Democrats coalesced behind the presidential nomination of Joe Biden after Bernie Sanders won the Nevada caucuses, briefly becoming the Democratic Party’s front-runner. Democrats quickly joined hands with the more electable Biden after Sanders was defeated by President Donald Trump. But compared to “democratic socialist” Sanders, is California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policy is really any different?
Biden hates the oil-and-gas industry more than Newsom. Newsom directed a ban to new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. He ordered that new oil fracking be stopped by 2024. He banned the sale and use of gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers by 2024.
Newsom imposed a more severe COVID-19 lockdown than any other governor. A dizzying array of directives were issued by Newsom, including the closing of most schools campuses, a mask mandate, regular testing for all state employees, and the mailing of ballots. He also ordered the sending of ballots to all registered voters. In-school mandates for students and vaccine mandates for all grades, public and private, and school staff vaccination mandates.
As to shutdowns, in July 2020, USA Today wrote, “All [California] counties are required to close indoor operations of restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums, card rooms and all bars.”
Newsom ordered large toy stores to set up a separate section for “gender neutral” toys. The bill was introduced by a Democratic lawmaker:
Part of it is to make sure if you’re a young girl that you can find a police car, fire truck, a periodic table, or a dinosaur. And then similarly, if you’re a boy, if you’re more artistic and want to play with glitter, why not? Why should you feel the stigma of saying, ‘Oh, this should be shamed,’ and going to a different location?
Newsom signed a bill to limit sentencing enhancements for certain crime, including those committed gang members. Gang members in California are disproportionately black and Hispanic, and to punish them severely would perpetuate “systemic racism.” Never mind the disproportionate number of victims of gang crimes who are black and Hispanic.
Newsom signed a bill to create a task force first-in-the nation to study and make recommendations for reparations. The task force recently issued its first report and proposed the implementation of “a comprehensive reparations scheme.”
How out-of-step Newsom is on reparations? In December 2021, the liberal Brookings Institution wrote: “Recent polling data documents Americans’ general opposition to reparations in the form of financial payments to Black Americans as compensation for slavery.”
On abortion, The New York Times wrote: “In the past year, Mr. Newsom has ramped up funding for abortion providers; offered tax breaks for companies seeking to move from states where abortion may be outlawed; and signed bills to protect abortion patients from privacy intrusions, insurance co-pays and threats, pressure or other attempts at ‘reproductive coercion.’”
Newsom supports an amendment to the state’s constitution to ensure “personal reproductive liberty,” an amendment whose wording the California Catholic Conference found so “extreme” it could allow third trimester abortions.
After the reversal of Roe v. Wade, Newsom proposed making California a “sanctuary state” for those seeking abortions. In signing a bill to provide “abortion rights” to those coming to California for abortions, Newsom said: “We will not aid, we will not abet in their efforts to be punitive, to fine and create fear for those that seek that support. We are proud to provide it—and we do.”
Newsom supports California’s illegal immigration sanctuary state laws and signed legislation expanding access to state funding for health care to some illegal aliens, with a stated goal to provide state health care to all illegal aliens.
Newsom signed a bill mandating that publicly held corporations headquartered in California have a certain number of “underrepresented” board members defined as “an individual who self-identifies as black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native, or who self-identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.” A judge ruled that the law violated the state constitution.
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