Democrats own virtually every lever of government in California, including the governorship, both U.S. Senate seats, 46 of the state’s 53 congressional members, and three-fourths of state legislators. However, they apparently want more. For the umpteenth time, the Democrat-controlled Legislature has passed a measure clearly aimed at kneecapping the one...
Walters: Three Months in, Newsom Has Only Tepid Approval
Gavin Newsom coasted into the governorship last year, defeating his Republican rival by more than a 3-2 margin. It seems a little odd, therefore, that three months into his governorship, he enjoys only tepid popular support. A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that just 45...
Walters: Newsom Raises the Housing Bar on Himself
Gavin Newsom began his governorship this month by promising to confront what he described as California’s most important issue, an ever-increasing shortage of housing. “This is the issue,” Newsom said as he introduced his first state budget. California’s chronic housing shortfall, particularly for low- and moderate-income families, and its soaring costs...
Walters: Another Conflict Brewing Over Work Disability Costs
Gavin Newsom loves high-concept, almost edgy, approaches to governance – not unlike a younger Jerry Brown during his first governorship four decades ago. However, as Brown eventually learned and Newsom will discover if, as expected, he follows Brown into the Capitol’s corner office, much of governing is not pro-active and...