Is he twelve? Bed Bath & Beyond has recovered and is opening brick and mortar stores across the U.S for the first time in three years. Except in California. And the company is very clear as to the reasons why.

Bed Bath & Beyond on Wednesday said it will not open stores or operate in California as it issued a scathing rebuke of the state’s intense lefty policies.

Marcus Lemonis, executive chairman of Bed Bath & Beyond, said the decision “isn’t about politics – it’s about reality.”

“California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive and risky environments for businesses in America,” he said in a press release.

“The result? Higher taxes, higher fees, higher wages that many businesses simply cannot sustain, and endless regulations that strangle growth.”

Lemonis is correct. Why would anyone want to open a brick & mortar business in California given their insane regulatory climate? Businesses are penalized for opening, for hiring or not hiring enough people, for not paying employees enough, and for not paying enough “fees” to stave off climate change. Yes, really. And that’s just the short version of what California’s regulatory and tax everything that moves or breathes environment is. 

Major businesses are shutting their doors in California. Chevron, HP, Oracle, Tesla, SpaceX, In-N-Out Burger…and many more. Gavin Newsom is now begging oil companies to NOT leave the state and NOT shut down their oil refineries, even though the regulations he and the Democrats champion are responsible for them wanting to pull up stakes and leave. California can brag about the state having the 4th largest GDP in the country, but an adversarial business climate and a massive deficit tell a different story. 

Bed Bath & Beyond is coming back after going into bankruptcy in 2023. It’s a very practical business decision to NOT open a store in a regulatory climate that would have the company operating at a loss from the very start. 

Gavin Newsom doesn’t see it that way, and his press office issued this snide response, thankfully NOT in all-caps

After their bankruptcy and closure of every store, like most Americans, we thought Bed, Bath & Beyond no longer existed. 

We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a 2nd store. https://t.co/jJt6i5icEx

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 20, 2025

Aren’t they just too cute for words? Newsom’s office missed the point by a wide country mile. Instead of taking a step back and thinking…hmmm? How can we make this work so that this company will open a new brick and mortar store here? They issue a gleefully snide response instead. 

Gavin Newsom himself decided he needed to be twelve again. 

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

Snide and childish is certainly on brand for Gavin at the moment. And it’s not a good look for a supposedly aspiring Presidential candidate to run a victory dance over a company providing valid reasons as to why it’s not good business to open a store in your state. 

Marcus Lemonis (of the Camping World and giant flags fame) responded quite graciously to Gavin’s childish antics.

Dear Governor
@GavinNewsom

I thought your post would suggest we bring business leaders together to understand how to improve the 4 pillars/friction of business and find a way to make it better.

1. Streamline regulation- consistent simplified compliance rules across state and local levels
2.Balanced Labor Environment that’s good for employees and employers
3. Litigation Reform- reducing abusive lawsuits while keeping protection for workers
4. Competitive Tax and Cost Structure – incentives to come as opposed to disincentives to leave

It’s highly evident that Lemonis is talking to those who refuse to listen. 

As Lemonis further pointed out in an interview with Sean Hannity, one would think that a company, who is thriving online and just opened a Nashville store with more planned across the country, would want to bring new investment and capital into their state. 

“We’re taking a stand because it’s time for common sense. Businesses deserve the chance to succeed. Employees deserve jobs that last. And customers deserve fair prices. California’s system delivers the opposite,” Lemonis wrote. “That’s why Bed Bath & Beyond will serve California customers directly through BedBathandBeyond.com, on our terms, and with their best interests at heart.”

Evidently Newsom and his press office minions do not have California’s best interests at heart. They don’t want to bring new business into the state, and they are making that abundantly clear. They will and do blame everyone but themselves for the adversarial business climate that has left downtown San Francisco barren, malls 80% empty or under lock & key due to rampant crime, and major retail stores such as Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and more leaving due to taxes/regulations/crime. 

https://twitter.com/GeelezHB/status/1958196731994321312

Instead of wanting a business to succeed in California, and stepping up to help figure out ways to do so, Gavin Newsom’s response to reality was that of a snide sniveling twelve-year old. The mayor of San Jose, in contrast, had a mature realistic response. 

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

Gavin’s press office bashed San Jose’s business climate and stepped on all the rakes while doing so. San Jose and the rest of California would have a stronger business climate if the Democrats weren’t so invested in applauding crime and penalizing businesses for operating!

Gavin Newsom and his press office weenie’s snide responses show that Bed Bath & Beyond made a very wise decision to not open stores in California. 

Feature Photo Credit: Bed Bath store front via iStock, cropped and modified