Decades of political conflict over the fate of four obsolete dams on the Klamath River reached a turning point last week with a multi-party, two-state “memorandum of understanding” to remove them in hopes of restoring salmon runs. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, heads of two Indian tribes that depend...
Walters: Revenue Windfall Creates Political Dilemma
As Gov. Gavin Newsom makes the final decisions on writing a 2021-22 budget, he’s receiving some good revenue news from his beancounters. During the first four months of the 2020-21 budget cycle, which began on July 1, state general fund revenues were more than $11 billion higher than the apocalyptic estimates on...
Proposal Would Restrict Newsom’s Virus Powers
LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom has been called a lot of unflattering things since he ordered widespread coronavirus restrictions in the state: a dictator, a hypocrite, a tyrant and worse. Now, a Southern California man wants voters to restrict his authority during health emergencies. A ballot proposal cleared Thursday...
How Risky Was That Napa Party Gavin Newsom Attended?
Just how risky was the birthday party that Gov. Gavin Newsom attended at a ritzy Napa Valley restaurant? According to a modeling tool, if held today, there’s an 11 to 12% chance — odds of about one in nine — that one of the dinner guests was infected with the coronavirus....
Walters: French Laundry Flap Spotlights Capitol Insiders
Twenty-two years ago, on the day after Gray Davis was elected governor of California, I hopped aboard a Southwest Airlines plane bound for Los Angeles. I was heading south for Davis’ morning-after press conference and I was not alone. Several journalists and other Capitol figures were on the plane, including...
Top Brass at California Medical Group Joined Newsom at Party
SACRAMENTO — Two top officials at the California Medical Association attended a birthday party alongside Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month as the state experienced an uptick in coronavirus cases. Dustin Corcoran, the organization's chief executive officer and Janus Norman, a senior vice president, were among a dozen people at...
As COVID Cases Surge, Newsom Apologizes for ‘Bad Mistake’ Attending Napa Party
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday apologized for what he called “a bad mistake” in attending a birthday party that broke the very rules that he has been preaching to slow the spread of the coronavirus. He has suffered severe political backlash since it surfaced Friday that he and...
Opinion: What Will Tax Increase Advocates Do Now?
Proposition 15, which would have boosted property taxes on commercial real estate by billions of dollars a year, finally bit the dust last week. It wasn’t a surprise. Although its advocates — unions, mostly — may cite the COVID-19 pandemic and recession as causes for failure, the measure never polled...
Newsom Says He Should Not Have Attended Napa Dinner Party for 12
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom says he should not have attended a birthday dinner for a dozen people at the posh French Laundry restaurant in Napa last week, saying that he should have set a better example for a virus-fatigued state that is seeing steep increases in coronavirus cases. Newsom...
Walters: How Long Will Newsom Have One-Man Rule?
California has been a one-party state for the last decade, with Democratic governors and supermajorities in both legislative houses doing pretty much as they pleased without paying any attention to the relative handful of Republican legislators. However, one-party rule gave way to one-man rule eight months ago when Gov. Gavin...