Newsom Aims for 'Brighter Days Ahead' in State of the State Address

Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his annual State of the State address on Tuesday, speaking of “brighter days ahead” for the state, after a pandemic year that reshaped life for millions of Californians — and left the governor on shaky political footing.

In his speech, Newsom made plain his priorities for the year ahead: “Getting kids back to school, getting shots in arms and getting the economy back on its feet.”

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.

Newsom’s address, delivered in prime time 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 state’s death toll from COVID-19 nearly matches the ballpark’s capacity.

“54,395 Californians we now mourn with broken hearts,” Newsom said. “That’s almost the same number of empty seats behind me, marking a silent tribute to loved ones who live forever in our memories.”

As one of the state’s 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 “the most robust vaccination program in America.”

But after a rocky start to the state’s 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.

“COVID was no one’s fault — but it quickly became everyone’s burden,” Newsom said. “It magnified daily worries about feeding your kids, paying rent and keeping loved ones safe.”

In mid-March of 2020, Newsom imposed the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order, shuttering schools, restaurants and small businesses as the rate of infections rose.

On Tuesday, he vowed to “fight” for the “millions of Californians pushed out of the workforce and essential workers with no choice but to keep showing up.”

That job will be made easier with California’s surprising, rosy budget outlook. Despite a recession and a 5% jump in the state’s unemployment rate, the rising wealth of the state’s 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 state’s economy and reopen public schools.

A $7.6 billion plan dubbed the Golden State Stimulus will send $600 checks to millions of residents and dole out grants to small businesses.

And just last week, Newsom signed Assembly Bill 86, sending $6.6 billion to California school districts if they reopen classrooms for the state’s 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 “a partisan power grab,” but the recall campaign says it will soon submit enough signatures to force an election later this year.

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. Fraud at the state’s Employment Development Department — which may total $31 billion — along with prolonged school closures and a slow start to the state’s inoculation program contributed to dragging down Newsom’s previously sky-high approval rating.

“I know our progress hasn’t always felt fast enough,” Newsom said. “And look, we’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. But we own them, learn from them and never stop trying.”

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 “a high bar for a recall ... several times over.”

“Californians are being held back by the pandemic and a state government response that makes it clear that this crisis exceeds the current governor’s ability to deal with it,” Faulconer said.

In a speech delivered a political lifetime ago, Newsom’s last State of the State address in February 2020 focused exclusively on the state’s homelessness crisis.

On Tuesday, he touted his administration’s Project Homekey — 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 state’s cost of living still puts the California dream out of reach for too many residents.

“Gavin Newsom’s vision problems didn’t begin with the pandemic,” said John Cox, another Republican gubernatorial hopeful who Newsom defeated in the 2018 election. “Prior to the pandemic, despite Newsom’s bold campaign promises, California built fewer homes and the cost of living has kept going up, way up."

Other Republicans blasted Newsom for failing to bring up mismanagement and fraud at EDD during his address.

“The governor didn’t mention the EDD and the hundreds of thousands of Californians that are trapped in red tape and bureaucracy. I didn’t see any details of how he was going to fix a state department under his watch," said Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, on a statewide KQED/CapRadio broadcast after the speech.

"Californians are so fed up that they are like, 'We want the option for a change,' " Fong said.

Despite the acrimony from Republicans looking to unseat Newsom, the governor's Democratic 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 the broadcast. "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."