In 2015, in the midst of a drought, California lawmakers banned cities and counties from prohibiting synthetic grass. The logic behind the law was that artificial turf was better for the environment because it saved water. But state lawmakers now argue artificial turf is bad for the environment because it contains so-called forever chemicals such as PFAS. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of PFAS in synthetic turf but not because he disagreed with the law. Rather, Newsom said the law did not contain any method to enforce the ban on PFAS.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced he’s appointing EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to finish out the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate term, making good on his promise to fill the vacancy with a Black woman.
The swift appointment (D) was essential for Democrats’ power in the Senate, where they have a slim 50-49 majority following Feinstein’s death at age 90.
Butler’s appointment will last until January 2025, when Feinstein’s sixth term in the chamber was due to end. It’s then up to voters to select a permanent senator for the next six-year term.
The race for Feinstein’s seat was well underway at the time of her death. Three Democrats representing California in the House had launched campaigns: Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. While Newsom made good on his pledge of appointing a Black woman by selecting Butler, he said in September he wouldn’t nominate someone who’s seeking to hold the seat permanently.
“I don’t want to get involved in the primary,” Newsom told NBC News. “It would be completely unfair to the Democrats who’ve worked their tails off.”
That was a big blow to Lee, who’s trailing Porter and Schiff in both polls and fundraising.
“The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election,” Lee said on X after Newsom’s remarks.
There are currently no Black women elected to serve in the Senate. Prior to Newsom’s nomination, Sens. Carol Moseley Braun and Kamala Harris were the only two to have ever sat in the Senate.
This is the second time Newsom has gotten to nominate a senator. When then-California Sen. Harris won the vice presidency in 2020, the governor nominated now-Sen. Alex Padilla to replace her. Newsom caught some flak for selecting Padilla, who is a first-generation Mexican American, to replace the only Black woman in Congress.
Lawmakers across the political spectrum are remembering Sen. Dianne Feinstein as a trailblazer in the nation’s Capitol. But her career began in San Francisco local politics, where she served on the city’s Board of Supervisors — and later as mayor. California State Sen. Scott Wiener joins CBS News to discuss Feinstein’s mayoral legacy.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation Monday prohibiting schools from banning books because they highlight race, sexual orientation or other protected characteristics, a rebuttal to efforts in Florida and other GOP-led states to severely restrict students’ reading materials.
The legislation authored by state Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D) enacts a financial penalty against school districts that make “efforts to categorically exclude” books related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and other demographics that have faced discrimination.
In a statement Monday, Newsom referenced recent pushback from California’s Temecula Valley Unified School District. Its board twice rejected California’s new social studies book and curriculum because of its coverage of LGBTQ+ historical figures.
“From Temecula to Tallahassee, fringe ideologues across the country are attempting to whitewash history and ban books from schools,” Newsom said in a statement. “With this new law, we’re cementing California’s role as the true freedom state: a place where families — not political fanatics — have the freedom to decide what’s right for them.”
Though the Temecula school board finally agreed in July to adopt the new curriculum, its members said it would pull any material referencing Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Two members of the board, Joseph Komrosky and Danny Gonzalez, claimed during meetings that Milk, who was assassinated in 1978, was a “pedophile.”
While Temecula is an outlier in California, book banning is becoming commonplace in Republican-controlled states. The number of book bans in public schools nationwide increased by 33% in the 2022-23 school year compared to the previous one, the free speech organization PEN America said in a report released last week. In total, the organization tracked 3,362 book bans affecting 1,557 unique titles.
Florida is far and away the leader in book bans, the report noted.
“Over 40 percent of all book bans occurred in school districts in Florida,” it said. “Across 33 school districts, PEN America recorded 1,406 book ban cases in Florida, followed by 625 bans in Texas, 333 bans in Missouri, 281 bans in Utah, and 186 bans in Pennsylvania.”
Among the most repeatedly banned books are the 2019 memoir “Gender Queer” and a recent graphic novel version of 1985’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Under CARE Court, judges can order people to get help, with counties required to provide aid. Critics argue the California mental health care program is costly and could strip people of their rights.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
On any given night, more than 170,000 people are living on California’s streets or in its shelters. It is the largest homeless population in the country — fueled by a lack of affordable housing and the state’s failure to provide adequate mental health care.
One-in-four has a serious mental illness.
It’s a crisis that’s bred fear in communities, as violent crimes rise. And this past week, Sacramento’s top prosecutor sued California’s capital city for allowing it to quote “collapse into chaos.”
That’s the landscape Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s trying to change, starting this fall, with a controversial, new plan on track to cost billions.
It’s called CARE court because it brings mental health care into the courtroom. Now judges will order people to get help and counties to provide it under a new law that emphasizes accountability and consequences.
We met with Gov Newsom and found him to be fired up and fed up.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: Change has its enemies. I get it. But one thing you cannot argue for, with all due respect to all the critics out there, is the status quo. You can’t. And in the absence of alternatives, What the hell are we gonna do to address this crisis?
It is a crisis overwhelming cities across the country, but California has been hit the hardest.
And Gov. Gavin Newsom says it is desperation – born out of scenes like this… that drove the idea for CARE Court.
Cecilia Vega: You’ve used words like, “You’re outraged.” “You’re disgusted by what’s happening on the streets.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Cecilia Vega
60 Minutes
Gov. Gavin Newsom: I am. ‘Cause I see what everybody else sees. I try to walk my kids to the park and have a difficult time navigating the sidewalk. It’s a fail-first system, not a care-first system, which means you have to end up in the criminal justice system before finally someone provides support and a bed and a solution. We’ve gotta change that. And that’s what we’re doing.
Here’s how it will work: a person referred to CARE Court for a severe mental illness is evaluated. If they have an untreated psychotic disorder, like schizophrenia, a judge can order a mental health treatment plan including medication, therapy and a place to live.
The governor believes the new civil court system will help thousands get off the streets – and make everyone safer by helping people before they become a danger to themselves or others.
Cecilia Vega: You think CARE Court could be the solution that could save someone’s life?
Gov. Gavin Newsom: I don’t think it. I know it. It’s very familiar what we’re doing, even though it’s novel and new and bold.
Cecilia Vega: Novel, new and bold. So it’s an experiment?
Gov. Gavin Newsom: No. It’s not. When people get their meds, when people get support, we know we can turn people’s lives around. This is imminently solvable
But what if someone ordered by a judge to get help doesn’t think they need it?
They’ll have access to a public defender and *can* refuse treatment… they won’t be sent to jail.
But there is a catch… if someone in CARE Court does refuse — a judge could refer them for conservatorship — an extreme outcome that strips them of rights and forces them to comply with treatment.
Anita: This is where he would go…
Anita Fisher hopes CARE Court will be a lifeline for people like her son, Pharoh Degree, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia while serving in the army 22 years ago. He’s now 45.
Cecilia Vega: Tell me a little bit about Pharoh.
Anita Fisher: Pharoh is the kindest. He– even from a little boy. His report card used to say joy to have in my class. And some of the things that we’ve gone through you couldn’t have paid me to believe.
For nearly two decades, Fisher has worked as a mental health advocate in San Diego, running support groups and classes for hundreds of families when their lives are derailed by a loved one’s mental illness
Anita Fisher: A lotta times he even can get very agitated. And then he starts to self-medicate. Whether it’s alcohol or street drugs and that takes it to a whole different level.
