Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics For The Week Ending 12/12/25 - Newsom, Cal, SF, Long Beach, LA Council Pres, Auditor Parks, More...
Each week we pick ten people or groups that had a particularly good or bad week, and label them winners or losers! For the week ending 12/12, here they are...
Below is our Top Ten List of Winners and Losers for the Week. Well, this week it’s just Losers! This feature is available to all of our subscribers, free and paid.
⏱️ 4.5 minute read
This is where we examine state and local politics (or national issues with a California angle), and highlight individuals (or groups) who have achieved notable successes or have had a particularly challenging week. I strive to call balls and strikes fairly and objectively, which sometimes makes assembling this list difficult.
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Top Winners & Losers This Week in California Politics
⬇️ VIDEO LOSER OF THE WEEK: GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM
(Each week, I record a video about one of our winners or losers)
In his new book, Newsom struggles to portray a life of privilege as a story of adversity, relying heavily on a narrative of being merely “wealthy-adjacent.” That framing falls apart even under mild scrutiny. He grew up with elite access, influential connections, and a billionaire mentor in Gordon Getty, a close friend of his father who helped open doors, fund ventures, and boost his career. If you’ve ever listened to someone speak for nearly three minutes without understanding what they said, watch this video Newsom released about the book. Here’s my video on this loser of the week…
⬇️ LOSER: THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
UC Berkeley earns this distinction after formally acknowledging that it discriminated against an Israeli professor on the basis of national origin, then settling the case rather than defending the conduct. A public university that routinely lectures about inclusion and tolerance instead excluded a qualified scholar because of her nationality during a moment of political pressure. The settlement, apology, and damages confirm what critics have warned for years: ideological conformity now outweighs academic freedom on too many campuses, and Berkeley’s reputation continues to suffer as a result.
⬇️ LOSER: THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL
The council earns this distinction for trying to pull a fast one by moving to charge a sales tax increase before the date voters approved it to go into effect—a contravention of both the plain terms of the ballot measure and common expectations of fair play. A judge has now halted the premature tax increase, underscoring how far city leaders were willing to stretch their authority. Rather than honoring the will of the electorate and the rule of law, they tried to enact an immediate sales tax increase, even though the measure’s language set a much later date. Of course, this is another city stacked with liberal elected officials. You get what you vote for.
⬇️ LOSER: GAVIN NEWSOM’S DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
A new audit by the state prisons’ inspector general shows California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation mishandling sexual misconduct cases, leaving a wave of lawsuits from incarcerated women alleging abuse by staff unresolved or poorly investigated. At least 279 women have sued, and 83 employees have been accused of misconduct. At the same time, internal affairs investigations were rated “inadequate” or needing improvement in 86 percent of cases and often dragged on for months. The results reveal a corrections system that fails both inmates and accountability, eroding trust in public safety and oversight under Newsom’s watch.
⬇️ LOSER: THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
In a unanimous vote, the board made Santa Clara County the first in the Bay Area to declare its public properties “ICE-free zones,” a gesture that restricts federal immigration officers from using county-owned land for enforcement staging. Rather than focusing on cooperation with federal law enforcement within constitutional bounds, supervisors opted for a symbolic posture that invites conflict with federal authorities and strains the rule of law. This ordinance sidesteps serious considerations of public safety and legal limits, reflecting political grandstanding over practical governance.
⬆️ WINNER: GRANT PARKS, CALIFORNIA STATE AUDITOR
The California State Auditor deserves recognition for issuing a sobering report that strips away political spin and confronts the state’s mounting risks head-on. The findings read as a scathing critique of governance under Gavin Newsom, now in his seventh year as governor, documenting systemic weaknesses in fiscal management, infrastructure, public safety, and program oversight. Rather than offering excuses, the auditor laid out hard truths about a state drifting toward deeper trouble. In doing so, the report provides lawmakers and the public with an unvarnished assessment that accountability demands—but rarely receives.
⬇️ LOSER: LA CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT MARQUEECE HARRIS-DAWSON
By championing and then seeking to dilute an already harmful minimum-wage mandate, the council president has exposed a troubling flip-flop that harms both workers and businesses. Earlier this year, he backed a hike that will push hotel and airport wages to $30 an hour by the Olympics, a policy critics warned would strain employers and stunt economic growth. Now he is moving to delay the full pay increase until 2030, sowing uncertainty and undermining confidence in the city’s labor policy. His inconsistent approach reflects political calculation over sound economics and imposes real costs on employers, large and small.
⬇️ LOSER: THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco already sits atop one of the heaviest local tax stacks in America, long before voters are asked to approve even more. Businesses face a gross receipts tax that applies regardless of profitability, a homelessness surcharge, a childcare commercial rent tax, prior executive-pay penalties, utility and hotel taxes, sugary drink levies, and a growing list of sector-specific fees. City leaders are now floating both a new parcel tax and an expanded CEO tax, even as major retailers continue to close stores and flee the city. The result is a tax code designed for extraction, not growth, steadily hollowing out the local economy.
⬇️ LOSER: GAEA POWELL
While facing nine felony election-fraud charges, including allegations involving fraudulent voter registrations and improper election filings, she has decided to run for county office anyway. That move would be absurd under any circumstances, but it is especially galling given that the sought-after office is directly tied to election integrity. Her prosecution by San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow underscores the seriousness of the allegations and highlights a breathtaking disregard for public trust and basic credibility.
⬇️ LOSER: THE CALIFORNIA LAND EQUITY TASK FORCE
The task force earned this distinction by advancing a set of proposals that openly flirt with racialized land redistribution and invite obvious constitutional challenges. Its recommendations would pressure the state to treat farmers differently based on race and background—an approach that collides head-on with equal-protection law and fundamental property rights. Those flaws were directly called out this week by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who correctly warned that the plan is legally indefensible, radical, and sure to fail in court.
Now that you see what this column is all about, keep your eyes peeled. If you have someone you'd like to suggest for featuring in this column next week, please drop me a note. I will keep the names of those who make suggestions confidential. I do typically have a split with winners, too. This week didn’t end up that way!
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