In recent weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a number of legislative bills to the consternation of many folks on the left. He claims that many of these vetoes are the result of budgetary constraints related to the 2023–2024 fiscal year.
Mr. Newsom has reiterated his support for regulating the cannabis industry, and he refused to sign a bill that would distribute condoms to all of the state’s public high schools. He is right on these counts, but he still pushes plenty of leftist causes.
If the budget were balanced or had a surplus, would he have vetoed these original directives? Instead of encouraging promiscuity in high schools, isn’t it appropriate to teach comprehensive health and delayed gratification to students? Immature sexual experimentation can often lead to diseases, school dropouts, heartbreak, and unwanted pregnancies for folks who aren’t ready for commitments and mature relationships. High school students ought to be studying, developing character, and thinking about careers and higher education.
When renters move out of an apartment, they receive the balance of the down payment minus any apartment damages. It’s probably more reasonable to require tenants to pay the first month down and sign a lease with stipulations such as reliable monthly payments, noise limits, and expected behavior toward guests and other tenants.
Next, Mr. Newsom, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, have continued to promote Marxist-inspired critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion in key state institutions. These are distorted ideologies regarding history and human nature due to their fixation on color, ethnicity, gender, and race instead of individual character and merit.
Third, these three officials and transgender activists have called for public libraries and schools to inject more LGBT curricular materials into their spaces in order to allegedly protect vulnerable students. These policies are often carried out without adequate input from the community and parents. Instead of focusing on a quality education, taxpayer dollars are wasted on reading materials that are inappropriate for minors and take precious time away from rigorous teaching and learning.
Fifth, Mr. Newsom’s misplaced priorities failed to provide enough resources for fire suppression and critical infrastructure such as aging bridges, roads, aqueducts, and reservoirs. Over the past three-plus years, far too much funding was diverted to excessive pandemic mandates, high-speed rail, and housing-first homeless policies that exacerbated crime and homelessness.
Sixth, Mr. Newsom has consistently advocated for raising the minimum wage far too often. The minimum wage isn’t meant to be a long-term wage, but rather a steppingstone to upward mobility through experience and training. Raising it too high translates into rising business costs which trigger cost of living increases for consumers. Isn’t it up to employers to decide on realistic minimum wage hikes?
In addition, despite pleas to stay home, Mr. Newsom is on a week-long tour of China to discuss climate change, zero-emission policies, and trade. Perhaps in his alternate universe, Mr. Newsom believes he can influence the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to agree on going green through memorandums of understanding. It’s more likely that communist leaders will make promises only to break them. Indeed, the CCP wants the world to go green while China maintains a voracious appetite for cheap fossil fuels that isn’t letting up.
In short, Mr. Newsom rarely pivots to the center or to common sense values unless he must. Unsurprisingly, he repeats the same mistakes over and over, since he has a special place in his heart for socialist policies. Consequently, large numbers of Californians are exiting the state and heading to pro-liberty states.