Cecilia Vega: You sometimes feel like your son goes missing in those moments.
Anita Fisher
60 Minutes
Anita Fisher: Yes. We would try to have the conversation with him about, you know, have you stopped your medication? And he said, “Well, they said I don’t need this medication.” I was like, “OK, who is they?” And I know that it’s the voices.
Cecilia Vega: What’s this like f– as a mom, for you?
Anita Fisher: It’s devastating.
Supporters back CARE Court because the new law allows families and others — like law enforcement and first responders — to petition a court to help them get someone into treatment.
Until now, Fisher says there has been little recourse… like last year when her son stopped taking his medication.
For seven months, she called for a psychiatric intervention, but without her son’s consent, she says her attempts were ignored.
Anita Fisher: When I saw him, I had to call his name. He’d be wrapped in blankets.
Pharoh became homeless… and Anita spent days searching for him at local spots near their home.
Cecilia Vega: When you would find Pharoh on these days, what kind of condition was he in?
Anita Fisher: He was just very psychiatrically ill. He would be, “I’m fine.” But, no. He wouldn’t look fine at all.
Cecilia Vega: Your son would be convinced that he was fine mentally, that he didn’t need his meds. How do you convince him otherwise? What has to happen?
Anita Fisher: He ends up arrested. It’s– it’s almost we have to wait for that to happen.
And, last October, he wasarrested for vandalism. In custody, he received medication and enrolled in a treatment program.
Pharoh declined to be interviewed on-camera, but he described to us on the phone how difficult it can be to live with his illness.
Pharoh Degree, on the phone: Constant overthinking, your brain is always racing, your inner voice is always talking. Racing, racing. No peace. Never any solace and peace.
Cecilia Vega: What do you think would have happened to him had he not had that treatment?
Anita Fisher: Every single time I have to start, in my mind, preparing a funeral. I have to get my heart and myself and my family ready, you know, the– will he make it this time? It’s not– it’s not easy.
Skid Row in Los Angeles
60 Minutes
With California voters overwhelmingly ranking homelessness as a top concern, last year, the CARE Act sailed through the state legislature with near-unanimous and bipartisan support.
Assemblymember Jim Cooper: It’s the humane thing to do.
But opponents point to the threat of conservatorship – where people can be locked up and treated without their consent.
And more than 50 advocacy groups condemn CARE Court as a “costly mistake” “likely to do real harm.”
Cecilia Vega: Some of the words that have been used to describe CARE Court: coercive, backwards, harmful. Are any of those fair? You laugh.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: I laugh. I mean– I don’t laugh dismissively. Those are talking points that have been on rewind for decades and decades. And I’m frankly exhausted by them.
Cecilia Vega: Someone could end up in conservatorship. And that is a very big deal. Isn’t CARE Court saying, “Comply or else?”
Gov. Gavin Newsom: We have– we have people end up in conservatorship all the time. And I get why people don’t want to see more of those. But we have that system already.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: And here’s all I ask. Prove us wrong. Don’t assume us wrong. Your compassion is not superior to our compassion.
Cecilia Vega: But that’s a big gamble when you’re talking about conservatorships, people’s lives. Prove us wrong.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: Exact opposite.
Cecilia Vega: Wait and see.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: The gamble is allowing more people to die under our watch. The gamble is more families struggling, suffering. How dare we?
Eve Garrow is a homelessness policy analyst for the ACLU of Southern California.
60 Minutes
Eve Garrow: We see it as a pipeline to conservatorship the greatest deprivation of civil liberties short of the death penalty.
Eve Garrow is a homelessness policy analyst for the ACLU of Southern California.
Cecilia Vega: What are the individual rights that you think someone would be stripped of under CARE Court?
Eve Garrow: The right to determine, for example, what medications go into your body–
Cecilia Vega: There’s no forced medication in CARE Court.
Eve Garrow: There’s no forced medication. But when there’s pressure and coercion you’re more likely to potentially comply with treatment that actually isn’t meeting your needs.
Cecilia Vega: Governor Newsom says that you’re defending the status quo.
Eve Garrow: The administration likes to propose this false dichotomy, that either we force people into treatment, or we let them die on the streets.
Cecilia Vega: You don’t feel like that’s what’s at stake here?
Eve Garrow: I don’t feel like that’s what’s at stake, because obviously there’s a third alternative.
Garrow says that alternative is for the state to provide comprehensive care for all Californians with mental health disabilities.
Cecilia Vega: Is that realistic?
Eve Garrow: Yes. It is. If we invest in those services, instead of investing in a new court system. Of course it is.
Cecilia Vega: A lot of people will hear you, and say, “Eve, clearly the current situation is not working. Aren’t we at the point where we have to try something else?”
Eve Garrow: I agree completely with that. But the something else we need to try is not a civil court system.
We went with Garrow to the notorious Skid Row in Los Angeles, a county where 1-in-8 of the nation’s homeless people live.
For years, on and off, that included Marquesha Babers; a 28-year-old who told us she has several serious mental health conditions including bipolar disorder.
When we met her, she lived in a shelter.
Marquesha Babers has dealt with homelessness. She told 60 Minutes she has several serious mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder.
60 Minutes
Marquesha Babers: I go almost every day to ask if I could speak to a therapist or if I can, you know, get some mental health services or help. And there are really none. Or if you do find one it’s like, “Oh, well, the waiting list is six months before you can actually talk to a therapist,” or–
Cecilia Vega: Six months?
Marquesha Babers: Oh yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Cecilia Vega: Do you feel like you’re getting medication that you need?
Marquesha Babers: Absolutely not.
Cecilia Vega: What has to happen in order for you to get that?
Marquesha Babers: Honestly, I would have to be committed into a mental health hospital because going into places that offer, like, volunteer services are– they’re backed up, or they don’t have enough space, or my insurance doesn’t cover some of the stuff that I need.
Cecilia Vega: When I say the word CARE Court to you, what comes to your mind?
Marquesha Babers: Medical incarceration. It’s just another way to mass incarcerate people, and instead of it just being, like, criminal, it’s medical now.
Cecilia Vega: What would you like to be done?
Marquesha Babers: I think there just needs to be way more attention to services and prevention rather than the consequences of not having those services.
This year, the Newsom administration invested about $17 billion to fight homelessness and treat mental illness. But leaders in many counties say money earmarked for CARE Court is nowhere near enough for the thousands of people expected to land in the system.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: Spare me. Honestly, I’m a little indignant by this rhetoric. The only thing limiting people is an unwillingness to be accountable. And I’m just done with that.
Cecilia Vega: But are you overly optimistic on this one? This is a very taxed system. And you’re expecting it to take on a lot more.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: I’m done with the excuses. You should be done as a taxpayer. Everyone watching should be sick and tired of the excuses. There’s plenty of money in this space.
Yet even with California facing the highest debt in the nation, Gov. Newsom is asking voters to approve billions more for housing, and he admits that without enough, CARE Court will not work.
Cecilia Vega: You’re promising here that anybody who goes into CARE Court will have some kind of housing attached to them–
Gov. Gavin Newsom: Well, I’m not promising anything here. I’m promoting a promise where there’s accountability at the local level. I’m not the mayor of California. I’m the governor.
Cecilia Vega: And those local governments, if they don’t comply–
Gov. Gavin Newsom: There are sanctions–
Cecilia Vega: –will be held accountable.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: They are – Absolutely. Foundationally what CARE Court is about, is about accountability at all levels.
