Free Republic

$16 billion and still no train and no track 18 years later California Governor Gavin Newsom and the state’s elected Democrat politicians show a strange level of desperation to build any part of California’s boondoggle High-Speed Rail system. $16 billion has already been spent on the High Speed Rail project, originally slated to be completed in 2020. But there is no track and no trains, and a missing $16 billion. A quick refresher on California’s High Speed Rail project: In 2008, California voters approved the Proposition 1A bond initiative, authorizing $9 billion in bond money for the construction of a...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom unleashed a vulgar tirade against Louisiana’s female attorney general yesterday as he defending allowing illegal abortion pills to flow into pro-life states. Newsom told a female Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill to “go ---- yourself” as he defended his state’s refusal to extradite abortionists accused of illegally mailing abortion pills to Louisiana residents, a move pro-life advocates say endangers women and unborn babies by circumventing state laws designed to protect life. The exchange erupted on social media after Newsom posted about Louisiana’s plans to sue him and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for blocking extradition requests....

The one thing Newsom is good at is destroying the Golden State If I was the leftist governor of the largest state in the U.S. and my unspoken goal and unholy plan was to destabilize and destroy my state, there are certain policies I would impose, and executive orders I’d make, while insulating myself from my own policies: Cut water off to rural areas in the state; remove dams and hydroelectric plants. Limit water deliveries to farmers and ranchers, forcing farmers and ranchers to shut down. Create a housing shortage. Raise the minimum wage so high, restaurant owners are forced...

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to expedite rebuilding in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon after wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles communities in January 2025. According to a White House fact sheet, the order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Karen Evans and the Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler to establish regulations preempting procedural permitting requirements at the state and local levels.

Newsom has presided over the annihilation of what was once the crown jewel of American prosperity—the Golden State California now accounts for roughly one quarter of the nation’s homeless, more than any other state by far. Since Gavin Newsom became governor in 2019, $37 billion has been spent on homelessness programs—yet the homeless population has grown by roughly 20,000 people, not declined. At the same time, according to U.S. Census data, California has suffered net domestic population losses every year since 2020—the first sustained population decline in state history. Between 2020 and 2023, more than 430,000 residents left the state,...

The governor has been an unmitigated disaster for California. Why is he urging global resistance to a duly elected president? Mr. Newsom is in Davos, Switzerland this week, not for a ski holiday, but to attend the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting. His latest appearance exemplifies the petulant, sore-loser mentality that plagues him, the California legislature, and the national Democratic Party post-2024. Newsom is using the global stage not for constructive dialogue but to shockingly lambaste world leaders for their supposed “complicity” in dealing with Trump, urging them to instead “buck up” and “grow a backbone” against the president’s...

“Cheers” star and Pixar voice actor John Ratzenberger announced his support for Republican California gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco, calling out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s leadership.With California’s June primary approaching, the race between Democrats and Republicans is heating up. Endorsements have continued to roll in as party leaders and public figures weigh in on who they believe can steer the state forward; Ratzenberger is the latest to do so. The actor has worked in Hollywood for over 20 years, featuring as Cliff Clavin in “Cheers” and voicing notable characters in Pixar films such as “Toy Story,” “Cars” and “Monsters, Inc.”In an...

1) Republican push: cut/suspend fuel taxes and “hidden” regulatory costsState-level GOP bills: Republican legislators have repeatedly introduced measures to suspend or roll back fuel-tax increases or reduce regulatory cost add-ons, but these efforts have generally failed in Democrat-controlled committees/chambers. Federal pressure: Some California Republican members of Congress have urged the Governor to suspend scheduled state fuel tax increases and pause implementation of certain CARB policies they argue raise prices at the pump. 2) Democratic/administration posture: don’t cut fuel taxes; manage markets + pursue climate policyNo major move to reduce state fuel taxes: Democratic leadership and the Governor have not pursued...

Gov. Newsom ludicrously claims he’s solving California’s homeless epidemic Remember when California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has presided over the exponential growth of hundreds of thousands of homeless drug addicts living on California streets, magically cleaned up San Francisco ahead of the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, together with San Francisco Mayor London Breed? The streets were suddenly shiny clean, devoid of the usual tents and encampments, piles of trash and filth, human excrement, and drug addled zombies. The sidewalks and the many businesses which have been rotting under the burden of...

