Actor Frank Stallone sounds off on the 'filthy' state of California
Actor-musician Frank Stallone says California is past its glory days and reveals the safety precautions he now takes in Los Angeles.
EXCLUSIVE - Actor-musician Frank Stallone remembers the glory days of California when the state lived up to the iconic The Mamas & the Papas' song "California Dreamin,'" but he suggested those lyrics are now long forgotten due to rampant crime and "filth."
"I came to California in '79 and it was totally – it was California Dreamin', and I wasn't even in the best time," Stallone told Fox News Digital. "No, it was a lot better earlier... but it was real California sunny, you know? Cool. Not much crime. And I drove through downtown – I had to do something yesterday. And the filth, the graffiti and the homelessness is almost like that movie 'Escape from New York.' I mean, it's that scary. I mean, I batten down the window, locks... You're talking trash piled four feet high. Just filth."
"Escape from New York," starring Kurt Russell, centers on a concluding war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union as Manhattan is converted into a giant maximum security prison. In its sequel, "Escape from L.A.," the president of the United States bans all citizens who don't conform to his conservative views to Los Angeles, which became an island after an earthquake.
The city of Los Angeles. ((Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images))
Stallone said that California is a beautiful state, but it's been ruined by poor leadership, from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to Gov. Gavin Newsom. He had particular ire for Newsom's priorities after the governor announced his new podcast, "This Is Gavin Newsom."
"I think it's like 'In Living Color,'" Stallone said. "I think this guy is so transparent. He's so phony. He's a terrible speaker. The hands and the hair and everything. He's just set up to be made fun of, you know what I mean? And he's a bad governor."
Both Newsom and Bass were condemned for how they handled – or mishandled – the devastating wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area and claimed almost 30 lives and thousands of homes in early 2025.
Bass, for her part, was questioned by reporters about why she was abroad in Ghana while the blazes were raging. Bass was on a trip to Africa for the swearing-in of Ghana’s president when the Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and got back into the city on Jan. 8.
While Bass and her office said that she was in constant communication with officials during that time, a recent Los Angeles Times report found that her text messages from that time no longer exist.
"And I don't know, why are you in Ghana? Hello? What's that have to do with being the mayor of Los Angeles?" Stallone mused.
Bass did admit her Africa trip was a mistake.
"Absolutely it is, and I think that I have to demonstrate that every day by showing what we're doing, what is working, what are the challenges," Bass told NBC Los Angeles when asked if she’s trying to "regain confidence."
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From right, Mayor Karen Bass and Chief Recovery Officer Steve Soboroff discuss recovery efforts during a press conference in Pacific Palisades on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Drew A. Kelley/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images)
Stallone went on to say that he believes Bass used fired fire chief Kristin Crowley as a "scapegoat" because it was obvious the Santa Ana winds were on their way.
"You know, when you have 70-mile-an-hour winds, and you've had a drought, that is kind of a recipe for disaster," he said.
Stallone warned the city to get its act together before it's set to host the Summer Olympics in 2028.
"I don't think it's a great representation for the Olympics," he said. "It's not a good look. It's really terrible."
Stallone said he wants to see Rick Caruso, a Los Angeles real estate developer, run for governor. He previously ran an unsuccessful campaign against Karen Bass for mayor in 2022.
"I just I think our leadership is really bad," he said. "I hope Rick Caruso runs for governor. He'd be a fantastic governor. You know, he's a builder. He's a visionary. You know, he's one of those type guys. And I think it'd be really good."
Caruso also blasted Bass for her actions during the wildfires.
"There's no water in the Palisades. There's no water coming out of the fire hydrants. This is an absolute mismanagement by the city. Not the firefighters' fault, but the city's," Caruso told Fox11 Los Angeles.
"We have got a mayor that is out of the country, and we have got a city that is burning, and there is no resources to put out fires," Caruso added. "It looks like we're in a third-world country here."
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The LA28 team poses with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, and Team USA athletes as the Olympic Flag arrives to LA on August 12, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for LA28)
Additionally, Stallone wants to see the homeless encampments cleaned up immediately, and for the city to return to a mindset of crime and punishment.
"You've just got to move them out," he said. "No more of these Winnebagos parked for months on the curb. You know, we got to move. No more pitching tents on sidewalks where people can't walk. No more pitching tents in front of people's houses. I mean, when I was going down to the gym, it was so compacted with homeless people. The stench – also that that type of unsanitariness breeds you know... All kinds of bad stuff… There's a lot of human excrement. It's just terrible."
"And the sad thing is, I see guys that are in better shape than me that are young, standing there begging around the corner," Stallone continued. "Why don't you go out and get a job? You know, I just – I really don't want to pay for that. I mean, yes, there are some people that are mentally ill, I get it. They should be getting help somewhere, but we could create a lot of jobs. This city is filthy. We said, listen, we'll put you to work. You can be on a road crew, help clean up the city. You can make a few bucks."
The beauty of the Golden State, he concluded, is being obscured by poor policies and even worse leadership.
"I mean, this is such a beautiful state," he said. "Beautiful. We got the mountains, we got snow, we got the ocean. We've got everything. It's just run wrong…. I mean, the crime. It's just ridiculous. You know, $900 you can steal and nothing happens. But that, to me, is I'm lost on that one. You know, when I was a kid, you stole a candy bar, you get a kick in the butt."
Stallone's mention of $900 in theft refers to the state's Proposition 47. Prop 47 made several crimes, including shoplifting, grand theft and receiving stolen property, a misdemeanor instead of a felony if the value of the property did not exceed $950, "unless the defendant had prior convictions of murder, rape, certain sex offenses, or certain gun crimes." It also lowered the penalty for the personal use of most illegal drugs below a certain weight.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Bass' office and Governor Newsom's office for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Fox News' Greg Wehner, Jamie Joseph, Stephen Sorace and Elizabeth Heckman contributed to this report.