Cecilia Vega: Worth the billions of dollars that you’re gonna end up spending on this–
Gov. Gavin Newsom: We’re spending more on the back end. We can save taxpayers billions of dollars and save lives.
By December, CARE Court will launch in eight California counties, including Los Angeles and San Diego, where Anita and Pharoh live. By the end of next year, it will be statewide.
Cecilia Vega: what does a successful CARE Court look like for Pharoh?
Anita Fisher: I hope he will never have to use it. And I hope that if it does, that he even sees it as a positive experience where his voice is heard.
Cecilia Vega: If you have to, will you initiate CARE Court proceedings?
Anita Fisher: Absolutely. I have no hesitation. It is trauma for the family to keep going through that with their loved one.
Cecilia Vega: Is part of this that voters are so fed up with what they see on the streets of their cities that as a politician, you’ve gotta clean up those streets?
Gov. Gavin Newsom: Well, that’s generally the case. But that’s not the inspiration for CARE Court.
Cecilia Vega: But is there a political factor in this for you?
Gov. Gavin Newsom: As an electoral strategy, I’m termed out.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: That’s not the issue. The politics here is compassion. The politics is purpose.
Cecilia Vega: What happens if CARE Court doesn’t work?
Gov. Gavin Newsom: Then we learn from it. Biggest risk is that we don’t take one.
Last month, Marquesha Babers, the woman who was living in a Los Angeles shelter and told us she struggles with mental illness, was reported missing by her family.
Produced by Natalie Jimenez Peel. Associate producer, Jaime Woods. Broadcast associate, Eliza Costas. Edited by Peter M. Berman.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said it’s time for people to get past whether he’ll run for president in 2024. (You can check out his remarks in the clip below)
The Democratic governor, in an interview with “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd, pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris when asked why Americans shouldn’t consider him as a “likely candidate” if President Joe Biden later decides against running for a second term.
“Well, I think the vice president is naturally the one lined up and the filing deadlines are quickly coming to pass and I think we need to move past this notion that he’s not going to run,” said Newsom in a clip shared to the “Today” show.
Newsom’s remarks arrive after a newly-released CNN poll found 76% of Americans saying they’re “seriously concerned” that Biden’s age of 80 may negatively impact his ability to serve a full second term as president.
Biden joked about concerns over his age earlier this week, telling a Philadelphia crowd that “the only thing that comes with age is a little bit of wisdom.”
Newsom told Todd that Biden is going to run in 2024, adding that he’s “looking forward to getting him reelected.”
“I think there’s been so much wallowing in the last few months and hand wringing in this respect. But we’re gearing up for the campaign. We’re looking forward to it,” he said.
Todd proceeded to press the California governor, asking him what he’d tell donors who are “wallowing” in the matter.
Laphonza Butler, the woman selected by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to succeed the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is a longtime union leader and abortion rights advocate, who also will be the first out Black lesbian to enter Congress.
The appointment fulfills Newsom’s pledge to appoint a Black woman who had not announced plans to run for the seat, and in Butler, he picked someone with deep ties to several critical Democratic constituencies in the Golden State.
Butler will also be the sole Black woman serving in the Senate and only the third in US history. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday the incoming senator would be sworn in this week.
“I am humbled by the Governor’s trust,” Butler said in a statement Monday. “Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s leadership and legacy are immeasurable. I will do my best to honor her by devoting my time and energy to serving the people of California and the people of this great nation.”
Butler previously made history in 2021 by becoming the first woman of color to lead EMILY’s List,an organization dedicated to electing Democratic women who support abortion rights.
In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, Butler worked at SCRB Strategies – a California-based political strategy firm now known as Bearstar Strategies – where she served as a senior adviser on then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, according to EMILY’s List. She also served as an adviser on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to Butler’s LinkedIn page.
Butler previously held multiple roles at the Service Employees International Union, most recently serving as president of SEIU Local 2015 for nearly a decade. SEIU Local 2015 represents California’s long-term care workers and is the largest labor union in the state, the governor’s office said. Prior to joining EMILY’s List, Butler was a director at Airbnb.
Butler, who has a long history working in California politics, moved to Maryland in 2021 around the time she was chosen to lead EMILY’s List, public records show. She was registered to vote in Maryland in 2022, according to public records.
Responding to questions about Butler’s residency, Newsom’s office said Monday she had re-registered to vote in California ahead of her Senate appointment.
EMILY’s List board chair Rebecca Haile called Butler “a groundbreaking leader who has done terrific work” over her two years leading the group.
“EMILYs List was created to get more Democratic pro-choice women in government and I am thrilled to see my friend put that into action by taking on this role,” Haile said in a statement.
Butler, a Mississippi native, attended Jackson State University, according to EMILY’s List. She has served as a member of the University of California Board of Regents and as a board member of the National Children’s Defense Fund. She and her wife, Neneki, have a daughter, Nylah, Newsom’s office said.
Newsom was under intense pressure within California to choose a Black woman to succeed Harris when she was elected to the vice presidency. He instead appointed Alex Padilla, then California’s secretary of state, who became the first Latino senator from the state.
This year, many – including members of the Congressional Black Caucus – had urged Newsom to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee in case Feinstein’s seat became vacant. Lee filed to run for the seat after Feinstein announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection in 2024, but Newsom said last month he would not appoint any of the candidates currently seeking the office. His office said Monday there were no conditions placed on Butler’s appointment and any decision to seek a full term next year would be her own.
Newsom has described Butler as “an advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris,” who will “carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein.”
“As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for – reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence – have never been under greater assault,” Newsom said in his announcement. “Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.”
Joe Biden’s aides and Sean Hannity agree on this: They both would like to see Gavin Newsom debate Ron DeSantis.
Everyone involved knows how odd it would be to have the California governor, who is seen as a potential future Democratic presidential candidate but is very adamantly not one currently, debating the Florida governor, who launched his Republican presidential run in the spring with the air of a front-runner but has seen his campaign stall through the summer months.
DeSantis has gone from starting out as a worrisome contrast for some Biden aides to a monthlong campaign reboot, with his own advisers fretting they may not be able to turn his political fortunes around and looking for high-profile opportunities for him to stand out. Newsom has gone from inspiring eye rolls and suspicion from many in and around the White House a year ago to coordinating with Biden aides as he attempts to goad the Republican into more problems.
The debate, which Newsom agreed to almost on a lark after the Fox News host pressed him, and later DeSantis, on camera to agree to an event he would host – has the two governors with very different interpersonal styles fencing over debate rules and logistics, dates and locations.
“Boy,” Newsom said in an exclusive interview with CNN as he embraced his trolling of his Florida counterpart, “if I was running his campaign, I would be quietly asking, ‘What did you just do, Gov. DeSantis? Why did you agree to this? We have other things we should be doing, more important things, than debating this guy out there in California.’”
Responding to the DeSantis team’s proposal for a live debate audience and to substitute a two-minute-long video for opening statements, Newsom said he was not impressed.
“No notes, no holds barred, no parameters. Just make sure we both have equal time and see where it goes, see where it takes us. No games, no shows, no videos, no cheering sections. Just an honest back-and-forth comparing, contrasting visions,” the California governor said. “And he can defend his rhetoric and record and vision, and I’ll do my best to defend mine and promote Joe Biden.”
