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San Francisco Chronicle
13 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump's National Guard deployment intensifies long-running feud with California
SACRAMENTO — California officials were already bracing for President Donald Trump to try clawing back a big chunk of federal funding when he intensified his attacks on the state in a different way by deploying federal troops to Los Angeles. The deployment represents an escalation in the long-simmering feud between state officials and the Trump administration. Heading into the weekend, California officials were preparing to respond if Trump followed through on reported plans to revoke a wide swath of federal grants from the state. But before announcing any major cuts, Trump instead trained his attention on protests in Los Angeles and some neighboring cities over federal immigration enforcement. The deployment comes as Trump has encountered legal roadblocks in his challenges to liberal California policies with which he disagrees. A judge blocked his latest attempt to withhold billions of federal dollars from sanctuary cities and states earlier this year. Last month, another judge blocked him from revoking college student visas, including ones for international students in California. Last week, another judge blocked his efforts to dismantle AmeriCorps in California and 23 other states. California has already launched 22 lawsuits against the Trump administration since the start of his second term in January, according to a tracker by the news outlet CalMatters. Judges have blocked or partially blocked Trump's actions in 10 of those cases. But Trump has continued to attack the state. In recent weeks, he's threatened to challenge or withhold funding over many other California policies, including those letting transgender children compete in youth sports, promoting diversity in schools and funding construction of the state's high-speed rail project. The National Guard deployment is unusual not just because it wasn't requested by state or local leadership, but because state and local leaders have aggressively protested the move. Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the move in social media posts Saturday evening and followed up with a more comprehensive response in an email the next morning soliciting donations for his Campaign for Democracy effort. Local and state law enforcement in Los Angeles was adequately responding to the protests without National Guard backup, he said. Trump and his allies sent the troops to provoke the protesters, Newsom said. 'They want the violence,' Newsom wrote. 'They think this is good for them politically.' 'Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest,' Trump wrote on his social media website Saturday night. 'Thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!' Troops did not arrive in Los Angeles until Sunday morning, when they were filmed mostly standing around. The deployment followed two days of protests in Los Angeles, Compton and Paramount, where protesters had attempted to block some Border Patrol vehicles and police had fired tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls at the crowd. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the deployment was 'completely unnecessary' in response to the roughly 120 protesters in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday evening. She told local news station KTLA that local police responded adequately to the instances of vandalism during the protest. 'I'm very disappointed that he chose to do this because it is just not necessary,' she said of Trump's deployment. 'There was nothing that was happening in downtown Los Angeles that the Los Angeles Police Department could not manage.' Newsom urged protesters not to take the bait. 'Don't give them the spectacle they want,' Newsom wrote. 'Never use violence. Speak out peacefully and in large numbers.' On Sunday, tensions grew as the day wore on. Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Los Angeles to protest the troops' presence there, according to live feeds broadcast by the Associated Press. Newsom's office issued a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally asking that the troops be withdrawn. 'The decision to deploy the National Guard, without appropriate training or orders, risks seriously escalating the situation,' wrote David Sapp, Newsom's legal affairs secretary. 'There is currently no need for the National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles, and to do so in this unlawful manner and for such a lengthy period is a serious breach of state sovereignty that seems intentionally designed to inflame the situation.' State Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones of Santee (San Diego County) blamed Democrats for the ICE raids that sparked protests in the first place, saying that state sanctuary policies have forced federal immigration officials to conduct raids in communities rather than focusing on deporting people in jails. 'Now the Feds have to run broader raids, like what we're seeing in LA, which sweep up way more people,' Jones said. 'This whole thing was easily preventable.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newsom jabs at ‘MAGA trolls' as he broadens information war
SACRAMENTO, California — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched a website fact-checking anonymous X accounts , in-state Republicans and President Donald Trump — escalating a campaign to defend his home state and record against false and misleading information online. The governor voraciously consumes conservative media and has adopted creative strategies to counter its influence by appearing on Fox News, deploying staff to counter criticism on X and creating another site to fact check claims about this year's fires in Los Angeles. This latest expansion of his efforts, first reported here, establishes a more comprehensive website that goes beyond tackling a deluge of false information about the fires. The governor plans to use the site, funded by his Campaign for Democracy political action committee, to rapidly respond to claims from Trump, Elon Musk and conservative influencers. He has repeatedly lamented Democrats' failures to break through information ecosystems dominated by Trump supporters and Republicans and earlier this year launched a podcast to both connect with — and push back on — opposition figures. 'This site is for everyone sick of the BS about California,' Newsom said in a statement. 'We're done letting the MAGA trolls define the Golden State. We're going on the offense and fighting back — with facts.' Posts already on the site dispense with some serious whoppers from questionable sources. One claim, from an X account named 'Beauty Hub,' incorrectly asserts that stealing up to $950 is legal in California. Another post, from Libs of TikTok, falsely claimed California reservoirs ran dry during the LA fires. deploys some of Newsom's go-to answers for common criticisms of his home state. It responds to economic digs by touting California's status as the fourth-largest economy. To an X post that accused Democrats of being a party of 'zealous open border immigration,' it notes the federal government's jurisdiction over the issue and cites the economic benefits of people commuting across the Mexico-California border for work. 'We're living in a new world of disinformation, and Governor Newsom has been on the front lines of fighting it, first with the fires, and now against a whole slew of lies being launched by the far right,' Newsom campaign spokesperson Nathan Click said in an interview. 'It's part of a multi-platform campaign and longstanding push by him to set the record straight.' The site, like the previous one that was focused on the fires, solicits donations for recovery efforts in Los Angeles. But it also leans into Newsom's role as leading messenger for the Democratic party ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run — a perch from which Newsom is fundraising. 'If your online algorithms have ever led you into the far-right internet, you know it is a fact-free environment filled with conspiracy theories and disinformation,' Newsom wrote in a fundraising email Tuesday. 'Stay vigilant,' he urged, 'against the lies and falsehoods out there.'
