SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom cast the state as a beacon of democracy in a turbulent world in his annual address to lawmakers Tuesday, contrasting the “California way” through its embrace of diversity and inventive solutions with the politics of division and rising “authoritarian impulses” in America.
But as he embarks on a campaign for reelection, Newsom also promised a tax rebate for Californians as high gasoline prices weigh on the minds of voters and his Republican critics. Newsom blamed “geopolitical uncertainty,” referencing the war in Ukraine, for the increasing cost of gasoline.
“I think all of us at least here can agree that people have always looked to California for inspiration,” Newsom said. “Now, in the midst of so much turmoil with stacking stresses and dramatic social and economic change, California is doing what we’ve done for generations, lighting out the territory ahead of the rest, expanding the horizon of what’s possible.”
