Steve Hilton & Spencer Pratt: Fixing California, Cheaper Gas, Ballot Fraud & CA Republicans

California faces a deep governance crisis as Democratic Party dominance has entrenched an insular elite, leading to regulatory excess, unsustainable costs, and economic imbalance. The result is a political and economic system increasingly detached from the needs of ordinary residents.

One-party Rule Creates Insular Elite Disconnected From Needs

Steve Hilton and Spencer Pratt highlight that for the last 16 years, Democrats have controlled every major lever of power in California. This includes all eight statewide elected positions, a two-thirds majority in the state legislature, every large county and city, and a six-to-one Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court. Pratt notes, "the whole entire state is run by Democrats," making Republican influence negligible.

This monopoly on power creates a self-serving political machine, dominated by special interests, particularly unions, trial lawyers, and major donors. Hilton describes Sacramento as "one of the most corrupt systems anywhere in the country in terms of the power of the donors to the politicians who make the decisions, the unions, the trial lawyers." The ruling party prioritizes ideology and the interests of these groups over effective governance. Without meaningful political competition, the party in control amasses power with little accountability—historically, this one-party rule always ends with an elite more concerned with itself than with public responsibility.

Hilton criticizes the outcome: "He is exactly what the machine... wants, a puppet who will do the bidding of the unions and the trial lawyers and all these activists that have ruined the business climate in California, made everything more expensive."

Regulatory Accumulation and Mismanagement Made California Uncompetitive

California’s legislature in Sacramento passes around 1,100 bills each year, with 1,118 passed last year alone. This adds to a cumulative total of roughly 420,000 regulations, which Steve Hilton says are "twice my height" when printed out. These rules burden businesses and individuals, often drafted in the interests of narrow groups rather than the general public. Hilton contends, "nobody's reading this... it benefits them, but hurts everybody else."

Despite a doubling of the state budget over recent years, California ranks 50th out of 50 for business climate, according to Chief Executive Magazine’s long-standing survey. More spending hasn’t translated to improved governance or outcomes for residents.

The regulatory burden and mismanaged policies contribute directly to California suffering the highest poverty rate, highest unemployment rate, highest cost of living, and the most expensive housing market in the nation. Hilton summarizes, "That’s why people are leaving. They are leaving, millions of people leaving California, this beautiful place."

Yet, California’s natural advantages and a world-leading innovation ecosystem, especially in Silicon Valley, mask its systemic failures. David Sacks points out that Silicon Valley generates so much wealth and tax revenue that it allows the state to neglect sound governance—a "resource curse." Steve Hilton notes that, while California boasts the "fourth biggest economy in the world," this is largely driven by tech sector wealth and by counting big government spending in GDP. As a result, there has been virtually zero net job creation in the private sector since the pandemic.

Taxation and Fees Create Unsustainable Living Costs

Hilton and Pratt argue that California's tax and regulatory regime drives the cost of living to unsustainable levels. Homeownership remains out of reach for most residents, with a median home price of $900,000 and a median salary of $65,000.

Hidden taxes and fees increase the burden on residents. Hilton describes policies ...

Taxpayer-Funded Nonprofits Enable Drug Addiction Instead of Addressing Homelessness

Steve Hilton describes how, each day, four nonprofits converge in MacArthur Park to hand out crack pipes, needles, and drugs, including [restricted term]. He emphasizes that taxpayer money funds these activities; taxes are used to buy the supplies distributed by nonprofits directly to drug users. Chamath Palihapitiya and Spencer Pratt echo the concern, noting that the city’s resources are being appropriated for distributing [restricted term] needles.

A deeper issue emerges as Spencer Pratt reveals that one of the NGO workers distributing needles was caught by Bill Asaley also selling drugs on the side. This exposes a perverse incentive structure, where some individuals claim to manage drug addiction while participating in the illegal drug trade.

The policy implications are clear in downtown Los Angeles and areas like MacArthur Park, which Hilton describes as unsafe open-air drug markets with rampant, visible drug use. Public spaces are so overrun, according to Hilton, that they deter ordinary residents and have fundamentally changed the character of these neighborhoods.

Legalized Street Vending Unfairly Destroys Small Businesses

Steve Hilton points to a 2018 Sacramento law that legalized street vending across California and stripped cities and counties of enforcement authority over health codes and licensing for street vendors. As a result, legal, taxpaying businesses face competition with untaxed, unregulated street vendors. Hilton shares the example of a Latino couple who, after 14 years operating a spotless shoe store in South Central LA, are driven out of business because entire blocks are filled with vendors who don’t pay rent, taxes, or comply with any licensing requirements.

Spencer Pratt and Hilton highlight how mayoral policies in Los Angeles fail to enforce city laws: illegal food vendors are prioritized under the guise of aiding at-risk communities, while longstanding businesses are disregarded or shut down. Hilton further details how unlicensed f ...

This discussion highlights issues in California's election system, focusing on mail-in ballot procedures, ballot harvesting, voter roll maintenance, and inconsistencies in voter identification requirements. The participants argue that these policies create vulnerabilities which could undermine the integrity and auditability of elections.

Mail-In Ballot Procedures Enable Potential Non-technical Manipulation

California's Mail-In System Allows Unlimited, Unverified Witness Certification of Ballots Using any Mark

Spencer Pratt explains that in California’s mail-in voting system, the required witness verification for mail-in ballots is extremely lax. A “witness” for a ballot can sign with a smiley face, an X, any mark at all, and their signature is not checked or verified. There is no legal limitation on how many ballots a single witness can certify; it could be dozens of thousands, with Pratt noting that one person could witness to 43,000 ballots. He points out that there is no procedure to match a witness signature to a real person, making it easy for anyone to pose as a “witness” on potentially huge numbers of ballots.

