The policy trademark of California’s 40th governor is becoming increasingly apparent in his second term: publicly manufacture a sense of urgency.
Gov. Newsom urged lawmakers to harden the state’s climate and energy goals, releasing a five-point legislative plan that promises to intensify his clash with the state’s powerful, billion-dollar oil industry.Though Newsom’s tactic has helped him score some victories, it doesn’t always deliver everything he set out to win.
“It’s the only thing you can do,” said Susan Kennedy, a former chief of staff to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Every administration I’ve seen has dealt with gas prices through the roof and they do a study and they go after the oil companies and they do investigations on gas prices. I think I must have overseen five of them. That’s what you do because you have no control over supply and demand of oil.
Lawmakers and environmentalists criticized the late arrival of the package, the lack of time for sufficient public review of such a sweeping policy and the inclusion of Newsom’s existing plan to construct a tunnel to transport water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Southern California.
“You gotta have people following you if you’re a leader,” Phillips said. “And when you just spring stuff on people, and you don’t talk to them, you’re not really leading. You’re imposing.” “The governor is not interested in jamming the Legislature,” said Angie Wei, Newsom’s former legislative affairs secretary. “He’s interested in solving the big problems facing California. When your policy is done, it’s time to go. You can’t let the calendar hold you back.”
Negotiations over the infrastructure package held up a budget deal between Newsom and lawmakers for weeks in Sacramento.
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