As he was running for governor, Gavin Newsom repeatedly and emphatically promised to attack California’s housing shortage head-on, pledging in an online article to “lead the effort to develop the 3.5 million new housing units we need by 2025 because our solutions must be as bold as the problem is big.” During his...
Sen. Feinstein Urges Newsom-Trump Teamwork on California Water
Sen. Dianne Feinstein waded into California's water wars as a peacemaker Thursday morning. Listen to this article: In a letter, the six-term Democrat urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to work together to develop consistent standards for water projects in California. Potential for Conflicting Rules "I urge...
Millions in Highway Funds Should Be Restored, Valley Leaders Tell Panel
Dozens of Valley politicians and transportation leaders showed up to a face-to-face meeting with state commissioners, asking them to keep funding for local highway improvements intact. The California Transportation Commission met Friday in Fresno to discuss the recent funding controversy over projects on Highway 99 and 46. Representatives from Madera...
Gov. Newsom Says Highway 99 is 'Top Priority'
Gov. Gavin Newsom says funding Highway 99 is a "top priority," dispelling the notion that a September executive order diverted money from improvement projects in Madera and Tulare counties. "As it relates to Highway 99 in particular, it is a top priority for our administration, a top priority for our...
California Economic Summit in Fresno Is Biggest Ever
For the eighth year — and the first time in Fresno — California Forward is holding an economic summit focused on how to improve the Golden State across many different sectors. And, according to California Forward's co-chairman Pete Weber, the two-day event — dubbed "Regions Rise Together" — will be the biggest...
Newsom Headlines Costa Fundraiser in Fresno
The evening before Gov. Gavin Newsom delivers the keynote address to the California Economic Summit in downtown Fresno, he will appear at a fundraiser for Congressman Jim Costa. Multiple sources confirmed Newsom's appearance at a yet-to-be-disclosed location on Thursday, Nov. 7. The governor is one of several high-profile politicos in...
Walters: Newsom Now Owns the Wildfire and PG&E Crisis
The careers of political executives — presidents, governors and big-city mayors — are often defined, fairly or not, by how they respond to crises. Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Depression, John Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis and Jimmy Carter and the Iranian hostage...
Walters: Newsom Fumbles on Transportation
Gavin Newsom has a transportation problem — not personally, but politically. As governor, Newsom travels in an entourage with a personal driver and lots of security. However, he shares the road with millions of Californians who must cope with ever-increasing congestion, poorly maintained pavement and sky-high fuel prices. A couple...
Newsom Signs Bill Pushing Back Public School Start Times
Students in middle school and high school can sleep in later beginning in 2022, thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday. Senate Bill 328, which was authored by state Sen. Anthony Portantino, bans public high schools from starting before 8:30 a.m. It additionally requires middle schools to...
Walters: Unions Win Big, to What Avail?
California’s labor unions scored big wins in the just-concluded legislative session — to the surprise of precisely no one. Democrats’ huge gains in last year’s legislative elections, coupled with the election of Gavin Newsom, who had strong union support, as governor, foretold what would happen. The biggest of union victories, Assembly...