Newsom’s visit to Valley on hold
EL CENTRO – California Lt. Governor
Gavin Newsom’s impending visit to the Imperial Valley appears to be on hold, District 1 Supervisor John Renison noted Thursday.
Renison recalled about two months ago a visit to the county by Newson seemed imminent, yet it did not come to pass.
Renison said he heard from Newsom’s office a visit could happen as early as January yet as of now, nothing has been confirmed.
Newsom is one of several candidates who will seek the governor’s office next year when current Gov. Jerry Brown completes his second consecutive term ... he also served as governor from 1975 to 1983.
“Our interest is that Newsom becomes acquainted with Imperial Valley issues,” said Renison. “One of our big priorities is clearing the pollutants from the New River, increasing economic opportunity, and development.”
He further stressed, unemployment at 22 percent, even though down from recent years is still unacceptable. He also wants to hold Sacramento’s feet to the fire to implement the 10-year restoration plan for the Salton Sea.
“That’s not the entire solution; we still need to import water from the Gulf of California to replenish what’s evaporated from the Salton Sea. That’s the long-term solution. Building wildlife habitat is a good first step but not a longstanding solution.”
Also, any gubernatorial candidate needs to address the county’s disturbingly high rate of asthma, now the worst in the state. And candidates must keep their eye on the ball of border dynamics, as well as note Imperil County’s economy is dependent on doing increased business with Mexicali, a city of nearly 800,000.
“We need a governor who understands the need to visit Imperial County periodically and is willing to engage supportively to help solve challenges,” said Renison. “Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa (former Los Angeles mayor) and John Chiang (state treasurer) all are potential candidates — you got to watch all three.”
Other potential candidates include San Diego businessman John Cox, seeking nomination as a Republican, also Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-72nd), a possible run by former Republican Congressman Doug Ose, who left the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 and former state superintendent of public instruction, Delaine Eastin.
According to a University of Southern California poll conducted Thursday, Villaraigosa has recently surged and is now the choice of 21 percent of California voters versus 31 percent for Newsom. Political analysts suggest this poll is impressive for Villaraigosa because it was conducted online, a methodology that in the past favored Newsom, as he has done well with wealthy voters previously.
In September, Newsom was at 26 percent to Villaraigosa’s 10 percent. Now that Villaraigosa is climbing in a new online poll may indicate his campaign, which stresses economic opportunity and equality is gaining traction with voters. Other candidates are considerably further back. The poll also shows Villaraigosa is leading among Latino voters by a two-to-one margin, a constituency that is growing faster than any other demographic.
With California’s open primary, the two candidates receiving the most votes in the June primary could both be from the Democratic Party noted Renison. This election is already showing similarities to the 2016 U.S. Senate race when Democratic Attorney General Kamala Harris faced off against Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-46th) in the November general election; he pointed out.
“Newsome currently enjoys an edge in funding and name recognition,” said Renison. “But that could all change by January. After the first of the year, we’ll have a better idea of how it all shakes out.”