The Golden State
“Just Thinking”
Let’s talk California this week and a couple things that are on my mind.
Starting with the Giants. While it hasn’t been a full-on June Swoon, the Giants have gone 12–11 this month. Still, they’ve struggled at the plate and have suffered injuries to key players, keeping the I-80 commute between Sacramento and San Francisco busy with call-ups. Just two weeks ago, we were a game behind the “D” words today, they’re six and a half games back, and half a game behind the Padres and heading in the wrong direction.
You can’t talk about the 2025 Giants without mentioning two big moves: the off-season signing of Justin Verlander, and this month’s trade with the Red Sox for Rafael Devers.
In a scramble to fill the void left by Blake Snell’s departure to our So Cal rivals, the Giants signed the 42-year-old Verlander to a one-year deal. San Francisco is responsible for about $8–10 million of his salary, with the Mets and Astros covering the rest. But here’s the amazing part: Verlander is 0–5 in 12 starts, marking the longest winless start to a season in Giants history. Despite logging 61.2 innings with a 4.52 ERA and 52 strikeouts, he’s carrying a career-high WHIP of 1.41.
On June 15, the Giants made a bold move, trading for Rafael Devers, a power-hitting DH and corner infielder. With Matt Chapman sidelined and the lineup starved for offense, the Giants pulled the trigger. Devers made an immediate impact—going 2-for-5 with an RBI double in his debut on June 17 and launching his first Giants home run on June 21.
We’re now at the halfway point, 81 games in, 81 to go, leaving plenty of time to right the ship. If you told us at the start of the year, we’d be 44–37 at the halfway point, we would have taken it. As we roll out of June and into the dog days of summer, let’s face it, it’s more fun when the G-men are in the hunt.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to travel to several states. And every time I come home; I’m reminded that we live in the most beautiful part of the most beautiful state in the country. From our majestic mountains to the Pacific Ocean, Lake Tahoe, Lake Shasta, the Sacramento River, the Delta, and the San Francisco Bay, Northern California is unmatched. This could truly be the greatest place to live in the world… if only we had a few honest guardians guiding us.
We will all be seeing higher gas prices starting July 1, as two state policies take effect. First, the state's gas excise tax will increase, already the highest gas tax in the nation, at the same time, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is rolling out stricter rules under its Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which requires fuel producers to cut the carbon emissions from their products more sharply than before. To meet these targets, companies will need to blend in more expensive clean fuels or buy emissions credits with the costs to be passed on to us the drivers. While the rest of the countries gas prices are going down, continue to climb, make this make sense.
I wrote this short poem a few years ago:
The Golden State ain't Golden anymore.
Dregs and unfortunates spewed across the floor.
The welcome mat is on proud display,
Free health care for all is what they say.
The Golden State ain't Golden anymore.
Go west young man Greeley once said,
Go west and grow up with the country.
Opportunity is knocking at your door
The Pacific Ocean lapping at your shore
Beaches, mountains and trees galore
Beauty abounds waiting to explore.
The Golden Hind, the Golden Gate, The Golden Hills, the Golden State.
The Golden State ain't Golden anymore.
Let me know what you think.
@ChuckBarberini - #ChuckBarberiniRealEstate - @ChuckBarberiniRealEstate
@Golden_State_Guide_Service - @Citizen.Number.One
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