California ranks last place on an opportunity scale provided by U.S. News and World Report.
The state ranks #50 for affordability, although it is #17 for equality and #22 for economic opportunity.
According to the opportunity scale, the best state is Vermont, followed by Maine and Iowa.
Vermont ranks #10 for economic opportunity, #32 for affordability, and #1 for equality.
State Sen. Brian Dahle (R) told The Center Square, “California was the birthplace for opportunity where our ancestors came to seek a better life and pursue the California Dream. Housing, electricity, and gas continue to rise, and [Democrats’] solution is to tax, regulate, and mandate no matter the outcome.”
While California ranks last for opportunity, the Democratic-run states ranks no. 1 for illegal immigration.
The San Diego Border Patrol sector moved to the top spot for illegal crossings for the first time since the 1990s.
California’s low opportunity ranking comes as Governor Gavin Newsom (D) proposed cuts including $2 billion for broadband that would have helped to expand high-speed internet connections, $500 million for improving the state’s water storage system, and $272 million for improvements to employment services for California’s welfare system, among other things. The budget cuts are efforts to close the state’s $27.6 billion deficit.
Residents of the state will also be hit with a 50 cent per gallon gas tax as of July first.
This tax is separate from the state’s existing gas tax.