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gavin Newsom Should Work on Governing Rather Than Podcasting
After listening to some of Gavin Newsom's new podcast, I thought, "You really shouldn't quit your day job." But maybe he should quit his day job given that so much of the governor's attention has been on vanity projects such as this one. They seem designed to gin up his national aspirations rather than deal with the many problems that plague the nation's most populous state. The podcast—where he has so far interviewed MAGA luminaries Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and Michael Savage—isn't nearly as cringe-worthy as his "Campaign for Democracy." That included tours and advertisements in red states. The campaign vowed to "expose and fight rising authoritarianism across the nation." It was Newsom at his hectoring worst—and reminded non-Californians what to avoid. By contrast, the This is Gavin Newsom gabfest showcases the gregarious and politically malleable Newsom who charmed his way into the state's highest office. That Newsom is an acquired taste, albeit one I have yet to acquire. But conservatives underestimate his intelligence. When he was lieutenant governor, I interviewed him about his Blue Ribbon Panel on marijuana legalization. He was impressively knowledgeable about the nitty gritty in the report. The latter point has left me puzzled, as he clearly can be a master of details. Unfortunately, his administration is noted for its grandiosity about, say, climate change. But the follow through? Not so much. Even many non-conservatives believe Newsom seems to treat the governor's job as an annoyance that gets in the way of more important business. I'm obviously not the first person to say this, but the best way for Newsom to build a national following is to do such a bang-up job running California that voters might say, "Yeah we want some of that." I remember when Democratic Gov. Michael Dukakis tried to ride the "Massachusetts Miracle" into the White House. His hopes dissolved upon closer scrutiny, but the concept is sound: First prove that you did exemplary work on your home turf. Yet, California remains the national poster child for government spending and dysfunction—where insurers are fleeing, taxes are painful, businesses are relocating, basic infrastructure is lacking and it's virtually impossible to build anything in an efficient manner. The state's golden image had tarnished by the time I moved here in the 1990s, but it's only gotten worse. It's depressing given California's culture of dreaming big things. I'm a foe of national-conservative revanchism, with its zero-sum outlook, hostility to immigrants, endless search for enemies (real or perceived), taunting of our allies, alignment with authoritarian regimes, hostility to free markets, and willingness to use government to advance oddball cultural objectives. The nation needs a leader who can articulate the old California Dream: an open society based on abundance and freedom. It's clear that Newsom could never possibly fill that role. Although he occasionally gives a nod to old-style California entrepreneurship, Newsom's California is depicted by scarcity. It's where government planners call the shots and bigger budgets are always the marks of the greater good. The LA wildfires spotlighted our state's overall incompetence. California once was the state where a visionary might start up a gee-whiz concept in a garage. Now bureaucrats and powerful unions would crush that concept in its infancy. Newsom isn't to blame for this malaise, but hasn't done a thing to unwind it—and has done much to make it worse. Instead of articulating a compelling vision that could spark a broad-minded counterpunch to narrow-minded populism, Newsom has taken an oddly defeatist course in his first four podcasts. In fairness, I don't disagree with reaching out to opponents for civil conversations. The governor was remarkably gracious. Again, I'm a fan of graciousness. But part of being a good interviewer—or the potential leader for a political party or movement—is to offer thoughtful rebuttals to the interviewees' bad ideas. It also means detailing fabulous ideas that might win over others. Listening to Newsom, I felt almost as if he were the guest on these shows. He granted too many points, stayed silent when he should have spoken up, and let his guests set the agenda. As The New York Times summarized, "The tenor with Mr. Bannon was set early on, when Mr. Newsom did not push back on his guest's repeated false claims that President Trump won the 2020 election." He let Bannon prattle about the evils of corporations and oligarchs. "I was shocked and pleased that the governor was on the same page," Bannon told Newsweek. I'm not sure what Newsom would say about that assessment, but it left liberals scratching their heads. It won't win over conservatives, who generally depicted the podcast as a transparent attempt to move right in preparation for a national campaign. Newsom's just not a very good podcaster. He's not a very good governor, either, but there's work to do—and he should spend more time doing it. This column was first published in The Orange County Register. The post Gavin Newsom Should Work on Governing Rather Than Podcasting appeared first on
