california governor gavin newsom burns political future by burning more gas

while the whole state’s future goes up in flames from the ravages of climate change, california governor gavin newsom looks back to governor gray davis’s recall in the 2003 instead of to the political, moral and existential necessity of a green economy and a green future. four days ago, worried about the potential of blackouts in a massive heat wave with smoky air pretty much everywhere, newsom signed an emergency order to slow the removal of fossil fuel burning plants in southern california. this was a terrible decision both for california’s future and for gavin newsom’s.

instead of casting his political strategies back to 2003 when enron-manipulated blackouts in california were part of what drove the recall of governor gray davis (d), he might want to look to a few days ago when us senator ed markey (d-massachusetts) successfully fought off a primary challenge from rep. joe kennedy (d-ma) by running on his support for the green new deal.   or, if newsom is going to look far back, how about he look at how davis’s successor governor arnold schwarzenegger pushed through the most aggressive climate change protection in the country and stayed in office despite being a republican in a democratic state and on the wrong side of many democratic constituencies (especially labor unions).

For some of the context, see https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article245025785.html but note that the sacramento bee and other media in california mostly covered newsom’s actions without any context on climate change, instead praising him for action, which has to be what he wanted in the short turn.

newsom campaign on medicare for all and a green future for california and now when it matters, he has turned his back on both. i know he has his hands full. i wouldn’t want to change places with any governor right now, lest of all the california governor. pandemic, recession and unprecedented wildfires are all unimaginable crises. but remember that both the pandemic and the wildfires were made possible by the climate crisis. that underlying cause is only addressed by phasing out energy produced by burning fossil fuels and newsom just slowed that down. that can’t happen and he needs to hear from us and loud. this is not the time to go backwards.