Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his annual state of the state address on Tuesday, speaking of âbrighter days aheadâ for the state, after a pandemic year that reshaped life for millions of Californians â and left the governor on shaky political footing.
In his speech, Newsom made plain his priorities for the year ahead: âGetting kids back to school, getting shots in arms, and getting the economy back on its feet.â
Those three goals will go a long way in determining whether the governor can rebound from a dip in public approval and survive a potential recall election.
Newsomâs address, delivered in primetime from a nearly empty Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, broke format with the traditional remarks made to a crowded chamber of legislators in the state Assembly.
The choice of venue was as much about symbolism as safety: the stateâs death toll from COVID-19 nearly matches the ballparkâs capacity.
â54,395 Californians we now mourn with broken hearts,â said Newsom. âThatâs almost the same number of empty seats behind me, marking a silent tribute to loved ones who live forever in our memories.â
California Governor Gavin Newsom delivers the State of the State address at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on March 9, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
As one of the stateâs mass vaccination centers, Dodger Stadium also represents the pathway for California to emerge from the pandemic.
More than 10 million doses have been administered in California, the most of any state, leading Newsom to boast in his speech of âthe most robust vaccination program in America.â
But after a rocky start to the stateâs vaccine rollout, California still only ranks 34th out of 50 states in the percentage of its supply that has been administered.
Newsom began his address by reflecting on the toll the pandemic has taken on Californians in the last year.
âCOVID was no oneâs fault â but it quickly became everyoneâs burden,â Newsom said. âIt magnified daily worries about feeding your kids, paying rent and keeping loved ones safe.â
In mid-March of 2020, Newsom imposed the nationâs first statewide stay-at-home order, shuttering schools, restaurants and small businesses as the rate of infections picked up pace.
My response to Gavin Newsom's State of the State address. pic.twitter.com/CbSrUHe3GW
— Kevin Faulconer (@Kevin_Faulconer) March 10, 2021
On Tuesday, he vowed to âfightâ for the âmillions of Californians pushed out of the workforce and essential workers with no choice but to keep showing up.â
That job will be made easier with Californiaâs surprising rosy budget outlook. Despite a recession and a 5% jump in the stateâs unemployment rate, the rising wealth of the stateâs top earners has resulted in billions of dollars in unexpected revenue.
Newsom touted the two massive spending bills he has already enacted this year with the legislature, to revive the stateâs economy and reopen public schools.
A $7.6 billion plan dubbed the âGolden State Stimulusâ will send $600 checks to millions of residents, and dole out grants to small businesses.
And just last week, Newsom signed AB 86, sending $6.6 billion to California school districts if they reopen classrooms for the stateâs youngest students.
But neither initiative has quelled criticism of the governor, particularly among California Republicans, who have united behind an effort to remove Newsom from office through a recall election.
Newsom made only passing reference to what he labeled âa partisan power grab,â but the recall campaign says it will soon submit enough signatures to force an election later this year.
Gov. @GavinNewsom speaks of "brighter days ahead" in his State of the State speech from Dodger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/LPbCmWFt8u
— Guy Marzorati (@GuyMarzorati) March 10, 2021
The campaign gained momentum in November, after Newsom was spotted eating dinner at the fancy French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley while urging Californians to limit gatherings.
Weeks later, COVID-19 infections surged in the state, leading to another round of business closures. A multi-billion dollar case of fraud at the stateâs Employment Development Department, prolonged school closures and a slow start to the stateâs inoculation program contributed to drag down Newsomâs previously sky-high approval rating.
âI know our progress hasnât always felt fast enough,â Newsom said. âAnd look, weâve made mistakes. Iâve made mistakes. But we own them, learn from them, and never stop trying.â
In a videotaped address released on Tuesday afternoon, former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican aiming to replace Newsom in the recall election, said Newsom has cleared âa high bar for a recall … several times over.â
.@GavinNewsom: âIt was a year ago, we made the incredibly difficult decision to issue a stay home order to slow the spread.We agonized about the sacrifices it would require. But we made sure that science – not politics – drove our decisions.âCritics may disagree.#StateoftheState
— Scott Shafer (@scottshafer) March 10, 2021
âCalifornians are being held back by the pandemic and a state government response that makes it clear that this crisis exceeds the current governorâs ability to deal with it,â Faulconer said.
In a speech delivered a political lifetime ago, Newsomâs last state of the state address in February of 2020, the governor focused exclusively on the stateâs homeless crisis.
On Tuesday, he touted his administrationâs Project Homekey â which used federal funds to convert motels into supportive housing, along with legislation to prevent evictions he signed earlier this year.
But that progress is unlikely to shield Newsom from criticism that the stateâs cost of living still puts the California dream out of reach for too many residents.
âGavin Newsomâs vision problems didnât begin with the pandemic,â said John Cox, another Republican gubernatorial hopeful who Newsom defeated in the 2018 election. âPrior to the pandemic, despite Newsomâs bold campaign promises, California built fewer homes and the cost of living has kept going up, way up.”
Despite the acrimony from Republicans looking to unseat Newsom, some of his allies voiced praise for his speech, Tuesday, including Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco).
“I think he struck exactly a right tone for how incredibly challenging this period has been,” Chiu said on KQED public radio after the speech. “I would submit he has made the right decisions in so many instances to save lives, to shut down when we needed to, and to reopen when we had to.”
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