A topic Newsom said he is ready to discuss includes what he called the “ruthlessness” of Republicans attacking presidential son Hunter Biden, a friend of his for years and now the subject of a special counsel investigation.
“Some of the stuff that the way the right has mocked someone with substance abuse, addictions and other demons, it sickens me to my core as a father,” Newsom said. “They’re having a difficult time debating the success of this administration, as well as the CHIPS and the infrastructure bills, the investments that are coming in, the unemployment rate dropping.”
Newsom said he was surprised when DeSantis told Hannity in an interview that he would accept the debate.
DeSantis was not surprised. A person close to the Republican’s campaign told CNN that the governor had fully expected the topic to come up in the interview.
The day after the interview aired, DeSantis’ campaign emailed donors a short memo touting its eagerness for the debate, pointing to statistics about crime rates and population growth and insisting that “California embodies American decline, while Florida is the blueprint for the Great American Comeback.”
“Ron DeSantis is debating Gavin Newsom to highlight the choice facing American voters next year. The left wants America to follow the path of California’s decline – Ron DeSantis wants to reignite the American Dream, restore sanity, and ensure our nation’s best days are ahead,” reads the memo, obtained by CNN.
A DeSantis aide pointed to the candidate telling NBC that he thought “it would be a good debate” and that he was eager to lay out a “very different approach to crime, very different approach to illegal immigration, and very different approach to taxes, government regulation.”
The DeSantis campaign declined to comment further on the matter.
Newsom knows he makes the perfect boogeyman for Republicans – the high-taxing, gun-banning, Covid lockdown-proselytizing California governor with the slicked-back hair, who first got famous in 2004 for going against state law and issuing gay marriage licenses when he was mayor of San Francisco.
For Newsom, the whole point of the debate proposal is the asymmetric warfare. He isn’t running for president. He doesn’t have to worry about how this comes off to voters in Iowa or New Hampshire or anywhere else. He’s catering to a Democratic base and social media ecosystem that throws money and adds followers whenever a punch is thrown – like the $85,000 that went into the Biden campaign off an email Newsom sent to his email list announcing that DeSantis had accepted the debate.
And if the debate does happen, all Newsom sees is upside. Best case: He embarrasses DeSantis, adding to the doubts over whether his presidential campaign can survive. Worst case: He is the one who gets embarrassed, and DeSantis gets his moment – but against someone who isn’t running for president and can absorb blows that otherwise might have landed on Biden.
The day before DeSantis accepted the Newsom debate, for example, Vice President Kamala Harris dismissed his invitation for a public session head-to-head over the new Florida middle-school curriculum, which includes a mention of slaves developing certain skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.” A spokesperson for Harris did not respond to a question about what she thought of Newsom’s actions, but, at a fundraiser on Saturday, she said, “Let us not be distracted by an undebatable point, such as whether the enslaved people benefited from slavery.”
Or Newsom could just keep poking DeSantis for not agreeing to a debate.
Being “the reelected, term limited governor of California, he feels an enormous degree of freedom to go out and fight these fights, because someone’s got to do it,” said a Newsom adviser.
DeSantis had wanted his big debate moment to be about taking on Donald Trump, not Newsom.
But the governor has been unable so far to coalesce support from Republicans as Trump’s poll numbers continue to rise – a fact he’ll be reminded of later this month when he is joined on a Milwaukee debate stage by at least six other candidates, with Trump in the midst of a weekslong will-he-or-won’t-he tease about whether he will participate.
DeSantis’ campaign also severely underestimated how Trump’s multiple indictments would galvanize Republicans and overshadow the GOP race, leaving other contenders straining for attention.
Rather than entering the fall in a position of strength, DeSantis has limped through the summer. His team now acknowledges internally it botched a chance to consolidate support at a time when Trump has barely campaigned. Support has stalled, several donors have publicly expressed concern and withheld additional resources for now, and the campaign has frantically shed expenses after overextending on payroll and event costs. Last week, in the latest overhaul, he replaced his embattled campaign manager with his gubernatorial office chief of staff, who had already been a key adviser.
What, in any other context, would have likely been an unimaginable sideshow, the debate with Newsom started looking like the rare chance for a breakout, a high-upside gamble for DeSantis, according to the source close to the campaign. If nothing else, it would put DeSantis in front of Fox News’ audience of Republican primary voters without Trump or anyone else in the field.
“Right now, Trump is dominating the news, and this is a way to get in front of Republicans,” the source said. “With Trump sucking up so much oxygen, this is a way to get back some of the oxygen.”
Last July, Newsom flew to Washington largely so he could tell then-White House chief of staff Ron Klain and first lady Jill Biden that he really meant what he had first said publicly to CNN: He was not going to run against the president despite his talk about how Democrats needed to be fighting harder than Biden appeared to be doing and despite breezing across the White House driveway with his suit jacket tossed over his shoulder as concerns circulated about the president’s age.
When Klain, long a Newsom booster, walked him around the West Wing to introduce him to other aides, several did not do much to mask their disinterest.
But after
Biden made his reelection plans clear, it became easier for his loyalists to warm to the governor. Some still see Newsom as mugging for attention, but they have stayed in close contact, including giving the green light when Newsom’s team alerted them that he wanted to do a one-on-one interview with Hannity and push for the debate with DeSantis.
If it happens, a Biden campaign aide said, “from our perspective, we’ve got one of our most high-profile surrogates going on Fox for 90 minutes, advocating not for his own policies and not for his own candidacy, but for the president. That’s a net positive.”
Asked about the turnaround, Klain – now an informal outside adviser to Biden’s reelection campaign – told CNN that “the president and his team are grateful for all the things the governor does to advance their shared agenda.”
A Newsom aide told CNN the coordination – between emails he has put his name on and in-person events – has produced almost $3 million in fundraising for Biden since April, which makes up about 4% of the reelection campaign’s total fundraising to date. Emails with Newsom’s name on them generate some of the highest response rates, according to people familiar with the fundraising. The Biden campaign declined comment on the fundraising.
Newsom said he knows that many people will see his actions as an attempt to stay relevant. Advisers say he clams up even privately when talk turns to a possible future presidential run, and the governor told CNN that positioning for 2028 is a “trivial consideration.”
He said he is driven by not wanting to have any regrets about not being involved – and if that means an ongoing series of debates with other Republicans after DeSantis, he’d be ready.
“To the extent these presidential candidates want a debate, I’m happy to debate them,” Newsom said. “And if that’s where they feel they can get their best bang for the buck as they run for president, fine by me, and I’ll have the president’s back.”
Elon Musk’s X Corp., the parent company of the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Friday sued California’s attorney general over the state’s new content moderation law.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bill AB 587 into law last September. The law requires social media companies to post their terms of service online and submit a semiannual report to the state attorney general outlining their content moderation policies and practices. Platforms must, among other things, disclose how their automated content moderation systems work, how they define controversial content categories such as “hate speech” and “disinformation,” and the number of pieces of content flagged or removedin such categories.
Newsom’s office touted the bill as a way to improve transparency from social networks. But in a complaint filed in California’s Eastern District Court against California Attorney General Robert Bonta, X alleged that the law violates the First Amendment and California’s constitution by potentially compelling the companyto moderate users’ politically charged speech.
