Commentary In 1965, The Mamas and The Papas released “California Dreamin,” one of the most iconic pop songs of the 20th century. The chorus, both infectious and instantly recognizable, has the singer envisaging the safety and warmth of L.A. Longing to leave the cold weather behind, the vocalist finds himself “dreaming” of California. Fast forward a half century, and the Californian dream has turned into a nightmare. The Golden State finds itself in a sorry state; now, an increasing number of people are dreaming of leaving California behind. Once a bastion of freedom, the state has devolved into something truly tragic—with delusional policies, a fixation on socialist reforms, rising levels of unemployment, and a huge housing crisis. As the author Joel Kotkin recently noted, with Gavin Newsom safe “and the Democrats ever more dependent on their public sector union allies (who helped mightily with the recall), expect new initiatives to drive out business.” …