{"id":48231,"date":"2025-11-11T15:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T15:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/48231\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T15:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T15:41:10","slug":"letters-to-the-editor-newsom-should-lean-on-policy-not-state-symbolism-if-he-wants-the-presidency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/48231\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters to the Editor: Newsom should lean on policy, not state symbolism, if he wants the presidency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nov. 11, 2025 5 AM PT <\/p>\n

To the editor: If Gov. Gavin Newsom leans on California\u2019s symbolic image during a potential presidential campaign, it risks backfiring (\u201cHow can Newsom stay relevant? Become the new FDR,\u201d<\/a> Nov. 9). While California\u2019s positions can be used to strategically highlight policy successes, its polarizing image can exacerbate alienation.<\/p>\n

According to a 2024 survey for the Los Angeles Times<\/a>, 50% of adults nationwide believe California is in decline. 48% of Republicans believe the state is \u201cnot really American.\u201d Despite Newsom\u2019s recent increase in the polls, leaning on California\u2019s symbolism is likely to continue alienating voters who view the state negatively.<\/p>\n

The counterargument presented here by columnist Anita Chabria is that \u201cregular people hate despair, poverty and Nazis far more than they hate California.\u201d That over-simplification fails to address voter concerns on national issues.<\/p>\n

Popular or not, Newsom struggles to appeal to his critics. Rather than showcasing California as America\u2019s future, he should instead popularize his policy successes and advocate for uniform progress.<\/p>\n

Paolo Estrella, Claremont<\/p>\n

..<\/p>\n

To the editor: I agree with columnist Mark Z. Barabak that affordability will be the key factor in the 2028 presidential election (\u201cNewsom prevailed on Proposition 50. But the White House is still a big reach,\u201d<\/a> Nov. 9). I like Newsom, but as a Michigan native, I\u2019m certain that the inevitable opposition campaign ads showing gas, grocery and home prices in California will evoke shock in most of the country. As governor for eight years, Newsom will be seen as responsible for it.<\/p>\n

To win, whoever the Democratic candidate is will have to tie affordability to reducing inequality. This would include increasing income and estate taxes on the wealthy in order to fund child care, tuition, medical coverage and housing assistance, the key components of the affordability crisis.<\/p>\n

Newsom, who will be perceived as presiding over an unaffordable state, is simply the wrong messenger. It\u2019s too bad, because the right messenger will also need to project strength and Newsom certainly has that.<\/p>\n

Alan B. Posner, Santa Barbara<\/p>\n

..<\/p>\n

To the editor: Like Rodney Dangerfield, California just gets no respect. \u201cFar left,\u201d \u201cnutty,\u201d \u201csecular,\u201d \u201cpermissive.\u201d Can we please dream up some new stereotypes? These are old, tired and worn out.<\/p>\n

And \u201ctax-happy\u201d? Now that\u2019s rich coming from non-Californians. In the fiscal year 2023-24, California paid $806 billion in federal taxes<\/a>, the largest amount of any state. California is a \u201cdonor state\u201d because it contributes more in federal taxes than it receives back in federal funding.<\/p>\n

And as for old, worn-out cliches, it\u2019s my turn: Ah, California, \u201ccan\u2019t live with her, can\u2019t live without her.\u201d Or, put another way, \u201cdon\u2019t bite the hand that feeds you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Richardson, Encinitas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nov. 11, 2025 5 AM PT To the editor: If Gov. Gavin Newsom leans on California\u2019s symbolic image…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48232,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[29736,7,9,8,2072,31352,1838,63,31353,3290,7171,5409,31351,225,31350,1522,72],"class_list":{"0":"post-48231","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-affordability","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-california-headlines","11":"tag-california-news","12":"tag-editor","13":"tag-federal-taxis","14":"tag-letter","15":"tag-los-angeles-times","16":"tag-medical-coverage","17":"tag-newsom","18":"tag-nov","19":"tag-policy","20":"tag-presidency","21":"tag-state","22":"tag-state-symbolism","23":"tag-voter","24":"tag-year"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}