The law “compels companies like X Corp. to engage in speech against their will, impermissibly interferes with the constitutionally-protected editorial judgments of companies such as X Corp., has both the purpose and likely effect of pressuring companies such as X Corp. to remove, demonetize, or deprioritize constitutionally-protected speech,” the company alleged in the complaint. It added that the law could place an “undue burden” on social media companies such as Musk’s X, which is headquartered in California.
Attorney General Bonta’s press office said in an email to CNN: “While we have not yet been served with the complaint, we will review it and respond in court.”
A spokesperson for Newsom sent CNN a statement from last September in which the governor remarked on the bill.
“California will not stand by as social media is weaponized to spread hate and disinformation that threaten our communities and foundational values as a country,” Newsom said in the statement. “Californians deserve to know how these platforms are impacting our public discourse, and this action brings much-needed transparency and accountability to the policies that shape the social media content we consume every day.”
The lawsuit comes as Musk has escalated his rhetoric over what kinds of speech should be permitted on his platform, as the company’s core advertising business has taken a major revenue hit over concerns, among other things, about theapproach to content moderation. Under Musk’s leadership, the platform has made several changes to its content policies, including ceasing enforcement of its Covid-19 misinformation policy and reinstating many previously banned users.
Just last month, at least two brands paused their ad spending on X after their advertisements ran alongside an account promoting Nazism. (X suspended the account after the issue was flagged and said ad impressions on the page were minimal.)
The billionaire this week threatened a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League for defamation, claiming that the nonprofit organization’s statements about rising hate speech on the social media platform have torpedoed X’s advertising revenue. (The ADL says it does not comment on legal threats, but CEO Jonathan Greenblatt spoke out against the #BanTheADL campaign on X.)
In Friday’s lawsuit, X Corp. alleged that requiring social media companies to report their moderation practices could pressure the platforms into “limiting or censoring constitutionally-protected content that the State finds objectionable.” It also claimed that the law could force social platforms “to take public positions on controversial and politically charged issues” and thus tailor those positions in a way it otherwise wouldn’t to avoid public scrutiny.
The law “‘compel[s]’ X Corp. to ‘speak a particular message,’ which necessarily ‘alters the content of’ its speech,’” in violation of its First Amendment rights, the company alleges in the complaint.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial on the constitutionality and legal validity of the California law.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Thursday that the state would be picking up a conservative Southern California school district’s slack.
Last month, the board for the Temecula Valley Unified School District, which has several far-right members, voted 3-2 against approving elementary school social studies materials that briefly mentioned gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The board has not yet approved a replacement for the classroom material, according to a press release from Newsom’s office sent to HuffPost.
Newsom, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Senate President pro-Tempore Toni G. Atkins, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson said they would provide textbooks to the district’s students ahead of their Aug. 14 school start date if their school board does not approve new material by its next meeting. The school board must apparently choose one of four textbooks approved by the state to teach in the coming year.
The rejected materials are approved across the state and would significantly update Temecula’s books, which have not been updated since 2006, according to the governor’s press release.
Additionally, Newsom, Thurmond, Atkins, Rivas and Jackson are seeking to push through state legislation that would fine school districts that do not provide their students with learning materials.
The news comes as Republicans across the country have sought to ban books or materials that mention race or the LGBTQ community. More than 2,571 books were banned or challenged across the country in 2022 alone.
“Cancel culture has gone too far in Temecula: radicalized zealots on the school board rejected a textbook used by hundreds of thousands of students and now children will begin the school year without the tools they need to learn,” Newsom said in a statement to HuffPost.
“If the school board won’t do its job by its next board meeting to ensure kids start the school year with basic materials, the state will deliver the book into the hands of children and their parents — and we’ll send the district the bill and fine them for violating state law.”
Dr. Joseph Komrosky, president of the district’s Board of Education, told HuffPost in a statement that Newsom and others have “mischaracterized not only what has occurred, but why.”
“The Board of Education of the Temecula Valley Unified School District did not ‘ban’ a book at its May 16, 2023 regular meeting. Instead, the Board of Education determined not to adopt as curriculum a history-social science program for District-wide use that had been part of a pilot study conducted by the District,” Komrosky said.
The pilot study included 1,300 students in the district.
Komrosky added that a large, but unspecified, number of stakeholders are working on putting together a curriculum that conforms to state standards to be run by the board on July 18.
He also maintained that there is another plan in place to ensure students get materials, should the curriculum not be approved at the July 18 meeting.
“Following the decision by the Board of Education in May not to adopt the pilot curriculum, the District made arrangements with the publisher of its currently adopted curriculum to provide enough textbooks for every single K-5 student of the District (which are the grade levels [affected] by this issue),” he added.
But Steven Schwartz, another board member, told HuffPost he supported the governor’s effort.
“I fully support the effort of the governor to help the students of TVUSD. I respect the expertise of the teachers who piloted the program and recommended it for use in our district. I voted to approve it and will do so again if it is proposed in our next agenda,” he said.
Board member Allison Barclay agreed with Schwartz.
“Speaking as an individual not representing our board as a whole, I am pleased to hear that the State of California is willing to support our students and ensure that they have access to the most up to date and accurate information. Our students deserve the best and having to continue to learn from a completely outdated curriculum that doesn’t meet state standards is not what’s best for them,” she told HuffPost.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he won’t ask the state Supreme Court to block parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, paving the way for her release after serving 53 years in prison for two infamous murders.
In a brief statement, the governor’s office said it was unlikely that the state’s high court would consider an appeal of a lower court ruling that Van Houten should be released.
Newsom is disappointed, the statement said.
“More than 50 years after the Manson cult committed these brutal killings, the victims’ families still feel the impact,” the statement said.
Van Houten, now in her 70s, is serving a life sentence for helping Manson and other followers in the 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary.
Van Houten could be freed in about two weeks after the parole board reviews her record and processes paperwork for her release from the California Institution for Women in Corona, her attorney Nancy Tetreault said.
However, a state appeals court ruled in May that Van Houten should be released, noting what it called her “extraordinary rehabilitative efforts, insight, remorse, realistic parole plans, support from family and friends” and favorable behavior reports while in prison.
“She’s thrilled and she’s overwhelmed,” Tetreault said.
“She’s just grateful that people are recognizing that she’s not the same person that she was when she committed the murders,” she said.
After she’s released, Van Houten will spend about a year in a halfway house, learning basic life skills such as how to go to the grocery and get a debit card, Tetreault said.
“She’s been in prison for 53 years … She just needs to learn how to use an ATM machine, let alone a cell phone, let alone a computer,” her attorney said.
Van Houten and other Manson followers killed the LaBiancas in their home in August 1969, smearing their blood on the walls after. Van Houten later described holding Rosemary LaBianca down with a pillowcase over her head as others stabbed her before she herself stabbed the woman more than a dozen times.
“My family and I are heartbroken because we’re once again reminded of all the years that we have not had my father and my stepmother with us,” Cory LaBianca, Leno LaBianca’s daughter, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday.
“My children and my grandchildren never got an opportunity to get to know either of them, which has been a huge void for my family,” said Cory LaBianca, who is 75.
The LaBianca murders happened the day after Manson followers killed actress Sharon Tate and four others. Van Houten did not participate in the Tate killings.
Manson died in prison in 2017 of natural causes at age 83 after nearly half a century behind bars.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s governor announced Friday that he won’t ask the state Supreme Court to block parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, paving the way for her release after serving 53 years in prison for two infamous murders.
