In a sad but predictable reaction to the landslide election of President Trump and Republican candidates across the country, Governor Gavin Newsom has called a special session of the California Legislature. He says the move is an effort to “put California to the test,” but its real motive is obvious: to increase its visibility to lay the groundwork for a 2028 presidential campaign.

As usual, the people of California will pay the price for Newsom’s latest political stunt.

Thanks to the Biden/Harris administration’s policies, Americans have faced the highest inflation in a generation, an open border, a sluggish economy, and a crime wave. Voters across the country, including here in California, have sharply criticized these policies, electing Republicans up and down the ballot box.

Some Democrats understand that their party must address the concerns of ordinary Americans instead of pandering to college lounge elites and The Squad extremists. New York Representative Ritchie Torres castigated his Democratic colleaguesblaming this defeat on “the far left, which has succeeded in alienating historic numbers of Latinos, blacks, Asians and Jews” by ignoring the struggles of ordinary people.

Newsom, on the other hand, has completely missed the point.

Barely a day after the election was called for Trump, the governor declared a special session of the Legislature with the stated goal of funding an army of government lawyers, led by Attorney General Rob Bonta, to fight the new Trump administration.

No special session on poverty in California (the highest in the country). Do not lower public service prices (highest in the continental United States) or housing prices (the highest in the country). Not on the insurance crisis (400,000 owners cannot find an insurance policy) or a violent crime (up 15% since 2018).

So the special session won’t address the most pressing issues facing Californians — but is it necessary to hire these lawyers quickly, in a race against Trump’s executive actions?

No.

Parliament resumes its sessions on January 6, 2025, two weeks before the presidential inauguration. And if you’ve ever seen Democrats unveil a deal behind the scenes and push it through the Legislature after no more than the 72-hour constitutional waiting period, you’ll know that two weeks is plenty of time for lawmakers to pass a bill if they wish. really want it.

So what is it for?

Attention.

After the defeat of Kamala Harris, Newsom is obviously considering a candidacy for the White House in 2028.

To compete against opponents who will not fail to highlight his failures on crime, homelessness and financial accessibility, the governor has decided to position himself as “resistor in chief” on the national scene.

It appears Newsom decided that changing the narrative around him was a better approach than actually solving the problems his constituents face.