Califailure: Reversing the Ruin of America's Worst-Run State

Steve Hilton tackles the (literally) burning question: What will it take to save California?

California is a ""model for the nation,"" Governor Gavin Newsom keeps telling us. ""We're following a formula for success."" In Califailure, Hilton compellingly captures exactly where this far-left experiment has gone fundamentally—catastrophically—wrong.

Great cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland collapsed into squalor as crime and homelessness were allowed to explode. The state that used to pride itself as the home of innovation and opportunity became the state with the worst rate of poverty, highest unemployment, and most hostile business climate in America—as well as the highest taxes.

How did this happen, and what is needed to turn things around? Hilton identifies the nine key ""pathologies""—from Elitism to Cronyism to Narcissism—that define the ideology at the heart of California's decline. And he lays out a comprehensive program of policy reform (""CaliFuture"") that will restore the Golden State to its rightful place as the very best of America.

Californians are starting to wake up from the long and fitful nightmare. In 2024 far-left politicians were removed from leadership positions in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Proposition 36, which in the words of its proponents ""makes crime illegal again,"" passed overwhelmingly with majorities in every county.

Califailure is what happens when Democrats get everything they want. Increasingly, it's not what Californians want. This book explains why America must reject it, too.

© 2025 HarperAudio (Audiobook): 9780063390485

Release date

Audiobook: 25 March 2025