California Ministry of Truth: Gov. Newsom’s Commission on the State of Hate

In April 2022, the Biden administration announced it had created the Disinformation Governance Board – its own Ministry of Truth – a part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Americans from all walks of life were horrified.

The Biden administration made very clear through the creation of the Disinformation Governance Board/Ministry of Truth that political opponents were to be considered enemies of the state. It’s purpose was to inhibit and/or impede any speech that challenges the President or the Democrat Party.

Fortunately for the potential enemies of the state, the board’s executive director and disinformation czar Nina Jankowicz had already beclowned herself in videos that went viral, also demonstrating her stunning bias and partisanship.

“I want to be rich, famous, and powerful! Step on all my enemies and never do a thing,” Jankowicz sang in the clip from 2015, the New York Post reported. “Who do I f—k to be famous and powerful? I’ve done everything I can and now the rest is up to you,” her version of “My Simple Christmas Wish (Rich, Famous, and Powerful)” went. “Another cringeworthy video of her emerged on TikTok adapting the ‘Mary Poppins’ classic ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ into a song about fake news and disinformation.”

Within three weeks the Biden Disinformation Governance Board was shut down, and many Americans heaved a sigh of relief.

However, another such board was already taking shape, but this one in California. “Governor Gavin Newsom today announced his appointments to the Commission on the State of Hate,” the Governor’s press release said Tuesday.

“Created by legislation the Governor signed last year and established in the 2022 Budget Act, the Commission will assess data on hate crimes in California, provide resources for victims, and make policy recommendations to better protect civil rights.”

Even the First Partner weighed in on California’s Ministry of Truth:

“As we work together toward a more just and equitable society, good policy – like today’s executive order – will go a long way to shifting workplace cultures, as well as the hearts and minds of the workforce,” said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “For this reason, we are intentionally embedding equity into the mission and practices of state agencies and departments – a critical model for private sector employers as well. Today’s order will advance our shared goal of providing women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, and other marginalized communities what they need at work to grow and thrive in and out of the workplace.”

The bill, AB 1126 by Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa. Monica), “establishes the Commission on the State of Hate to address a disturbing national increase in hate crimes and hate incidents. The bills aims to develop a commission that can fill in the gaps to current hate crime reporting by working with community and academic partners to improve hate crime and hate incident reporting to help the commission identify trends in California,” according to an early analysis of the bill.

The bill was heard in legislative committees starting March 2021, until it was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Newsom October 2021 – when the California Legislature was still operating remotely for Covid; few members of the public were invited to participate, or were even aware of such a bill.

And Assembly Republicans, judging from the voting record, appeared loathe to show opposition and abstained, lest the Democrats and media attack them for being hateful, homophobic and racist. Senate Republicans mostly cast “no” votes on the bill.

The California Attorney General  will “develope local data collection programs and submit hate crime statistics annually. These statistics include the number of hate crime events, hate crime offenses, victims of hate crimes, and suspects of hate crimes.”

But this new Commission on the State of Hate didn’t stop there.

“Following his appointments to the Commission on the State of Hate today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced additional action to build on California’s leadership in expanding opportunity and justice for all,” a second press release said Tuesday. 

“In California, we recognize that our incredible diversity is the foundation for our state’s strength, growth and success – and that confronting inequality is not just a moral imperative, but an economic one,” said Governor Newsom. “Our state has made great strides in redressing historic wrongs and stubborn disparities, but we know that much work remains to tackle the barriers that hold back too many Californians and undermine our collective prosperity. California won’t shy away from this challenge – with today’s action, our state is doubling down on the ongoing work to make the California Dream a reality for every one of us.”

Apparently the state will be “providing women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, and other marginalized communities what they need at work to grow and thrive in and out of the workplace.”

California isn’t exactly the old Jim Crow South. People of color, the disabled, women and LGBTQ people live, work and thrive throughout the state without prejudice, perhaps more than any state in the country, as our politicians repeatedly say during campaign season.

Can it be that this just isn’t so? Is California really this hate-filled?

Gov. Newsom’s executive order also establishes the state’s first Racial Equity Commission.

“The Commission, developed with Senator Dr. Richard Pan and the racial equity organizations that sponsored SB 17, will produce a Racial Equity Framework consisting of resources and tools to promote racial equity and address structural racism. More broadly, the Commission will recommend tools, methodologies and opportunities to advance racial equity, and will be available to provide direct assistance to state agencies in reviewing and updating policies and practices upon request.”

Sen. Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), is also the author of SB 1018, which will “address the amplification of misinformation and disinformation on online platforms by requiring platforms to publicly disclose how their algorithms work and to share data for research purposes.”

Do Californians really have the stomach for such destructive twaddle?