In a brief statement, the governor’s office said an appeal was unlikely to succeed.
Newsom is disappointed, the statement said.
“More than 50 years after the Manson cult committed these brutal killings, the victims’ families still feel the impact,” the statement said.
Van Houten, now in her 70s, is serving a life sentence for helping Manson and other followers in the 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary.
Van Houten could be freed in about two weeks after the parole board reviews her record and processes paperwork for her release from the California Institution for Women in Corona, her attorney Nancy Tetreault said.
She was recommended for parole five times since 2016 but Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown rejected all those recommendations.
However, a state appeals court ruled in May that Van Houten should be released, noting what it called her “extraordinary rehabilitative efforts, insight, remorse, realistic parole plans, support from family and friends” and favorable behavior reports while in prison.
“She’s thrilled and she’s overwhelmed,” Tetreault said.
“She’s just grateful that people are recognizing that she’s not the same person that she was when she committed the murders,” she said.
After she’s released, Van Houten will spend about a year in a halfway house, learning basic life skills such as how to go to the grocery and get a debit card, Tetreault said.
“She’s been in prison for 53 years. … She just needs to learn how to use an ATM machine, let alone a cell phone, let alone a computer,” her attorney said.
Van Houten and other Manson followers killed the LaBiancas in their home in August 1969, smearing their blood on the walls after. Van Houten later described holding Rosemary LaBianca down with a pillowcase over her head as others stabbed her, before herself stabbing the woman more than a dozen times.
“My family and I are heartbroken because we’re once again reminded of all the years that we have not had my father and my stepmother with us,” Cory LaBianca, Leno LaBianca’s daughter, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday.
“My children and my grandchildren never got an opportunity to get to know either of them, which has been a huge void for my family,” said Cory La Bianca, who is 75.
The LaBianca murders happened the day after Manson followers killed actress Sharon Tate and four others. Van Houten did not participate in the Tate killings.
Manson died in prison in 2017 of natural causes at age 83 after nearly half a century behind bars.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers approved a $310.8 billion budget on Tuesday that closes a nearly $32 billion budget deficit while also extending a lucrative tax break for the state’s iconic film and television industry.
The nation’s most populous state has had combined budget surpluses of well over $100 billion in the past few years, enabling the Democrats in charge to greatly expand government.
But this year, revenues slowed as inflation soared and the stock market struggled. California gets most of its revenue from taxes paid by the wealthy, making it more vulnerable to changes in the economy than other states. Last month, the administration of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom estimated the state’s spending would exceed revenues by over $30 billion.
California has cited two Northern California mushroom farms for health and safety violations and proposed more than $165,000 in fines five months after a worker killed seven people in back-to-back shootings.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing for big changes in the state’s building and permitting process.
California’s transit agencies are asking Democrats who control the state’s government to rescue them like Democrats in New York recently did.
Two insurance industry giants have stepped back from the California marketplace. They say that wildfire risk and soaring construction costs have prompted them to stop writing new policies.
The budget approved by lawmakers covers that deficit by cutting some spending — about $8 billion — while delaying other spending and shifting some expenses to other funds. The plan would borrow $6.1 billion and would set aside $37.8 billion in reserves, the most ever. Newsom has said he will sign it into law.
Despite the deficit, lawmakers agreed to extend tax credits for movie and television productions that film in the state. Those credits will reduce state revenues by up to $330 million per year. The big change is that those tax credits will be refundable. That means if a movie studio has credits that are worth more than what it owes in taxes, the state will pay the studio the difference in cash.
“It’s real hard to justify doing this when we’re not doing that for a lot of people who are struggling in California,” Republican Assembly Leader James Gallagher said.
Others said the improved tax credits are needed as California faces competition from other states seeking to lure TV and movie productions out of California, which has long been synonymous with the glamor of Hollywood.
“It’s something I know people can argue over whether it benefits California or not, but it is iconic and it creates jobs,” Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins said.
California’s budget reflects the partisan divisions that permeate the country’s politics. Democrats praised the budget for avoiding painful cuts to health care and public education programs, two of the biggest areas of state spending. But Republicans criticized the budget as unsustainable. Republican Assemblymember Vince Fong noted the budget Democrats approved on Tuesday assumes much higher tax revenues than the projections from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.
“If revenues come closer to the independent legislative analyst’s projections and if a recession occurs, not only will the deficits be larger, they will consume most, if not all, of our reserves,” Fong said.
The budget is a complex array of nearly two dozen bills that include much more than just spending decisions. It includes protections for the Joshua tree, a native desert plant at the center of a long debate about how to safeguard it from threats driven by climate change without adding unnecessary roadblocks to housing and solar development projects in areas where the tree grows.
The state will charge a fee to developers who remove the trees, pledging to use the money to conserve the species. Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, called the bill an “innovative approach” to balancing tree preservation and development efforts.
But Assemblymember Tom Lackey, a Republican representing Palmdale, a Southern California city in the Mojave Desert where many of the trees grow, worried the bill will hinder housing development in his district.
“There’s never been a bill that’s more impactful to my desert community than this one,” Lackey said.
The budget includes a lifeline for public transit agencies struggling to survive following steep declines in riders during the coronavirus pandemic. It allows transit agencies to use some of the $5.1 billion in funding over the next three years for operations.
Still, some San Francisco Bay-area lawmakers said the spending wasn’t enough to forestall painful service cuts over the next few years. On Monday, they proposed legislation that would increase tolls on seven state-owned bridges — including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge — by $1.50 over the next five years.
Civil liberties groups were upset that the budget allows state officials to withhold some records related to investigations of police misconduct until 2027, a delay the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training said was necessary as it prepares to handle an estimated 3,400 cases each year.
Lawmakers agreed to impose a new tax on the private companies that contract with the state to administer Medicaid benefits. The tax will bring in an estimated $32 billion over the next four years, with some of the money going to doctors while other funding will go to rural hospitals struggling to avoid bankruptcy.
“This will fundamentally help us change how we do health care,” Democratic state Sen. Anna Caballero said.
The budget includes more than $2.8 billion to increase pay for state-subsidized child care workers. But it delays until next year funding for an additional 20,000 slots in the state’s subsidized child care program for low-income families.
___
Associated Press writer Sophie Austin contributed to this report. Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @sophieadanna
California Gov. Gavin Newsom refused to bow out in defense of his home state as he pushed back at Fox News host Sean Hannity during a newly-released portion of their interview. (You can see a clip of the interview below)
Hannity hit the governor with questions on business in California before Newsom fired back at claims that one company – Tesla – abandoned their HQ in the state to “save money.”
“They moved their headquarters back. They moved their R&D world headquarters back just three weeks ago. Why did they do that?” Newsom asked.
“They’re moving to increase their profits and save money because you tax too much,” the host replied.
“Because we created the conditions where they flourish and then they get to a point of maturity and they get to a point of becoming multinational companies,” Newsom added of his home state.
“Because some find greener pastures or are looking for defensive postures as it relates to economic risk. But there’s thousands – we have a 47% increase in business startups this year compared to last year.”
Hannity later argued that businesses were “paying that high tax bill” in the state before the California governor went after the host’s take.
“This is on its way to becoming the fourth-largest economy in the world. What are you arguing for? Mississippi’s economic policy?” asked Newsom as he spoke over Hannity’s attempts to interject.
