon. This isn’t just about fuel; it’s about our ability to live and thrive.
Op-Ed | July 2, 2025

The Only ‘Kings’ in California Are Progressive Political Elites

California’s political elites embody the phrase “do as I say, not as I do.” They pride themselves on pushing the envelope beyond the insane in the name of acceptance, peace, and equality. However, they are always the first to promote discrimination, inequality and the last to condemn political violence. The true “kings” of California are the uni-party that has choked our state of economic growth, responded with militant force to COVID-19, and bankrupted our people with an endless array of tax-and-spend schemes disguised as “progress.”

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