Key address to let Newsom hit reset
In his first State of the State address two years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to Donald Trump as the enemy of the nationstate of California, casting the state as the hub of the resistance to a president “fundamentally at odds with California values.”
But Newsom won’t be able to invoke Trump as a bogeyman when he delivers this year’s State of the State at 6 p.m. Tuesday from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The governor has his own problems, some of them selfinflicted — from how he’s handled the pandemic to a campaign to recall him that could go before voters this fall. And he’s
got to fix them fast, as his poll numbers are wobbly.
For Newsom, Tuesday’s speech “is an inflection point for the future,” said David McCuan, a professor of political science at Sonoma State University. “His term has been uneven so far.”
The governor needs to “show competence that he can deliver on policy” and not just make promises, McCuan said.
The speech has to do several things. First, Newsom has to outline — in simple terms, not the complex jargon that the governor defaults to — his vision for how California emerges from the pandemic. He will likely tout the recent deal he cut with the Legislature to encourage public schools to reopen and the state’s improved distribution of the coronavirus vaccines.
Then he has to give a realistic update on the “audacious” goals he set early in his term, when the state had a $21 billion budget surplus. Those included creating a singlepayer health care plan and developing 3.5 million new housing units by 2025. Many of those goals won’t fly now.
Finally, he has to deliver a strong opening statement against the recall. March 17 is the deadline for recall organizers to turn in the 1.5 million valid signatures necessary to put Newsom’s future on the ballot. Organizers say they’ve gathered nearly 2 million signatures and contend they have already changed the way Newsom governs.
“He’s making recall decisions now,” said recall organizer Anne Dunsmore, pointing to the schools deal in particular. “I think we did (influence Newsom). The movement should feel proud — we’ve made a difference before election day.”
What will be telling Tuesday is whether Newsom addresses the recall or brushes it off as a distraction.
Newsom said Monday that “this is not going to be a State of the State laden with a lot of policy announcements.” Instead, he plans to highlight the “quiet heroes in this pandemic,” which will likely give the speech the upbeat feeling of a State of the Union address — and allow Newsom to enjoy the reflected glow of public support for first responders.
“I see light, not just light, but bright light, at the end of this tunnel,” Newsom said recently on a video posted on social media.
He will likely tout how California, the nation’s most populous state, has delivered more than 10 million vaccine doses. “Only six nations in the world have delivered more,” Newsom said on that video.
One sign Newsom recognizes his challenges: He will give the speech not from the Legislature in Sacramento, but from an empty stadium in Los Angeles, the state’s largest media market. While Newsom said the switch is due to coronavirus protocols — under which packing 120 lawmakers into one chamber would be illadvised — he could have opted to deliver it from a TV station closer to home.
Newsom chose Dodger Stadium because “it represents California’s spirit of service” as one of the nation’s largest community vaccination sites, said spokesperson Sahar Robertson. The venue will also represent the “near 55,000 Californians who have been lost to COVID19 — nearly the same number of empty seats in the stadium,” Robertson said. It is a nod to how President Biden recently took time to acknowledge those who have died from the virus, something Trump largely did not.
It all adds up to a speech that will be heavier on imagery than the typical State of the State, an event usually watched only by reporters and the political insider crowd.
“This is the most heavily managed and imaged State of the State that we’ve seen in a long time,” McCuan said. “This isn’t Jerry Brown coming out and dropping obscure quotes from the middle Renaissance period.”
It is also a sign that Newsom is in recall campaign mode. Over the past two weeks, he has held events around the state to tout California’s improved response to the pandemic, often at the opening of new vaccination sites. At one in Stockton last week, Newsom seemed to acknowledge his challenges when he said, “My word of the year is humility.”
Newsom received a dose of support Monday from Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent and progressive leader who tweeted that “rightwing Republicans in CA are trying to recall @GavinNewsom for the crime of telling people to wear masks and for listening to scientists during COVID.”
Even though many on the left are frustrated with the pace of change under Newsom, Sanders’ plea that “we must all unite to oppose the recall in California” could help the governor by discouraging a progressive from running as a possible replacement candidate. That would have the effect of uniting progressive and moderate Democrats behind Newsom, as they share a mutual fear of a Republican becoming governor.
“Gavin needs to win and we need to keep the pressure on Gavin on our issues,” tweeted longtime union leader and Sanders supporter RoseAnn DeMoro in response to the senator. “We can not let the Republican Party have any success in California. This nation is deteriorating very quickly.”