“Literally, that’s what you’re arguing for. The great Sam Brownback’s Kansas policy? It was a debacle, no economic growth. Seventy one percent of the GDP in America are [in] blue counties. Seventy one percent of the GDP in America are [in] blue counties, progressive policies. Seventy one percent of the country’s wealth. Seven of the top-ten dependent states are your states. We’re subsidizing your states, Sean, because of your policies.”
“I’m in New York, you’re not subsidizing anything from me,” remarked Hannity, who later said he was “all for” Mississippi and Alabama over New York and California.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom sparred with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, insisting President Joe Biden is physically fit for a second term as president while refusing to say whether supporters have urged him to run against Biden on the 2024 ballot.
Asked if he believes Biden is “cognitively strong enough to be president,” Newsom said yes, adding that he talks with the president “all the time” and has traveled with him aboard Air Force One.
’You never answered my question directly,” Hannity responded. “How many times does your phone ping a day, people saying you need to get in this race because they agree with me that he’s not up to the job.”
Newsom stammered somewhat before responding: “I’m not answering.”
Newsom has repeatedly said he has no interest in running for president, saying he completely supports Biden’s reelection campaign. In April, Newsom raised money for Biden during a fundraiser in Washington shortly after the president announced his reelection campaign.
But Newsom has continued to raise his national profile, fueling more speculation that he is laying the groundwork for a presidential campaign beyond 2024. After coasting to reelection as governor in 2022, Newsom took the millions of dollars left over in his campaign account to start a new political action committee.
Newsom said he plans to use the money to support Democrats running for office in Republican-dominated states like Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi. Last week, Newsom said the committee would campaign for a 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution to harden federal gun laws.
Fox News said Monday was Newsom’s first interview on the network since 2010, back when Newsom was the mayor of San Francisco. Since then, Newsom has often joined the chorus of criticism against the conservative news outlet from Democrats who object to its coverage of guns and how some of the network’s hosts have embraced former President Donald Trump.
Last year, Newsom conceded that Republicans were “winning right now” in part because he said Democrats were too timid, giving conservatives the most compelling narrative over the airwaves. He has since opted for a more confrontational style — which includes Fox News. Newsom has said he is a regular viewer of the network. Last year, his campaign paid for an ad on Fox News in Florida and urging residents there to “join us in California.”
“We need more of these kinds of conversations, and we need to not just accuse each other of misleading the American people, but I think confront each other in the context of providing opportunities to address some of the facts that are often omitted in terms of the conversations and topics we choose to pick up,” Newsom said.
Monday’s interview had plenty of confrontation, with Hannity and Newsom often talking over each other. Hannity noted California lost population for the first time in its history as a state while Newsom was in office, offering that as evidence that the policies of Newsom and his fellow Democrats have failed. That includes California’s income taxes, with a top rate of 13.3% that is the highest in the nation.
Newsom pushed back that only the wealthy pay that 13.3% income tax rate. He said that top tax rate was established before he was governor, emphasizing that he has opposed new tax increases on the wealthy, including campaigning against a proposal on the 2022 ballot that would have raised taxes on the wealthy to pay for more zero-emission vehicles and to help fight wildfires.
“I’ve never been a profligate Democrat. I’ve balanced budgets. We make the hard choices. I’m a business guy,” Newsom said.
The interview was recorded previously in Sacramento before airing on Monday night. Hannity defended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ use of taxpayer funds to fly migrants to California.
“You are an open sanctuary state! Why don’t you embrace them,” Hannity asked
“We embrace everybody here,” Newsom said. “I sat down with these migrants. I talked to every single one of them. They were lied to, they were misled.”
But it wasn’t all criticism from Newsom. The governor said he had a good relationship with former Republican President Donald Trump during the coronavirus pandemic, saying Trump “played no politics during COVID with California.”
“I’ve got a lot of critique from the left by saying that,” Newsom said.
While the interview took up the full hour of Hannity’s show on Monday, the two men still had more to talk about. Hannity said the rest of the interview will air later this week.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) weighed in Saturday after three Southern California school board members managed to block an updated social studies curriculum from being formally approved because it included material about gay rights icon Harvey Milk.
Temecula Valley School Board member Danny Gonzalez first prompted objections from community members gathered to watch the meeting by saying that Milk’s “lifestyle choices” were “wildly inappropriate” and calling him a “pedophile.”
The school board president, Joseph Komrosky, agreed with the characterization, claiming that including Milk in the curriculum amounted to “activism.”
“My question is, why even mention a pedophile?” Komrosky asked at one point.
An offensive statement from an ignorant person.
This isn’t Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn.
“An offensive statement from an ignorant person,” Newsom later responded in a tweet alongside a story about the incident.
“This isn’t Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn. Congrats Mr. Komrosky you have our attention,” the governor tweeted, adding, “Stay tuned.”
The school board meeting took place on May 16 but only began receiving attention from local news media this week. During one emotionally charged moment, Komrosky threatened to throw disrupters out of the room; three women in the front row stood and left at the same time.
The 3-2 vote against the new classroom material, which had been approved by the state, leaves the Temecula Valley Unified School District in potential violation of California laws on textbook compliancy. The district said in a statement to KABC, a local outlet, that it was extending the window for parental feedback on textbook materials and communicating with officials at the county and state levels on the issue.
Milk, who was assassinated in 1978, became one of the first openly gay men to be elected to public office as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He is only mentioned in supplemental materials, not the main textbook.
Gonzalez said the materials were intended for fourth graders.
They are part of a conservative movement to influence what children are taught about race and gender in school, which critics say amounts to whitewashing history and erasing marginalized groups.
School board member Allison Barclay argued that Milk was part of history because he “got the ball rolling” on advocating for federally protected classes of people.
“It’s history. If you look at many historical figures, many that we all love and hold near and dear to our hearts, they were not perfect,” Barclay said.
Following protocol, the district already implemented a pilot program with the materials, handing them out to around 1,300 kids to bring home. Parents were also given the chance to comment on the new materials through a survey, but very few actually responded.
The pedophilia accusation against Milk, the subject of a critically acclaimed 2008 biopic, appears to stem from a 1982 biography that says Milk lived with a teen boy in New York City’s Greenwich Village in the 1960s when he was in his 30s.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s ongoing medical struggles have raised a sensitive political question with no easy answer: Who would California Gov. Gavin Newsom pick to replace her if the seat becomes vacant?
Despite calls from within her own party to resign, Feinstein, who turns 90 next month and is the oldest member of Congress, has given no indication that she is considering stepping down. Her frail appearance, confused interactions with reporters in Washington and the growing list of health challenges disclosed by her office continue to fan questions about her fitness for the job — now and into the future.
Should a vacancy occur, a range of names, from obscure to famous — including Oprah Winfrey — have been floated in California circles as possible replacements. Newsom, who is mentioned as a possible future presidential contender, would also have to deal with political complexities, some of his own making: In 2021 he promised to appoint a Black woman should Feinstein’s seat become open. Meanwhile, a 2024 Senate campaign is underway to fill the seat when the senator’s term ends in January 2025.
The situation has created a sad, public coda for the groundbreaking career of a Democratic leader who shattered gender barriers in California and Washington.
Here’s a look at what could happen:
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF FEINSTEIN’S HEALTH?
In short, much is unknown.
