With his eyes fixed firmly on the Oval Office, Newsom plays centrist.

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** Make Gavin Newsom moderate again?
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Dear John,


Governor Gavin Newsom wants to be president of the United States, so he’s using his office to prove to Americans outside of California — the voters he’ll need to win in 2024 — that he’s actually a centrist. His grand ambition is providing welcome relief to Californians.


In a series of recent policy moves, Newsom has shocked his progressive fans and delighted his critics. For instance, when it became clear that his “clean energy” policies create devastating blackouts, Newsom backtracked on years of progressive ideology: he called on the California Public Utilities Commission to delay the closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant ([link removed]) . At the same time, the governor signed off on — likely authored — Assembly Bill 205. That bill will allow state energy officials to run gas and diesel generators to fill the massive gaps in the state’s stupid, bungled, utopian electric grid.


Confronted by these blasphemies, progressives and environmentalists are tearing out their own hair and have donned burlap sacks and poured ashes over their heads.


Then there’s Newsom’s newfound affection for what real moderates — including our own Edward Ring ([link removed]) [link removed] — call “water abundance.” Instead of allowing environmentalists to turn California into a desert in which the thirsty will envy the dead, water abundance calls for a return to common sense storage, recycling, and desalination.


Speaking of desalination, the governor’s recent and surprising support for a desal plant in Huntington Beach led to howls of protest — and a no vote at the powerful Coastal Commission. The commissioners argued we didn’t need the extra water. As Los Angeles County bans outdoor watering, Newsom will soon look like the only reasonable California Democrat in the state.


Early this week, Newsom took on progressives in the area of drug addiction. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-Toon Town) crafted Senate Bill 57 to establish “safe-injection” sites in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Oakland. But how’s it going to look to moderate American voters when they learn that in Newsom’s California the government is — call it what you will — helping addicts get high? Newsom sent the bill back to the state Senate unsigned, the kindest sort of “drop dead” a governor can offer.


Similarly, when Lyft announced that it had qualified Proposition 30 for the November ballot, Newsom said he opposed it. Prop 30 proposes raising the top marginal tax rate on Californians with annual incomes over $2 million in order to subsidize electric vehicles. Why would Newsom oppose a bill to fund the clean energy programs he adores by taxing the wealthy? Because California’s high-income families already pay the nation’s highest income taxes. As a result, they’re leaving the state in such staggering numbers that they’re beginning to ding the state’s tax base. Raise their taxes further and stand back as wealthy Californians stampede for the exits. That exodus is bad for a man with his eyes fixed firmly on the Oval Office.


Newsom’s most interesting challenge lays just days ahead. Assembly Bill 257, now moving through the state Senate, is the California union movement’s latest attempt to force fast-food workers into a union. Having failed to persuade them to sign up voluntarily, SB 257 will force them into something more Stalinist than a union: if Newsom approves it, a 13-person commission of political appointees representing fast-food workers in negotiations with their managers.


Never mind that the fast-food industry in California is one of the most remarkable engines of prosperity in the most prosperous nation on the planet. Never mind that its workers — most often members of marginalized communities — earn more on average than similar workers in unionized industries; or that its workers can move from high school to the front counter and then management with a speed that stands out globally; or that franchise owners are more often than almost anywhere else American immigrants who have risen into the ownership class.


Will Newsom roll into the 2024 presidential season as an enemy of such entrepreneurial energy? Will he hand the likes of Ron DeSantis the stick with which to beat the stupid out of him? Or will Newsom risk ticking off Big Labor by refusing to sign AB 257?


This is the beauty of American politics. Perhaps you think (as a Democrat consultant told me) “this moderate Gavin Newsom is the real Gavin Newsom.” Or maybe you believe this is pure political cynicism. Whatever you’re seeing, the short-term impact on Californians is a kind of liberation. The longer Newsom daydreams about life in the most powerful chair in the world, the longer we’ll get to live the California Dream.

— by Will Swaim, president, California Policy Center

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**
They've Filed, Now What? Part Two.
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Our virtual CLEO panel discussion, "They've Filed, Now What" was such a huge success this week that we are hosting a follow-up session next Thursday, September 1, 2022 from 7:00-8:15pm via Zoom. Our fantastic panelists, four school board candidates from across California, are returning to answer more of your questions.

Please join us for an in-depth discussion with our panelists:

* Kira Davis, deputy managing editor at RedState, who is running for Capistrano Unified school board
* Sharon McKeeman, founder of Let Them Breathe and candidate for school board of Carlsbad Unified School District
* Suverna Mistry, attorney and candidate for school board for Newhall School District, and
* Jonathan Zachreson, founder of Reopen California Schools and school board candidate for Roseville City Unified.

RSVP ([link removed]) for the panel discussion here ([link removed]) . You will receive the Zoom information the day of the event. If you would like to submit a question for the discussion, please do so by August 31st. Submit your questions here. ([link removed])

And, if you missed this week's panel, don't fret! Watch the video now. ([link removed])

We hope to see you Thursday!


**
CLEO's Online Candidate Academy
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Are you running for school board or local office? You won't want to miss CLEO's online Candidate Academy. In the 8-part virtual series, you’ll hear from CLEO director Mari Barke, Lance Christensen, CPC's Vice President of Education Policy and Government Affairs, and CPC Vice President Jackson Reese as they discuss everything from how to develop a campaign team and manage campaign regulations to effective strategies for connecting with voters and communicating your message.


The nonpartisan Candidate Academy is FREE using the access code “CPCFREE” at calelecteds.org ([link removed]) .

SUPPORT CPC ([link removed])
New Podcast ()
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** Radio Free California #239: The Incredible Shrinking Progressive
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This week on the latest podcast from CPC president Will Swaim and CPC board member David Bahnsen: Prepping for a 2024 president run is moderating Governor Gavin Newsom’s behavior in California — with huge benefits for Californians. Listen now ([link removed]) .

More from CPC ()


** Questions about Water for Gov. Newsom
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Gov. Newsom announced a new water supply strategy this month. Newsom’s remarks were surprisingly accommodating toward those who have been fighting for more water supply infrastructure. CPC senior fellow Edward Ring examines Newsom's plan and asks the tough questions in his latest article ([link removed]) .


** Enormous Amounts of Money Flow into the Bottomless Education Pit
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Spurred by the Covid panic, schools have been the recipient of ungodly sums of money. So where does all this money go? For the kids? Not so much. To help the so-called "teacher shortage"? Hardly. To boost student achievement? Again, negative. Read the article ([link removed]) by Larry Sand, president of the California Teachers Empowerment Network.

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ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA POLICY CENTER

The California Policy Center promotes prosperity for all Californians through limited government and individual liberty.

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