California Politics: Three ways Newsom bucked the liberal Legislature

Gov. Gavin Newsom is in the home stretch of signing and vetoing about 1,000 bills the Legislature sent him this year. He has only about 100 left to decide on by the deadline this Saturday.

As you might expect with a Democratic governor and a Democratic legislature, most of Newsom’s decisions amount to a big “Yes.” He typically signs between 84% to 87% of the bills that reach his desk. That’s what makes the “Nos” more interesting.

Newsom’s vetoes this year show that he’s acting as a moderating force on the liberal Legislature. One reason is simply that the Legislature was unusually progressive this year, passing significant labor-backed bills that had failed in the past. Another is that the state’s finances are shakier than they were earlier in Newsom’s tenure, dooming many proposals that involved spending money.

And then there is the fact that Newsom, as he likes to say, is “a future ex-governor.” He’ll be termed out of California’s top office in three years, and it’s obvious Newsom has an interest in national politics. He established his liberal bona fides in his first term as governor. If he decides to run for president in the future, showing some moderation in his second term will likely be a benefit.

I’m Laurel Rosenhall, the Times’ Sacramento bureau chief, here to share three trends I’ve spotted in Newsom’s recent vetoes.

Newsom was a little stingy

The governor vetoed dozens of bills using the same boilerplate paragraph that argued he won’t approve spending outside of the annual state budget.

“We enacted a budget that closed a shortfall of more than $30 billion through balanced solutions,” Newsom wrote.

“This year, however, the Legislature sent me bills outside of this budget process that, if all enacted, would add nearly $19 billion of unaccounted costs in the budget.”

He cited ongoing uncertainty about the economic future and wrote that “it is important to remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications.”

This was the argument Newsom made in vetoing legislation to require independent redistricting in Los Angeles, as well as numerous other measures. Among them: proposals to develop housing for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, expand the availability of free diapers to low-income families, and require health plans to cover treatment for emergency mental health and substance abuse without prior authorization.

Newsom showed his roots as a businessman

Newsom was an entrepreneur before he got into politics, and still has ownership stakes in wine and hospitality businesses valued at many millions of dollars.

While he rode to office with the support of organized labor — and has approved many union-backed measures, including higher wages for fast food workers and an increase in paid sick days — Newsom rejected some labor priorities with vetoes that showed the mind-set of a business owner.

In vetoing a bill that would have allowed workers to receive unemployment benefits when they strike, Newsom wrote that doing so would increase the debt California owes the federal government for unemployment payments and could “significantly [increase] taxes on employers.”

His veto of a bill that would have given workplace safety protections to nannies and housekeepers argued that “private households and families cannot be regulated in the exact same manner as traditional businesses.” In particular, Newsom called out workplace regulations that require “providing an eyewash station if household workers use chemicals like bleach.”

Newsom showed support for Silicon Valley in putting the kibosh on two bills that sought to rein in Big Tech. He vetoed a bill that would have required human drivers in autonomous trucks and another that responded to massive job losses in the tech industry by increasing the notice period companies must give workers of impending layoffs.

Sometimes Newsom just acts like a dad

From his earliest days as governor, Newsom made clear that his role as the father of four young children would shape his priorities in leading the state. He delivered his 2019 inauguration speech with his toddler Dutch on his hip and championed family-friendly policies including universal preschool and longer paid leave for new parents.

Newsom’s veto messages don’t explicitly say anything personal. They contain formal arguments based on policy, law and budget. But in reading some of his vetoes this year, and knowing that his older kids are moving into their teenage years, I felt the dad vibes coming through – especially on issues related to sex and drugs.

Newsom vetoed a bill designed to make it easier for teenagers to get condoms with an argument about funding. In vetoing the measure that would have prohibited stores from refusing to sell condoms to youth and required high schools to distribute condoms for free, Newsom wrote that the bill would have created an unfunded program that was not included in the state’s annual budget.

While Newsom signed several bills to expand rights for LGBTQ+ youth, he vetoed one that would have made a child’s gender identity an issue in custody disputes between parents. The bill would have instructed judges to consider, among other factors, a parent’s affirmation of a child’s gender identity or expression when determining custody or visitation rights. Newsom wrote that he held “a deep commitment to advancing the rights of transgender Californians” but that courts are already required to consider a child’s health, safety and welfare when making custody decisions.

Newsom also vetoed two bills that would have given Californians more legal leeway to use drugs. He wrote that legislation to allow Amsterdam-style cafes for smoking cannabis would violate California’s longstanding ban on smoking in workplaces. He quashed an attempt to decriminalize the use of some psychedelic drugs, including magic mushrooms, by arguing that the state should develop rules for safe use of psychedelics in medical treatments before loosening the law.

Of course, looking at legislation through a dad lens also means avoiding some national headlines about crazy California. And that could be what Newsom is aiming for.

Keeping up with California politics

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(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

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