"Spotlight on rural California" (Part II): Defying rural stereotypes

I wrote last week about the Public Policy Institute of California's "Spotlight on rural California" event, and I am circling back now to provide more information about what was discussed there.  I want to highlight how the rural politicians who participated in these events defied certain rural stereotypes--in particular the stereotype of buy-in to conspiracy theories, complete antipathy to the federal government, and denial of climate change.  

James Gallagher of Yuba City, the Assembly minority leader who has made himself a vocal foe of Governor Gavin Newsom, for example, was insistent that climate change is "aggravating" environmental challenges facing rural California.  He resisted, however, the notion that climate change is "causing" these environmental challenges, e.g., early snow melt, flooding, and wildfires.  This seems like a minor semantic distinction to me--that is, if climate change is aggravating environmental challenges then it is causing them to a degree.  (As a historical note in support of his position, Gallagher noted that California's worst flood occurred in the late 19th century, before the era of industrialization).  But "aggravating" is something--it's not denial.  And regarding that aggravation, Gallagher talked sensibly about managing forests because they are the fuel for wildfires.  

Gallagher also talked about failing rural hospitals, a problem he said is made worse by the recent increase in the health care minimum wage, from which Newsom has since backed off.  Gallagher also noted that rural hospitals are struggling because of low Medicare reimbursement rates.  At the same time, he praised what can only be called government subsidies for health care delivery, citing in particular Federally Qualified Healthcare Clinics (FQHC) and Indian Health Services as "vital."  Given federal support for both FQHC and Indian Health Services, it's indisputable that Gallagher was crediting the U.S. government--not exactly a position associated with the most extreme anti-government positions.  

I'd put state Senator Shannon Grove of Bakersfield in the same category as Gallagher.  I've associated her with the right side of the culture wars, but when it came to being an advocate for rural California and her district in particular, she was pragmatic.  Grove gave a brief spiel--I'll stop short of calling it a rant--when asked about the COVID-19 pandemic as setback and opportunity.  She criticized government regulations and the impact they had on businesses and on students' educational progress, both fair critiques to my mind, especially with the aid of hindsight.  She also stated clearly that the pandemic was "real," perhaps specifically aiming to put the cabash on conspiracy theories that the pandemic was a government-generated myth to justify controlling people.  

All of this is to say that the PPIC event on California left me thinking our state is less polarized than I'd previously thought.