Early into his first term, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has a 60% overall voter approval rating, according to a Berkeley IGS Poll conducted in mid-September. But breaking down Newsom's approval numbers by political party reveals a great partisan divide. "Democrats overwhelmingly approve of the governor’s performance in office, with 86% giving...
Newsom Rocks the Gig Economy, Signs AB 5 Labor Bill
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed sweeping labor legislation that aims to give wage and benefit protections to California rideshare drivers at companies like Uber and Lyft and to workers across other industries. The closely watched proposal could have national implications as lawmakers, businesses and unions confront the...
Walters: Housing Action Just Half-a-Loaf
Gavin Newsom’s first legislative session as governor began with promises to vigorously confront California’s huge and ever-growing housing shortage. “If we want a California for All, we have to build housing for all,” Newsom told legislators in his State of the State address in January, pledging to crack down on cities that...
Walters: Newsom Wheels and Deals on Big Issues
Gavin Newsom wasn’t born when the TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal” began its run but he’s channeling its host, Monty Hall, during the final days of his first legislative session as governor. Every few days, it seems, Newsom announces that he and legislative leaders have agreed on one...
How Valley Lawmakers Voted on Vaccine Exemption Bill
SB 276 is one of the most emotional bills debated in the state Legislature this year. It would create greater state oversight on how doctors grant medical exemptions from vaccines for public or private school students. Supporters, such as author Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), say the bill is needed to...
Walters: Charter Schools Cheat the Hangman
Elections have consequences – often beneficial ones for those on the winning side and detrimental to the losers. Operators of California’s charter schools – public schools that operate independently of school districts – knew they would be targeted when Gavin Newsom won the governorship last year, and union-backed Democrats increased...
Walters: Striking With a Hot Iron
The old adage of “strike while the iron is hot” is especially applicable to politics. Something that might be politically impossible at one moment may succeed when circumstances change if advocates for that something move fast enough. It’s why, for instance, dozens of otherwise obscure Democratic politicians are suddenly fancying...
Newsom Signs Landmark Police Use-of-Force Bill
By Dan Morain and Laurel Rosenhall, CalMatters California will soon have a tougher new legal standard for the use of deadly force by police, under legislation Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Monday that was inspired by last year’s fatal shooting of a young, unarmed man in Sacramento. Newsom signed the legislation...
California's 113-Month Job Growth Ties Record Set in 1960s
SACRAMENTO — California officials announced Friday that job growth in the world's fifth-largest economy is in its 113th month — tying the expansion of the 1960s as the longest on record. The country's most populous state needs between 8,000 and 9,000 new jobs each month to keep up with its...
Under Newsom, California Housing Crisis Gets Worse, Not Better
Gov. Gavin Newsom's grand plan of building 3.5 million housing units by 2025 is off to a terrible start. In the first six months of 2019, builders gained approval for 51,178 new homes in California, nearly 20% fewer than the same period a year earlier. That puts the state on track...