Feinstein returned to the Senate on May 10 — about 10 weeks after being diagnosed, then briefly hospitalized, with shingles in San Francisco. On her return to the Capitol, she was markedly thinner and one side of her face was drooping, apparently from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can occur when the shingles virus reaches a facial nerve near the ears. It also can cause hearing loss.
On the advice of doctors, Feinstein’s staff say she is working a lighter schedule as she deals with side effects from the virus, including vision and balance problems. She has been using a wheelchair to get to her office and committee meetings.
Questions have been raised in recent years about Feinstein’s memory and mental acuity, though she has defended her effectiveness. Since her return to Washington, she has at times appeared confused during brief discussions with reporters. Her office also disclosed she suffered a bout of encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, which can also be caused by shingles.
Feinstein’s biographer Jerry Roberts told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Sunday that the senator has “a belief in herself to the point of stubbornness, where nobody is going to tell her what she can or cannot do. She has tremendous belief and confidence in her own strength and her own ability.”
NEWSOM’S PROMISE: ELEVATING A BLACK WOMAN TO SENATE
When California Sen. Kamala Harris resigned to become vice president, Newsom faced pressure from both Black, Latino and other groups over a replacement pick. Some felt that he should replace Harris, the only Black woman in the U.S. Senate, with another Black woman. But others thought it was past time for California to have its first Latino senator, and Newsom chose then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla for the job.
But he later promised that if Feinstein’s seat became vacant, he would choose a Black woman to replace her. Should Feinstein step aside, he’ll be expected to make good on the promise.
“He made the commitment and I do not believe there is any wiggle room for the governor not to honor his commitment,” said Kerman Maddox, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist and fundraiser who is Black.
“Newsom must honor his promise to appoint a Black woman” if Feinstein resigns, said Democratic Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who heads the Legislative Black Caucus in Sacramento. “I trust him at his word. We currently have zero Black women in the Senate, so if the opportunity becomes available the governor must act to help remedy this lack of representation.”
Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney pointed out that any presidential ambitions that Newsom might harbor would be damaged if he backed away from his promise to name a Black woman, noting that the candidate favored by Black voters has won the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination for every cycle since 1992.
“The last thing you want to do if you are thinking about running for president is alienating the nominating wing of the Democratic Party,” Pitney said.
WHICH WAY TO TURN — CARETAKER OR CONTENDER?
In filling a Senate vacancy, Newsom has the authority to name a successor. He could even pick himself, though that is unlikely. State rules dictate when an election would have to be held.
Newsom’s choices all run risks.
He could get entangled in the ongoing Senate campaign and choose one of the declared candidates to fill a Feinstein vacancy.
Another option would be to select a caretaker, and then leave it to voters to decide in next year’s election — someone who would hold the seat but is not a Senate candidate. That’s where names like Winfrey come up — a celebrity who is Black and happens to meet Newsom’s appointment pledge. However, Newsom also might find it challenging to land on someone willing to take a short-term appointment.
If he picked one of the declared Senate candidates, Newsom would unsettle the growing field and elevate that person to frontrunner status. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, who is Black, is already running against fellow Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff, who both are white.
Lee “is far and away the most qualified African American woman to replace Sen. Feinstein if a vacancy becomes available,” Maddox said.
In a recent interview with Fox 11 TV in Los Angeles, Newsom said he was being swamped with recommendations for how to fill a possible Senate vacancy. He calls Feinstein a mentor and one of his closest friends, and said he was hoping he never had to make a decision to fill her seat.
He noted that the primary was quickly approaching in March, and added that he was sensitive to criticism that voters should be picking their elected officials, hinting that he might choose a caretaker to hold the spot, if one occurs.
“I get it. For those who say, ‘Enough of Newsom making these picks!’ I get it. I’m with you. I understand,” he said.
Last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger asked rhetorically if Florida and its governor, Ron DeSantis, wanted all of the company’s business and taxes. Now, events are moving beyond the mere rhetorical as Disney—citing “new leadership and changing business conditions” in Florida—has canceled big plans to move thousands of its staff and their families to the Sunshine State from California, and also axed a planned $1 billion facility in Florida.
An Anime That Might Make You Put Your Minecraft Bed Next To Someone
As reported by Deadline on May 18, Disney Parks and Resorts boss Josh D’Amaro sent a note to Disney Parks, Experiences & Products employees explaining that the massive corporation is abandoning its plan to transfer about 2,000 employees and their families to Florida. Also in the note was the announcement that Disney will no longer be building a massive campus facility in the state’s Lake Nona region. Staff who have already relocated in preparation for that facility will be given the opportunity to return back to California.
“Given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with construction of the campus,” D’Amaro wrote in his Thursday note. “This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one. As a result, we will no longer be asking our employees to relocate. For those who have already moved, we will talk to you individually about your situation, including the possibility of moving you back.”
These now-canned plans were announced back in 2021, with Disney then looking to move most jobs and related staff not directly working on California’s Disneyland theme park to Florida. In 2022, as tensions between Disney and Florida increased, the company announced a delay until 2026. Now, as Florida and Disney’s war grows hotter, it seems the Walt Disney Company is done dealing with DeSantis, and is willing to walk away from a reported $550 million in tax credits, too.
Why are Disney and Florida’s governor at war?
This ongoing war between Disney and DeSantis—likely to be one of the GOP’s frontrunners for president in 2024—started in 2022 with House Bill 1557, referred to by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prevents discussion of sexual identity in Florida’s public schools. The law is just one part of DeSantis’ ongoing culture war over LGBTQ issues. After DeSantis signed the controversial bill into law—and following pressure both internally and publicly—the Walt Disney Company eventually issued a statement in March of last year, calling for a repeal of the bill. In response to Disney’s lukewarm stand against the law, the governor said the company had “crossed the line.”
What followed was an action seen by many as punishment against Disney for speaking out against the controversial bill. DeSantis went after Disney World’s special zoning district, which was established in 1967 and allowed the popular park to be exempt from normal Florida laws concerning matters like building codes.
Following the spat, the governor created House Bill 9B to restructure the district. The bill, in part, gave the district a new name, and appointed a new board of DeSantis-picked directors to oversee it. This crony-packed board lost most of its power this past March after being outsmarted by Disney lawyers. The defanged board then tried to undo what had been done, leading to an immediate lawsuit filed by Disney on April 26 to fight back against the state and DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis and California Governor Newsom respond to canned plans
California Governor Gavin Newsom was quick to respond to today’s news, tweeting, “Turns out, bigoted policies have consequences. That’s 2,000+ jobs that will be welcomed back with open arms to the Golden State. Thank you for doing the right thing, Disney.”
Shortly after the news broke that Disney was canceling its plans to invest more jobs and money into Florida, DeSantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern shared a statement about the situation. According to Redfern, the state was “unsure” that the planned facility in Lake Nona would ever happen. He also suggested that Disney was in “financial straits” and that this move was “unsurprising.”
“Disney announced the possibility of a Lake Nona campus nearly two years ago,” said Redfern in the statement. “Nothing ever came of the project, and the state was unsure whether it would come to fruition. Given the company’s financial straits, falling market cap, and declining stock price, it is unsurprising that they would restructure their business operations and cancel unsuccessful ventures.”
While DeSantis and his office may be playing this one cool at the moment, it’s unlikely they are happy to see billions of dollars in future taxes and revenue, as well as thousands of jobs, vanish into the ether as Disney begins to reevaluate how much business it wants to conduct in Florida going forward.
