SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom is mobilizing 1,000 members of the National Guard over concerns of civil unrest ahead of President Donald Trump leaving office. State officials also Thursday erected a temporary chain link fence around the state Capitol, bolstering other temporary and permanent barriers. @CHP_HQ has denied the...
How California’s Budget Depends on Staggering Wealth Gap
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $227 billion California spending plan is setting records in more ways than one. Were his budget proposal approved by lawmakers as is, the state would spend an unprecedented amount to fend off poverty, eviction and K-12 education loss for California’s most vulnerable residents in the 2021-22 fiscal year. And...
Democrats Liken Newsom Recall Effort — a Legal Option in California — to Extremist ‘Coup’
When is a constitutionally outlined petition campaign to remove an elected leader actually a “treasonous” effort to subvert the democratic process? According to the California Democratic Party, when Republicans are on one side of the campaign and Gov. Gavin Newsom is on the other. In a press conference Tuesday afternoon,...
Walters: California’s Technology Woes Deepen
While doing his stretch in solitary confinement as lieutenant governor of California, Gavin Newsom wrote a book entitled “Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government.” In the book, published in 2013, Newsom sang the praises of digital technology and its potential for making government and its...
Walters: Newsom’s Vaccination Plan Bogs Down
As a deadly surge of COVID-19 began hammering California late last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed new restrictions on personal and economic activities and repeatedly promised that massive vaccinations would soon stop its spread. “It’s a sprint, not a marathon,” he would say in urging Californians to wear masks, avoid...
In Pandemic-Era Budget, Newsom Tries to Nestle Friends and Neutralize Enemies
Amid a calamitous pandemic that has strained his relationships with fellow Democrats in the Legislature and given momentum to a Republican-led effort to throw him out of office, Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to pull off a political balancing act as he begins his third year leading California. He wants...
California Budget Forecasts $15 Billion One-Time Windfall
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom's $227 billion budget plan released Friday would turn a $15 billion windfall into economic relief as the state faces a rapid surge in coronavirus cases and deaths. His budget proposal comes as the state faces “a challenge the likes of which we never expected," Newsom...
Newsom Proposes $600 Payment for Low-Income Californians
Millions of low-income Californians would get a $600 payment from the state under a budget proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The proposed payment, announced Wednesday, would go to people with annual incomes of less than $30,000, including immigrants living in the country illegally who file taxes with the state. Roughly...
Newsom’s $4B Recovery Plan Would Waive Business Fees, Promote Electric Cars
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday proposed a $4 billion spending plan he says will create jobs and help small businesses recover from the economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Close to half of that money — $1.5 billion — would help people purchase electric cars and build the...
Newsom Names New Unemployment Department Director After Claims Scandal
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday appointed Rita L. Saenz to oversee the state's unemployment benefits department, which has been overwhelmed by claims during the coronavirus pandemic and also has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in phony claims, including to prison inmates. Saenz, 71, will be director of the...