Who can possibly govern California? My money is on San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

July 5, 2009

I was listening to KPCC on the drive back to LA from The OC yesterday and one of the guests was former California Gov. Gray Davis who was recalled from office six years ago so the wise voters of the state could install Arnold Schwarzeneggar into office. The state was in bad shape under Davis but it is even worse now – much worse! (For the record, Davis says he would noit want the job now for anything).

So New York Times Magazine asks this question: Who can possibly govern California?

Well, it beats me. But Gavin Newsom has my support. No, not just because he’s movie star handsome and incredibly sexy. And not just because he’s such a wonderful ally for the LGBT community. He has balls!  He is willing to stand up for what he believes even if it is politically risky (I am hard-pressed to think of a single politician on the national stage whose first priority is not covering their own ass).

Here’s a excerpt from the really well-researched and written article by Mark Leibovich:

AS A CANDIDATE and as a mayor, Newsom is sensitive about being defined by gay marriage. “It’s an introductory piece,” he told me, referring to how the issue made his name. Much of his rhetoric is geared to amplifying his broader portfolio. He speaks constantly about the environment and technology initiatives, which he presents as cornerstones of his leadership approach. In mid-June, for instance, Newsom’s office announced that San Franciscans could now get all kinds of information about recycling on their iPhones. “Instead of dumping old electronics or furniture on the sidewalk, the EcoFinder iPhone app tells you where these materials should go, based on your location,” the statement read. Newsom and his aides expend a great deal of energy touting how incredibly deft they are with the latest new-media playthings — YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the like.

While generally considered a liberal by people outside of San Francisco, Newsom has not shied from confronting the left with tough love. Shortly after he was elected in 2003, Newsom implemented his controversial “Care Not Cash” program, which essentially ended direct payments to homeless people and put the money into service agencies instead. He talks often about the need for “order of magnitude” change in state government and has been the most full-throated of the candidates in his support for a constitutional convention.

But the issue of gay marriage always finds Newsom, and often at high volumes. Protesters yell passages at him from the book of Leviticus — namely the two verses that seem to prohibit gay sex. “So I went out and researched my Leviticus,” said Newsom, who was brought up Roman Catholic and now calls himself an “Irish-Catholic rebel.” With a big and satisfied grin, he read aloud some other directives from his CliffsNotes on Leviticus. “It says that I may possess many slaves, male and female, as long as they are purchased from nearby nations,” Newsom said with a laugh. He went on: “It forbids me from having contact with a woman while she is in a period of menstrual uncleanliness.”

Newsom’s identification with same-sex marriage is a mixed bag, politically speaking. It should help him among Democrats, 68 percent of whom opposed Proposition 8. It engendered good will among liberals and gay rights advocates nationally, a great source of donations. But the issue also made him a ready lightning rod. One of Newsom’s low points occurred at a rally celebrating a California Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage in May 2008. “This door’s wide open now,” a grinning Newsom said, seeming to deride the opposition as the crowd cheered. “It’s gonna happen, whether you like it or not.” It became an oft-replayed sound bite for supporters of Proposition 8.

“I’ll never say that again — I learned my lesson,” Newsom promised at a town-hall meeting in Fresno in April. Fresno is the kind of mid-California heartland city where Newsom might not be expected to present well. “They all said, ‘Good luck when you go to Fresno,’ ” Newsom said at the town meeting. “The issue of marriage equality . . . you can’t win. The state rejects it.”