California Governor Gavin Newsom has gotten a lot of attention for his high-profile trolling of Trump. His posts have been music to the ears of Democrats who are dissatisfied with the lack of pushback against the President by some of the Democratic leadership. What has gotten less attention is his record as California governor. In many areas, it has been less than stellar. His public policy record includes:
- Publicly opposing an effort to place on the ballot an initiative for a one-time five percent tax on billionaires to raise revenue to offset cuts in Medicaid.
- Signing a bill opening up thousands of new oil wells. Bill McKibben, responded by denouncing “Newsom’s Big Oil backslide” and accused the governor of “backtracking on key climate and community health commitments.”
- Newsom vetoed legislation to ban PFAS or forever chemicals in such consumer items as cookware, dental floss and cleaning products. “This bill had huge support from both within the state and beyond, and yet, apparently, the governor was interested only in the one sector opposing it – the cookware industry,” said Clean Water Action policy director Andria Ventura.
- Newsom vetoed a bill to help protect farmworkers from violations of heat safety regulations, while temperatures in California’s agricultural fields spike above 110 degrees.
- Newson denied Israel’s actions in Gaza were a genocide.
- Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) 3129. The landmark bill would have added restrictions around how private equity groups (PEGs) and hedge funds could participate in the ownership and management of California healthcare facilities. The purchase of healthcare facilities by private equity groups has often lead to mass layoffs, skyrocketing costs, and ultimately those organizations being run into the ground for a quick buck.
- Unceasing advocacy of environmentally destructive Delta Tunnel.
- After taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from PG&E Newsom helped pass legislation that largely shielded PG&E from accountablility from the wildfire deaths. The deaths were largly seen as being caused due to PG&E’s lack of investment in infrastructure,
If our choices in 2028 came down between Newsom and whatever far-right candidate the GOP put up, of course I would vote for Newsom. But the Democratic Party can do better than this corporate shill. I hope primary voters are made aware of his record and not just his tweets.
