Jon’s Weekend Reading Recommendations! Articles, Charts, Videos, Podcasts & More… Plus Gavin On Campaigning For Socialists…
I am perusing the web all week, and I write about some of the things I find. But I there is so much great stuff that I do not write about, but I collect for this Saturday column. Enjoy.
This Saturday feature, which is a labor of love for me, is packed with amazing content. It’s very popular. For those of you who subscribe ($70/year, $7/month), this column is a thank you for your support of my independent work. There are a couple of items above the paywall worth reading/watching. But that is the tip of the iceberg. SO MUCH more under the paywall.
THANK YOU for being part of this project and for putting a spotlight on California politics!
First, A Mini-Column!
Saw this headline in the San Francisco Chronicle…
And, well, I have thoughts…
NEWSOM WANTS TO EXPORT CALIFORNIA’S LEFTWARD EXPERIMENT
Gavin Newsom says Americans should not worry about democratic socialists taking over more of the Democratic Party. Californians have heard this kind of sales pitch before.
Newsom calls the party’s leftward lurch “incredibly healthy.” Of course he does. He has spent most of his governorship turning ideas once considered far-left into California law, then pretending they are simply pragmatic government.
Free programs. Higher mandates. More taxes. More regulation. More power for Sacramento. Newsom and the socialists may differ on rhetoric and timing, but not nearly as much on direction.
Now he says he will happily campaign for these candidates, including one running in a congressional district California Democrats deliberately redrew to improve their chances. That tells you everything. Newsom is not reluctantly tolerating the socialist wing of his party. He is helping it win.
He can smile and call this a “healthy debate” because he does not have to live with the consequences the way ordinary Californians do. Families here face punishing housing costs, high energy bills, expensive gasoline, failing schools, rampant homelessness, and a state government that never seems to have enough money despite collecting more of it every year.
Newsom wants to run for president in 2028, and he knows where the energy in his party now resides. So he will flatter the socialists, fundraise for them, and campaign beside them while insisting he is still some kind of moderate.
He is not standing between the Democratic Party and socialism. He is building the bridge. - JSF
Reading/Watching Recommendations!
TWO COMPLIMENTARY CURATED LINKS FOR ALL READERS - ON THE CA BUDGET…
SPENDING WATCH: NEWSOM’S FINAL BUDGET DEFERS THE DIFFICULT BUDGET DECISIONS TO CALIFORNIA’S NEXT GOVERNOR
On the Pacific Research Institute website, Wayne Winegarden argues that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final budget postpones rather than solves California’s fiscal challenges. He contends the spending plan relies on temporary fixes, optimistic revenue assumptions, and accounting maneuvers to paper over structural deficits, leaving the state’s next governor to confront the difficult choices Sacramento continues to avoid while exposing taxpayers to greater long-term financial risk.
REALITY CHECK: IS THE CA BUDGET BALANCED, AS LEADERS CLAIM?
In CalMatters, Dan Walters examines Gov. Gavin Newsom’s claim that California’s new budget is balanced and has “zero deficit,” arguing that the description depends more on accounting than fiscal reality. Walters contends the state is spending billions more than it expects to collect in revenue, relying on reserve transfers, internal borrowing, and payment deferrals to bridge the gap. He argues these maneuvers postpone, rather than solve, California’s long-term structural budget problems.
Want More?
OK, this column is like an iceberg. You can see 10% of it above the water line. Below the paywall is SO MUCH MORE. I curate a BUNCH of articles, a great chart, a great video, a great long-form story, and much more. And what happened on this day in America — in 1804?
There’s a free trial - try it out, and read all kinds of stuff, curated as a special thank you to our hundreds of paid subscribers!
