"California was once proof that the American Dream was real. A state millions traveled to in search of making a better life for themselves. Today, that dream is gone, but we can get it back."
- Author
Philip Mauriello Jr.
From the Gold Rush to the Great Exodus
For over a century, California was America's proving ground — the place where ordinary people built extraordinary lives. Then something changed.
The Gilded State traces California's rise and fall through the lens of policy, politics, and the real people left behind — a meticulously researched narrative that asks the question every Californian is thinking but few dare to say out loud.
Attorney and political commentator Phil Mauriello Jr. delivers both the diagnosis and the remedy.