This article from June in The Guardian has a lot of great, if distressing, information in it, as well as anecdotes like this:
“As for Newsom’s alliance with the tech bros, it traced back to his days as San Francisco’s mayor. He admired them. He considered them pals. And he was taken with their gadgets, so much so that he could summon the details of an evening in the Fairmont hotel when a young Steve Jobs unveiled to him, Sergey Brin and Larry Page an early version of his futuristic phone. Jobs lifted the device from his pocket and swiped the sleek screen.
“Whoa,” they chanted. Jobs let Newsom swipe it, too. “Whoa,” he said. The way the governor recalled the unveiling, it was its own shout of “eureka”.
“The soon-to-be-ex-governor has vetoed a bill that would have prohibited future governors from handing over abortion providers, helpers, and patients to red states for criminal prosecution. The bill also would have barred extraditions involving transgender care. Newsom’s decision was “incredibly disappointing” and “certainly not what we were expecting,” says Pavitra Abraham, director of state campaigns for Reproductive Freedom for All.
“The veto of AB 2164—also known as the Care Without Fear Act—has alarmed reproductive rights advocates around the country because of California’s critical role in preserving abortion access since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The state is home to telemedicine providers, mail-order pharmacies, researchorganizations, and other groups that have helped keep abortion pills flowing even to the most conservative parts of the US.
“Much of that abortion infrastructure is built on so-called shield laws that protect reproductive care across state lines. California has some of the most robust shield laws in the nation, protecting providers, helpers and patients from out-of-state legal action over abortion and gender-affirming care.
….
Becerra’s widening lead in the polls doesn’t mean a ban on extraditions shouldn’t be codified, the bill’s supporters counter. “That mentality of people saying, ‘It’s going to be fine, a Democrat’s going to win, it’s California, blah blah blah’—it’s just really dangerous,” Abraham says.
“California cannot call itself a safe haven for reproductive freedom,” she adds, “while leaving abortion providers just one election away from extradition.”
“Newsom still has not acted on several other important reproductive-related bills this session, including AB 2540, which would make medication abortion more available to community college students in the state, and AB 1973, which would expand the ability of non-physicians to provide abortion care.”
This was a colorful episode that Newsom managed to patch over with lies and deception. He later appointed his close adviser, Phil Ginsburg to rule over his own Recreation and Park Department fiefdom.
This is interesting! She is not the brightest bulb (she once registered as an American Independent Party voter believing that that was registering as an independent!) but she has been a fierce warrior for the hegemony of wealthy women.
The arrest and indictment of Dana Williamson, the governor’s former chief of staff, sent shock waves through Sacramento in particular. Though no elected officials have been charged, Ms. Williamson, a Democrat, has been one of the state’s top power brokers for years, having run the offices of Mr. Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown.
Most of the charges against her stem from what prosecutors described as a complex scheme to skim money from the campaign account of Xavier Becerra, a former Biden administration official and Democratic congressman now running for California governor. Federal prosecutors say that Ms. Williamson conspired to direct $225,000 from a dormant political account to Mr. Becerra’s right-hand man.
Two of Ms. Williamson’s associates also have been charged, albeit with only one or two crimes after agreeing to plea deals — the aide to Mr. Becerra who received the funds, Sean McCluskie, and a Sacramento lobbyist, Greg Campbell.
But because of whom Ms. Williamson and Mr. McCluskie worked for, insiders have been discussing if the unfolding case could now affect Mr. Becerra’s bid for governor — or even Mr. Newsom’s expected run for president in 2028.
The LA Times reports:
She also is accused of lying on her tax returns about luxury items and services, including a $150,000 birthday trip to Mexico, that she allegedly sought to pass off as business expenses, according to the government.
“So when my friend and brother Van Lathan simply brought up AIPAC on Higher Learning and said…
“I will not vote for a candidate that takes $1 from AIPAC.”
—I expected a straightforward answer. A yes. A no. A why.
“Instead, Gavin short-circuited. He said “that’s interesting” again and again (Mediaite counted seven), claimed Van was “the first to bring up AIPAC in years,” called AIPAC “not relevant to my day-to-day life,” and tried to pivot to Prop 50, city councils, school boards—anything but a clear stance.“
