Now that Gov. Gavin Newsom has finally acknowledged what even those with the faintest political pulse have long been aware of — that he’s considering a presidential run — there’s no question whether his national ambitions are affecting his governance here in California.
The question is: How much?
The next month will be illuminating.
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Newsom has until midnight on Oct. 13 to sign or veto about 800 bills that state lawmakers sent to his desk during this legislative session. Some of these decisions will tip the governor’s hand as to his political thinking.
On the one hand, Newsom must prove to dissatisfied Democrats across the country that he’s the fighter they’ve been looking for. At the same time, he’s been conspicuous about his desire to court moderates and even conservatives — including by hosting GOP provocateurs on his “This is Gavin Newsom” podcast and accepting a gun gifted to him by conservative podcaster Shawn Ryan.
But, sometimes, simultaneously appeasing flaming liberals in Berkeley and diehard conservatives in South Carolina isn’t possible. How the governor navigates a handful of the bills on this desk will reveal his read on the nation’s culture wars — and his views on the best pathway to the presidency.
Banning law enforcement masks: As masked Immigration Enforcement and Customs officers descended on Los Angeles this summer, Newsom denounced the raids and reveled in the opportunity to depict himself as Trump’s foil. He dared the president’s border czar to arrest him and sued the administration for federalizing the California National Guard and sending Marines into the city. (A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling gave Trump the upper hand in that legal battle.)
Senate Bill 627 by Democratic state Sens. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, Jesse Arreguín of Berkeley, Sasha Renée Pérez of Alhambra (Los Angeles County) and Aisha Wahab of Hayward will test how far Newsom is willing to go in his offensive against federal immigration agents.
No matter what he says or does – he showed his true colors during the PLANdemic!!! He was and always will be a blight on the landscape of humanity!!!!!