Local Government and Federalism: Why It Matters More Than Ever

How Local Government Provides Solutions for Communities

Federalism may seem complicated, but it's critical to our government structure. Essentially, it means that power is divided between national, state, and local governments. While the system is imperfect, it has many significant benefits, particularly for local government.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us the vital importance of local government. As different states responded differently to the pandemic, people had the choice to move to a state that better aligned with their values. We saw many Californians leaving big cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco to live entirely in smaller communities or even another state. These migration patterns highlighted the power of local governments to attract people to their communities.

One of the best features of the Federalist American experience is the ability to stay in the country but move to different areas or regions. Florida is a good example. Despite criticism for dropping mask mandates and reopening early, people who criticized Florida's actions had no problem vacationing there.

In Santa Clarita, we are often at the mercy of Los Angeles County, which is too big and out of touch to meet our needs adequately. As a result, the city handles many day-to-day functions like fixing streets, removing graffiti, and enforcing building codes. While these tasks may seem small, they are essential to our quality of life.

The Los Angeles County, Public Health Department, manages vastly different areas, from the high desert of Lancaster to beach communities like Long Beach. It's an impossible task, and the pandemic's consequences highlighted this. It's frustrating that Santa Clarita, located 56 miles from Long Beach, had to wait for its numbers to drop before easing restrictions. 

Sarcastic shout out to the Signal for printing every claim from the LA County Public Health Department and posting the tiniest change in covid numbers, a way to keep the community afraid of their own shadow. Is it too much for a newspaper to ask questions or to get skepticism of an incompetent county government?

The LA County Public Health Department's Barbara Ferrer planned to mask kids as late as the summer of 2022 despite pushback from the county's top doctor, Brad Spellberg. Throughout the pandemic, individuals claimed, "Are you a doctor? Are you a scientist?" while ignoring logic. Yet, here is Los Angeles County's top health bureaucrat arguing with the county's top doctor. It's hard to believe.

The county should respect the people in its various communities and allow them to make the best choices for their areas. However, one size only fits some, and top-down leadership only works in a diverse state like California. Instead, we must prioritize the power of local government and encourage people to get involved in their community to make a positive impact.

LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva made headlines during the pandemic for refusing to enforce mask mandates. People were angry at the time, but Villanueva was right not to waste his deputies' time responding to every "Karen" upset that someone wasn't wearing a mask in Whole Foods. Studies have shown that cloth masks are ineffective at keeping COVID away, and it's questionable whether mask mandates make much of a difference.

Meanwhile, LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl made headlines for voting to close restaurants and then going out to eat at one. This kind of behavior highlights the importance of having decision-makers who are in touch with the needs of our communities.

In summary, federalism is critical to our government's functioning, and local government is more important than ever. Our daily lives are more affected by our local government than who is in Washington DC. The pandemic has shown us that we must prioritize the power of local government and ensure that each community can make decisions that are best for them.