Ballots Separated From Envelopes During Counting, Breaking Custody Chain, Making Specific Audits Impossible

Pratt details that, once received at the counting center, mail-in ballots are immediately separated from their envelopes. The envelope has the key identifiers and witness certification, but once this separation occurs, it's impossible to connect a particular ballot to its envelope. This effectively breaks the chain of custody. As Chamath Palihapitiya and Pratt agree, this makes a meaningful audit impossible: if a recount is demanded, officials simply recount the same ballots that have already been separated from their envelopes, so there is no way to trace suspicious ballots back to their original source or to the circumstances of their collection.

Disconnected Ballots Hinder Investigation or Recount

As a result of the disconnect between ballots and envelopes, if there are widespread issues in how ballots were completed or witnessed, there is no practical way to investigate specific ballots or correct invalid submissions. Pratt emphasizes that even if people know certain communities or organizations collected large numbers of ballots in questionable ways, election officials would have no practical method of segregating or excluding those ballots after they are mixed for tabulation.

Ballot Harvesting and Voter Roll Issues Enable Mass Vote Collection Opportunities

California Allows Ballot Harvesting by Partisan Groups

Both Pratt and David Friedberg discuss that California law explicitly allows ballot harvesting. Partisan groups or paid workers may legally collect unlimited numbers of ballots from voters and submit them for counting, as long as they aren’t paid per ballot. Door-knockers are permitted—and sometimes even recommended to make multiple contact attempts—to collect ballots in apartment buildings or other complexes. While aggressive solicitation would be illegal in certain contexts (like at the gym or near polling places), there are no restrictions on sustained ballot collection in residential buildings.

State Keeps Inflated Voter Rolls: Deceased, Moved, and Empty Parking Lot Addresses Receive Hundreds of Ballots

Pratt questions why California does not clear its voter rolls, stating that ballots are mailed to addresses where people have moved or died. Friedberg adds that hundreds of ballots have been sent to an empty parking lot in downtown LA, where people have registered legally or fraudulently. This allows for potentially vast numbers of “floating” ballots to be collected and returned by harvesters.

Harvested Ballots From Dubious Voter Entries Are Certifiable via Lax Witness Verification and Mailed As Legitimate Votes

Harvesters can gather ballots addressed to empty or in ...

California’s political landscape is witnessing a surge of reform-minded candidates challenging the entrenched power structures in Sacramento. Steve Hilton’s campaign, joined by grassroots voices like Spencer Pratt, aims to break through the dominance of special interests and revive California’s legacy of innovation and opportunity.

Steve Hilton's Campaign Challenges the Democratic Machine

Steve Hilton frames his campaign as a contest between “the people versus the machine,” targeting the interest groups, donor networks, and entrenched bureaucracies steering Sacramento policymaking. Hilton describes an initial 30-point primary gap between Republican and Democratic votes—65% for Democrats, 35% for Republicans. In the early general election polling, his deficit narrowed to 25 points, then 18, shrinking to just an 8-point gap. This trend signals a growing voter appetite for change despite resistance from the political establishment.

Polling data highlights a pivotal group: 26% of likely voters are working-class, non-college-educated Californians. Hilton notes these voters are primarily concerned with practical solutions to cost-of-living crises rather than partisan loyalty, making them receptive to reform platforms.

Spencer Pratt supports Hilton’s characterisation of Sacramento as not just a “machine,” but a “corrupt criminal mafia cartel.” He argues that powerful interests launder taxpayer money and perpetuate crises like homelessness, then rely on partisan fear tactics to suppress dissent or reform.

Reforms: Cut Waste, Reduce Regulations, Lower Family Costs

Hilton’s reform agenda is anchored by significant regulatory relief, cost-cutting measures, and targeted tax breaks for working families. His plan aims to reduce the number of state regulations from 420,000 to under 200,000 by the end of his first term—bringing California in line with more competitive states.

He proposes cancelling the costly high-speed rail project, a 10% reduction of state employees, a 5% efficiency improvement, and ending funding to nonprofits accused of worsening homelessness. To address everyday financial pressures, Hilton will cap vehicle registration fees at $73 per year—abolishing the DMV, which he sees as a symbol of bureaucratic excess. He frames the high fees as a hidden tax, noting that many Californians pay in excess of $800 or $900 per vehicle annually.

Hilton’s tax reform plan promises no state income tax on the first $150,000 of income, returning thousands of dollars to household budgets. On energy, he calls for pragmatic reforms: utilizing California’s own resources and removing "ridiculous, outdated" hidden taxes like the low-carbon fuel standard and the cap-and-invest program. Hilton claims these regulations add $1.50 per gallon to gas prices, and that policy changes could lower gas from $6 to $3 per gallon—directly benefiting working people.

Breaking the Political Machine Requires High Voter Turnout and Persuading Non-aligned Democrats

The campaign’s ability to break the Democratic machine’s grip depends on robust voter turnout, especially among independents and disenchanted Democrats. Both Hilton and Pratt stress that many Democrats are open to voting for reform candidates under one-party rule, but are often held back by a sense of party loyalty or fear of betrayal—an attitude prevalent in California's political culture. Hilton points out that of the 26% up-for-grabs in polls, most have previously voted Democrat but are not committed and are persuadable.

Spencer Pratt’s own candidacy exemplifies this dynamic. Authentic messaging focused on truth-telling and deteriorating conditions resonated, especially with Democrats, ...