Gov. Newsom is single handedly sending California into energy poverty, rather than economic and energy prosperity Most California residents recognize that California’s highest-in-the-nation gas prices are self-inflected, as is the gasoline crisis in the state. This has subsequently increased dependency on foreign oil suppliers and shippers to supply fuels, and as we reported recently, this poses a direct threat to U.S. military force readiness on the West Coast. California today produces less than 23% of its own in-state petroleum needs and imports over 65% of its crude oil from foreign sources, yet the oil and gas industry in California account...

IRS Study shows California is losing a taxpayer every minute to states like Florida, Texas, and North Carolina California Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing a retroactive billionaire tax targeting the roughly 220 billionaires residing in California in 2025, ignoring that these individuals are the most financially mobile and can live anywhere. Expecting them to remain in the state as if they will happily and willingly hand over even more of their wealth surely must be facetious. SEIU is sponsoring the “2026 Billionaires Tax Act.” The measure, recently listed on the Attorney General’s website, would impose a one-time 5% tax on...

Belem, Brazil) — Crowned by global media outlets as the most important American at the United Nations “climate” summit in Belem, far-left California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) slammed U.S. President Donald Trump as an “invasive species” while signing deals with hostile foreign governments. The American president, Newsom suggested, must be stopped in order to save the world from alleged man-made climate change. Among other major announcements, Newsom inked a number of unconstitutional quasi-treaties with foreign governments — several of which are dominated by self-proclaimed communist and socialist leaders hostile to the United States. These “partnerships,” signed on the third day...

In an awesome raid out in California, the Department of Justice arrested ten suspects who are accused of attacking federal immigration authorities. The ten arrested are accused of attacking federal officers during riots regarding attempts to lock up illegal aliens in and around Los Angeles over the summer. As background, the Trump Administration has prioritized cracking down on illegal aliens in sanctuary cities across the country, such as Chicago, Portland, and Los Angeles. As part of that, ICE has been fighting against rioters who have attempted to block them from doing their job and arresting illegal aliens. Amongst the most...

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a formal letter to top California officials Thursday, warning them against any attempts to arrest or impede federal law enforcement officers enforcing immigration laws. The letter, addressed to Gov. Gavin Newsom; state Attorney General Rob Bonta; Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, stressed that federal agents and officers are carrying out lawful duties, and any interference by state or local officials is both "illegal and futile." The letter was sent after Pelosi, the former House Speaker, and Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-Calif., issued a statement Wednesday threatening to arrest...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last week creating a new statewide office tasked with rooting out antisemitism in public schools, the first of its kind in the country. Known as AB 715, the measure establishes a state Office of Civil Rights and mandates the appointment of an an antisemitism prevention coordinator, tasked with tracking complaints, issuing guidance, and coordinating training for educators. Supporters, including the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and Jewish advocacy groups, hailed the law as a necessary tool to protect Jewish students amid a surge in harassment and discrimination. “Today, California is sending a strong and...

Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared as the Tuesday guest for "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," where he discussed various topics ranging from health care, his social media strategy, the late Charlie Kirk and President Donald Trump. The governor's appearance came shortly after ABC lifted its suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The show was abruptly suspended following comments made about Kirk, and Kimmel has since clarified in his return episode that he didn't intend to joke about the assassination. Newsom maintained a mostly playful but at times serious conversation with Colbert, who noted that he had not spoken with Newsom since...

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exploded in outrage over a cryptic and “menacing” tweet issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office this past weekend. “Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today. You’re welcome, America.” Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at DHS, blasted Newsom’s team for crossing the line into dangerous rhetoric. McLaughlin wrote on X: “This reads like a threat. This is ugly, @GavinNewsom. Your keyboard warrior team may hide behind their laptops and spew this kind of vitriol, but you would never have the guts to say this to her face.” Acting U.S. Attorney for the...

California Governor Gavin Newsom sparked an uproar on Saturday after his team posted a cryptic message to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Supposedly, the tiresome comedy stylings of Gavin Newsom – he’s the equivalent of a Wednesday night prop comic opener down at the Gooberville Giggle Works – have thrust him into the forefront of the Democrat race for the 2028 nomination. What a sad and pathetic state of affairs that is. He’s trying to claim the Fighter Lane. You see, he fights by hiring a couple of they/them mediocrities to run his social media account, pumping out an endless series of tweets that are nearly as funny as leprosy. They are directed at Trump, who ignores them; if a nitwit tweets...

...Newsom reposted a clip on X of Trump’s diatribe and responded with a barb of his own: a screenshot of an interaction with Grok, the platform’s built-in AI chatbot, in which Grok was asked, “Do people with dementia repeat false things over and over again?”... ...Newsom’s stinging response comes as he’s infuriated MAGA voters by mimicking Trump’s puerile social media strategy in recent weeks....