Something about a bankrupt home goods store calling out the Golden State has left California’s political elite scrambling—and the chaos might be exactly what we’ve come to expect from a state that treats job creators like enemies.
Bed Bath & Beyond, or rather its newly rebranded parent company, just made a move that sent shockwaves through the liberal establishment: it publicly declared that it has zero interest in doing business in California ever again. Not now, not later. Not even for appearances.
The statement came straight from CEO Marcus Lemonis, who didn’t bother with corporate fluff or political tightrope-walking. His words were blunt: California is simply too overregulated, too expensive, and too hostile for any sane business to operate in. No stores. No leases. No plan to ever return.
And it’s not hard to see why. Lemonis laid it all out—crushing taxes, mandated wage hikes, and an endless thicket of regulations that make it nearly impossible to employ workers or serve customers without losing your shirt. For a company trying to rebuild after bankruptcy, the math just doesn’t add up in the Golden State. So they’re out.
Rather than address the legitimate concerns from a national brand, Governor Gavin Newsom chose the only move left in his increasingly shallow playbook: mockery. With the finesse of a moody teenager, Newsom jumped on X and posted a snide one-liner dismissing the company entirely. “The company that already went bankrupt and closed every store across the country two years ago? Ok.” That’s it. That’s the leadership. Sarcasm and eye-rolling in the face of economic decline.
The company that already went bankrupt and closed every store across the country two years ago? Ok. https://t.co/lW43NTBeEc
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 20, 2025
But not everyone in California politics is playing along with the governor’s smug dismissal. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan—also a Democrat—seemed to recognize that when a company with name recognition publicly blacklists your state, maybe it’s time to start listening. Mahan called the situation “serious” and said California needs to stop shooting itself in the foot. He even had the nerve to suggest that cities like his are trying to clean up the mess Sacramento keeps making. That was enough to trigger Newsom’s communications team into full attack mode.
This is serious — we are shooting ourselves in the foot and we need to acknowledge that. San Jose is open for business, we’re doing everything we can to make it easier for our employers to succeed. I hope the rest of the state follows suit. Looking forward to seeing how our… https://t.co/LnHfTJbAsc
— Mayor Matt Mahan (@MattMahanSJ) August 20, 2025
Izzy Gardon, the governor’s spokesperson, fired back with an insult so sharp it bordered on personal. He said the company was just seeking attention and accused Mahan of falling for a PR stunt. Then, to drive the knife deeper, he reminded everyone that San Jose ranks 99th out of 100 major U.S. cities for business climate—just one step above Washington, D.C. And yes, he brought the receipts in the form of a screenshot. Because that’s what California leadership has been reduced to: trolling their own mayors with headlines and Twitter dunks while the rest of the country watches jobs and companies flee the state.
This isn’t just an embarrassing episode between political rivals. It’s a window into a state government unraveling under the weight of its own arrogance. Newsom, who once styled himself as the progressive torchbearer of the nation, is now reduced to clapping back at failed retailers while 1 million Californians remain out of work. He isn’t fixing the system—he’s circling the drain, unable or unwilling to confront the ugly reality that businesses are sick of being strangled by California’s tax-happy, regulation-obsessed bureaucracy.
Bed Bath & Beyond Executive Chairman Marcus Lemonis pushes back on Gavin Newsom’s attacks after the company announced it will not open any stores in California:
“Well, I think the thing that was surprising to me was that I tried to articulate, in a non-aggressive way, exactly… pic.twitter.com/Kh6979ACUA
— Sean Hannity
(@seanhannity) August 21, 2025
(@seanhannity) The cracks are getting harder to paper over. This isn’t a one-off incident. It’s part of a broader trend: companies leaving, voters getting fed up, and even fellow Democrats beginning to distance themselves from the state’s economic policies. When mayors have to publicly challenge their own governor just to defend job creators, you know the wheels are coming off.
The truth? Newsom’s house of cards is wobbling. Fast. And no amount of smug social media posts is going to stop the slow-motion economic exodus.
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