Poor California. Its politicians thought they were declaring war on the federal government, but now the state is embroiled in a war with itself, as at least one county has said enough is enough with the scourge of being part of a sanctuary state for criminal illegal immigrants.

“Orange County will now join a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that argues California’s SB-54, which restricts local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in matters related to undocumented immigrants, is unconstitutional,” United Press International reported.

California’s Democrats don’t like President Trump, so they decided to punish their own citizens by becoming a “sanctuary state.” The sponsor of the legislation made his impetus clear, stating: “California is building a wall – a wall of justice – against President Trump’s xenophobic, racist and ignorant immigration policies.”

When Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill that transformed California into a haven for illegal immigrant criminals, California State Sheriffs’ Association President Bill Brown said that as the result of the new law, “people who are chronic or serial criminals that just haven’t risen to a particular level of crime yet are going to go back out into the community, and people are going to be victimized.”

• It’s now undeniable that liberal policies have destroyed the quality of life in one of our most beautiful states.

[….]

If the chaos surrounding the protection of criminal illegal immigrants wasn’t enough, Californians are dealing with the results of Proposition 47, which was passed by the voters in 2014. Californians were told the measure would allow them to put fewer people in jail and save the state tens of millions of dollars, which could be invested in diversion programs. In other words, the state decriminalized certain drug and property crimes.

Instead of rainbows and unicorns, what actually happened was a disaster.

“Proposition 47 downgraded a variety of ‘non-serious, nonviolent crimes’ that had previously been considered felonies to misdemeanors…. A thief may now steal something under (a $950 limit) on a daily basis and it will never rise to felony status.… In the event that a perpetrator is pursued and apprehended, the consequence can be a small fine or a brief stay in jail. In reality, these repercussions are rare,” reported National Review.

“Outrage in these circumstances is apolitical…. ‘Every bicycle in our building has been stolen,’ says Karen Burns, president of a San Francisco condo association. ‘I’ve caught so many people stealing packages. They don’t care. They know nothing will happen to them. It’s crazy. It’s horrible. I feel like these people need to go to jail.’”

Proposition 47 also downgraded personal use of illegal drugs to misdemeanor status. The result is the destruction of any semblance of safety and quality of life. In San Francisco, National Review notes: “Now more than ever, residents and merchants are living with a proliferation of addicts who roll up their sleeves, inject, and then nod off on the sidewalks or careen down the street and into traffic.… Why not shoot up wherever you want, leave bloody syringes in piles, steal, and deal when there are few if any consequences?”

With policy like this, it wasn’t a surprise when the FBI reported in September that violent crime was up in California for the second straight year. Housing and wage crises are also gripping the used-to-be Golden State.

It’s now undeniable that liberal policies have destroyed the quality of life in one of our most beautiful states. This isn’t hyperbole, it’s an objective assessment by US News and World Report’s “Best States” ranking, which places California dead last in the “Quality of Life” category.

Not at all distracted by the dumpster fire their policies have created – including explosions in homelessness, drug abuse, crime, and criminal illegal immigrants enjoying state protection – California’s Democrats have decided their next big mission is to sue the federal government over the citizenship question being included again on the U.S. census form.

In addition to a lower census count possibly costing California a seat in the House of Representatives, Newsweek reported that California’s attorney general complained “that depressed participation (in the census by illegal immigrants) would ‘deprive California and its cities and counties of their fair share of billions of dollars in federal funds.’” 

And with that, we finally found something California liberals want from the federal government – everyone else’s money.