Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has emerged as a star in the Democratic Party and a top defender of President Joe Biden — but he’s snubbed his base on a number of key issues.
Pledges to veto youth tackle football
Newsom said on Tuesday he would not sign legislation headed for the full Assembly floor this week banning tackle football for children. Authored by Democratic Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, who attempted to pass a similar ban in 2018, the legislation would bar children under 6 from playing tackle football through an organization or a league starting in 2025, eventually applying to children under 12 by 2029.
“I will not sign legislation that bans youth tackle football. I am deeply concerned about the health and safety of our young athletes, but an outright ban is not the answer,” Newsom said in a statement. “My Administration will work with the Legislature and the bill’s author to strengthen safety in youth football — while ensuring parents have the freedom to decide which sports are most appropriate for their children.”
The bill moved through an Assembly committee last week but still needs to be heard by the full Assembly and Senate. In declaring his intent to veto, Newsom cited the safety framework already in place for full-contact tackles.
“California remains committed to building on the California Youth Football Act, which I signed in 2019, establishing advanced safety standards for youth football,” Newsom said. “This law provides a comprehensive safety framework for young athletes, including equipment standards and restrictions on exposure to full-contact tackles.”
Supreme Court takes on homelessness ordinance ban
Last week, the conservative majority Supreme Court agreed to review encampment bans that affect the homeless, an issue Newsom has taken a centrist stance on compared to many of his Democratic counterparts.
Newsom has joined the San Francisco city attorney’s office in lobbying for clarity on local ordinances determining how a city can respond to homeless encampments overrunning areas such as Sacramento and San Francisco.
“California has invested billions to address homelessness, but rulings from the bench have tied the hands of state and local governments to address this issue,” Newsom said in a statement on Friday. “The Supreme Court can now correct course and end the costly delays from lawsuits that have plagued our efforts to clear encampments and deliver services to those in need.”
The highest court could overturn decisions of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said persecuting those for public camping when no other shelter is provided is a “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Last year, Newsom criticized liberal justices in a legal battle that prevented the city of San Francisco from clearing homeless encampments until additional shelter beds are offered, stating the judge has gone “too far” in allowing the decision to stay.
“I hope this goes to the Supreme Court,” Newsom said in September before the issue was taken up by the highest court this year. “And that’s a hell of a statement coming from a progressive Democrat.”
Autonomous vehicles
Self-driving cars providing rides to paying customers are being tested in Los Angeles and are in service in San Francisco. Democratic lawmakers and the Teamsters have pledged to create more regulation and oversight on the services after several crashes. While Newsom has yet to interfere in the current debates involving robotaxis, he defied his party last year in a similar matter regarding autonomous trucking.
Newsom vetoed a Democratic and Teamsters-backed bill that would have required a human safety operator to be present in self-driving trucks driving on California public roads.
Newsom sided with the technology industry over the Democratic Party and labor unions by opposing a bill that requires a trained human safety operator to be present in an autonomous heavy-duty vehicle.
The Newsom administration’s Business Development Office said the bill, sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, would undermine California’s competitiveness in economic innovation and autonomous technology.
Teamsters, a powerful union, pushed the governor to sign the bill to help secure jobs for truckers that the self-driving industry threatens.
“If Gov. Newsom vetoes this bill, he is putting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of truck drivers at risk while jeopardizing public safety,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said.
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After the bill was vetoed, the Teamsters attacked the Democratic governor for his “anti-progress veto spree.”
“Being a pro-union governor doesn’t mean you stand with us when it’s convenient. It means you stand with organized labor when it counts, which is when it’s time to sign pro-union legislation,” Jason Rabinowitz, president of Teamsters Joint Council 7, said.