WHEREAS, California should prioritize policies that support safe communities, affordable housing, accessible high-quality health care, quality education, economic opportunity, individual liberty, and a government that is accountable to the people; and

WHEREAS, Rising housing costs, inflation, and concerns about crime and public disorder have placed significant burdens on working families, seniors, small businesses, and communities throughout California; and

WHEREAS, Public policy should promote economic growth, fiscal responsibility, effective public institutions, and the protection of individual liberty while ensuring taxpayer resources are used efficiently; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, governments organized around Marxist-Leninist and other socialist ideologies have, in numerous instances, evolved into authoritarian regimes characterized by the concentration of political and economic power, suppression of civil liberties, and widespread human rights abuses; and

WHEREAS, Historians estimate that tens of millions of people perished under communist regimes through famine, political repression, forced labor, and state-sponsored violence in countries that include the former Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China under Mao Zedong, Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, North Korea, Cuba, and, more recently, Venezuela; and

WHEREAS, These historical experiences demonstrate the dangers of concentrating excessive economic and political power in government at the expense of individual liberty, private enterprise, constitutional governance, and democratic accountability; and

WHEREAS, America’s constitutional system is founded upon the principles of individual liberty, private property, free enterprise, limited government, and the rule of law, principles championed by the nation’s founders and embodied in the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is advancing policy positions advocating for the expansion of governmental control over the economy, including the seizure of private property, the governmental takeover of certain economic sectors, and unsustainable levels of public spending—positions inconsistent with the principles of limited government, free enterprise, and individual property rights. DSA advocates for the abolition of police and prisons, policies that threaten public safety and undermine law and order in our communities; and

WHEREAS, The Senate finds that many of these proposals would risk increasing the tax burden on working families and employers, discourage private investment, reduce economic competitiveness, and make it more difficult to address California’s affordability crisis; and

WHEREAS, The Senate believes affordability is best achieved by expanding the supply of housing, streamlining permitting, reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers, encouraging job creation, promoting responsible fiscal management, and supporting policies that enable Californians to keep more of their earnings; and

WHEREAS, The Senate further believes that public safety is a core responsibility of government and that effective law enforcement, accountability throughout the criminal justice system, support for victims of crime, and evidence-based crime prevention strategies are essential to safe and thriving communities; now, therefore, be it