Newsom won't give State of the State
California Gov. Gavin Newsom won't give a State of the State address this year, shunning the teleprompter that has frustrated him because of his dyslexia in favor of a statewide tour this month, in which he can highlight his major policy goals in a more informal setting.
It's a break from tradition for Newsom, a Democrat and potentially a future presidential candidate who has attempted many times to reinvent the speech for modern audiences. He has tried devoting the entire speech to just one topic — homelessness in 2020 — and using Dodger Stadium during the pandemic to give exhausted residents a pep talk about “brighter days ahead.”
Scripted speeches have given Newsom trouble because of his dyslexia, a common learning disability that makes it harder for him to read and do other things related to reading. It's why he rarely uses notes in his public appearances and memorizes vast amounts of facts and figures. Last year, he invited lawmakers to hear his speech in a large auditorium in Sacramento in part because he could use a larger screen, according to the governor's office.
Just about every governor in the U.S. gives a State of the State address, which mimics the State of the
Union speech given by the president to Congress every year. The California Constitution requires the governor report to the state Legislature every year “on the condition of the State.”
Prior to World War II, governors would fulfill this requirement by sending a letter to the Legislature. That changed in the 1940s, when former Gov. Earl Warren — later chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court — began giving a formal speech to the Legislature, according to Alex Vassar, who works at the California State Library and acts as an unofficial historian of the Legislature. Governors have been giving speeches ever since.
This year, Newsom plans to fulfill his constitutional requirement by sending a letter to the state Legislature. Next week, the governor's office says, Newsom plans to embark on a four-day tour of the state to highlight his priorities.
“Long gone are the days of an hourlong gubernatorial address on primetime TV that everyone went into their living room and watched,” said Matt Barreto, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, one of President Joe Biden's pollsters during the 2020 election. “Perhaps the governor is thinking there are more effective ways of going out into the community and speaking directly to voters.”