Newsom overcomes unease, dyslexia to deliver a sterling State of the State address
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SACRAMENTO — The most outstanding thing about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final State of the State address last week was that he actually gave it.
Every California governor since Earl Warren back in World War II had annually paraded into the ornate 1800s-decor Assembly chamber to address a joint session of the Legislature in what was always the most festive occasion of the year in the state Capitol.
The house was packed with giddy lawmakers on their best behavior, state elected officials, Supreme Court justices, reporters, movers and shakers.
Newsom reluctantly followed custom his first two years as governor, but then brushed it all off for five — mainly because of a lifelong struggle with dyslexia, which makes it very difficult for him to read a speech off teleprompters.
“He hates giving speeches,” a top aide once told me. “It’s anxiety-producing for him.”
The governor had a good excuse in 2021: Tight seating in the crowded Assembly chamber would have risked spreading the COVID-19 virus. Instead, he strangely opted for center field in empty Dodger Stadium.
The next year, he delivered his speech before lawmakers in a sterile state auditorium, where he could practice his delivery for days beforehand in private. The year after that, he skipped the address entirely. In 2024, he went on a four-city road trip to promote his legislative agenda. And late last year, he merely sent a written message to the Legislature.
The question arose whether Newson was capable of delivering a traditional State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress if he ever did achieve his presidential ambition.
He answered that a few days ago by flawlessly delivering an hour-long State of the State speech, displaying some wit and plenty of charisma and rhetorical skill while expressing passion for California and repulsion against President Trump.
The ceremony resembled a mini-State of the Union as the beaming governor was escorted down the Assembly’s center aisle to the Speaker’s rostrum, shaking hands with delighted legislators crowding into camera range.
Newsom returned to the customary State of the State format because he realized this was his last opportunity as a lame-duck governor who’s termed out after this year. He wanted to show some farewell respect for the legislative institution, a gubernatorial insider told me.
Of course, it also was a relatively high-profile gift speaking slot that could catch some national attention.
And he wanted to do it in early January — as all previous governors had — because, he believed, it would attract more attention now than later. Soon the race to replace him will shift into high gear, he theorized, and he could be crowded out of public focus by the gubernatorial candidates.
That theory doesn’t add up.
This is not an attention-grabbing field of gubernatorial wannabes, to put it politely. Conversely, Newsom is an early front-runner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Regardless, it’s Trump who will continue to draw most of the political attention, not the scarcely known group running for governor.
Whatever his purpose, the speech paid off for Newsom. It got lots of news media coverage. And he continually was interrupted with loud applause by Democrats — what you’d expect when they dominate the Legislature with a supermajority.
But it required a lot of pre-speech work. Newsom spent more than a week in practice, reading his script off teleprompters, off and on, and devouring its content, the insider says.
As he began the live address, Newsom ad-libbed a reference to his long absence from the State of the State ritual and struggles with dyslexia.
“I’m not shy or, you know, embarrassed about my [below average] 960 SAT score,” the governor said, grinning, “but I am a little bit about my inability to read the written text. And so it’s always been something that I have to work through and I’m confronting.”
His performance — the delivery, at least — matched, if not exceeded, all previous governors I’ve watched give State of the States.
Newsom used the speech to continue the anti-Trump barrage that has boosted his national standing among Democratic activists.
“The president believes that might makes right, that the courts are simply speed bumps, not stop signs,” Newsom asserted. “Secret police, businesses raided, windows smashed, citizens detained, citizens being shot, masked men snatching people in broad daylight….
“In California, we are not silent. We are not hunkering down. We are not retreating. We are a beacon.”
Newsom defended California against Republican attacks — and common mindsets throughout much of America — that the Golden State is a socialist hellhole of high taxes, unaffordable living and rampant crime. It’s an albatross he’ll need to fight off running for president.
“The declinists — you know who you are — the pundits and critics suffering from ‘California derangement syndrome,’ look at this state and try to tear down our progress,” he said,
“It’s time to update your talking points. California remains the most blessed and often the most cursed place on Earth — profound natural beauty and prosperity, profound natural disasters, testing our spirits and resources.”
Afterward, Newsom was criticized by Republicans and chided in the news media for not mentioning that the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office had forecast an $18-billion state budget deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Newsom brushed that off with a stroke of the pen the next day. He submitted a significantly lower deficit projection — just $3 billion — in a $349-billion budget proposal he sent the Legislature. He credited a revenue surge based on stock market profits, fueled largely by artificial intelligence investments.
Gee, what could go wrong?
Breaking with gubernatorial tradition, Newsom did not show up to personally brief reporters on his budget proposal, a task he has mastered in the past.
This time, Newsom had been too busy practicing his State of the State address to bone up on a budget presentation.
That’s OK. The State of the State was a needed feel-good tonic for both the Legislature and Newsom.
What else you should be reading
The must-read: Deadly ICE shooting in Minnesota, affordability stir up California gubernatorial forums
CA vs. Trump: Federal judge blocks Trump administration’s freeze of $10 billion in child-care funds
The L.A. Times Special: Citizens are finally getting it: No one’s safe from Trump’s deportation ambitions
Until next week,
George Skelton
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Ideas expressed in the piece
Newsom successfully overcame his lifelong struggle with dyslexia to deliver a compelling and well-executed final State of the State address, demonstrating strong rhetorical skill and delivery despite his anxiety about reading from teleprompters[1]. The address marked a significant personal achievement, as he had avoided the traditional format for several years due to his reading difficulties, instead opting for alternative venues and formats[2].
The speech effectively positioned California as a counternarrative to what Newsom characterized as federal overreach, with the governor asserting that the state is “a beacon” providing “a different narrative, an operational model, a policy blueprint for others to follow”[1]. His criticism of the Trump administration’s policies was pointed and passionate, drawing sustained applause from Democratic lawmakers who dominate the Legislature[1].
Newsom defended California’s record against critics who characterize the state as economically troubled or mismanaged, emphasizing the state’s investments in education, job creation, and economic growth[1]. The address highlighted California’s role in shaping technological innovation and its progressive policies on civil rights and immigration[1].
Different views on the topic
Critics noted that Newsom failed to address California’s significant fiscal challenges in his address, specifically omitting mention of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office’s forecast of an $18-billion state budget deficit[1]. This omission drew criticism from Republicans and the news media, raising questions about the completeness of his assessment of the state’s situation[1].
Questions have been raised about whether Newsom’s extended absence from the traditional State of the State format—skipping it entirely in some years and using alternative venues in others—reflected appropriate prioritization of his gubernatorial duties or represented an unnecessary deviation from established governance practices[1].
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