In California’s never-ending quest to confiscate more wealth from its citizens, every penny counts. That’s especially true in super-liberal Santa Monica, which is now seeking to fine fitness teachers who use city parks without a license. City officials are now considering whether to bill trainers $100 per year to use parks that they’d be able to use free were they not training others; the city might even grab 15% of all fitness trainer income if they use city parks.

That will, predictably enough, push fitness trainers to parks outside the city limits, of which there are plenty. And many fitness trainers may leave the city altogether, taking their income with them. Fitness trainers are telling city government that if those fines are placed, they will pass the cost along to their clients.

Excessive taxation makes beautiful locations worse for entrepreneurs. And that makes those locations worse for everyone. Welcome to the Golden State.

Ben Shapiro is Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News, and author of the upcoming book “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013).