Gov. Gavin Newsom has been the subject of much controversy in recent years. A champion of progressive policies who tore down a homeless encampment in Los Angeles with his bare hands, he stirs up controversy wherever he goes.
After the 2024 presidential election in which former president Donald Trump was declared the winner, Newsom has grown increasingly popular on social media with fan edits and TikTok videos amassing hundreds of thousands of likes.
Newsom’s plan to protect California from Trump’s ultra conservative policies also slung him into the social media limelight. The Google search trends in the last 30 days also showed a spike in curiosity regarding the governor. Because of this, Newsom has garnered attention from both Californians and those across the nation as his debates and other media appearances have spiked in popularity.
He is now, arguably and accidentally, one of the new emerging faces of the Democratic Party. With this, his policies have come to light and subsequently are being criticized. But despite some of his odd policies and subtle hypocrisy, he still manages to make a positive impact on Californians.
One of the largest growing problems California faces is its homeless population — the unhoused population grew again this year, with nearly 186,000 Californians living in shelters and on the streets.
To combat this housing crisis, Newsom announced on Oct. 3 that an old San Francisco DMV would be used as a site to build over 370 new homes. He also signed a bill granting $2.2 billion in funding for permanent housing.
Though he addresses the homeless crisis through this housing bill, his attacks on encampments further escalated the issue of homelessness in the state. Also, on Oct. 4, he gave $131 million to local communities to implement stricter accountability measures on homeless encampments.
His policy patterns get even more hypocritical from there. Despite being a large proponent of masking during the COVID -19 pandemic, he was criticized for not wearing a mask multiple times. His hypocrisy puts his leadership in question, but his seemingly easy reelection — which occurred just months following criticism of the masking incident — proved that his supporters outnumber the loud critics.
Newsom has also helped a myriad of disenfranchised groups. His investments into anti-stigma campaigns have helped those dealing with mental health issues and inmates. Additionally, his implementation of statewide treatment for substance use and mental disorders have long-lasting benefits by focusing on rehabilitation in jails. Though he often counteracts his progressive policies with out-of-place vetoes and grants, he gets the job done.
His life and policy patterns aside, California remains the state with the largest GDP and leads the country in gun safety, healthcare access and higher education institutions.
California remains the strongest economy in the United States, bringing in a total of $220.59 billion in taxpayer dollars alone. Though it does help that California has the largest population of all the states, the economic power that the state holds is unmatched. Under Newsom’s policies, California exceeded 160,000 apprenticeships in 2023 and is aiming for 500,000 in the next five years while continually expanding career opportunities and pathways.
Looking beyond the state, Newsom has also made milestones during this dire climate crisis by holding gas companies accountable for price gouging and by exceeding the zero-emissions goals the state had previously set for electric vehicles — trucks included.
Yes, while Newsom is odd, has a rocky relationship with unhoused people and is sometimes maskless when he should not be, that does not discredit the positive impact his progressive policies have had on Californians.
Rebecca Do is an Opinion Intern for the fall 2024 quarter. She can be reached at dort@uci.edu.
Edited by Trista Lara, Annabelle Aguirre