Capitol rivalry on display as Newsom clashes with lawmakers

from Dan WaltersCalMatters

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A few months after taking office as governor in 1999, Gray Davis uttered some words that shook the Capitol.

While it is interviewed by the editorial staff of the San Francisco Chroniclethe Democrat expressed frustration at his differences with legislative leaders and said their job was to “implement my vision.”

“They have a completely different view of the world than I do, completely different,” Davis said. “My vision was the reason for a 20-point win, the biggest win in 40 years.

“People expect the government to reflect the vision that I’ve put forth. No one else in the legislature has run statewide. It’s their job to implement my vision. That’s their job.”

Davis was sparring with Senate President Pro Tem John Burton and the Speaker of the House Antonio Villaraigosa over legislative priorities.

Davis prioritized the education proposals, while the Legislature wanted to focus instead on health insurance. The impasse was so heated that Burton and Villaraigosa essentially barred Davis aides from communicating with legislative staff.

“I stick to my agenda, not the agenda that other people have for me,” Davis continued. “They didn’t run for governor. They want to have their agendas, let them run.”

At the time, Davis was the first Democratic governor in 16 years, which was to usher in an era of cooperation with his fellow Capitol dwellers. Instead, their squabbles illustrated the eternal rivalry between governors and legislators over who dominates the political agenda.

Legislative leaders have been at odds with two Republican governors, George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson, for 16 years before Davis, but the fact that he is a Democrat doesn’t bridge the institutional gap. In fact, his testy relationship with Burton and Villaraigosa was quite similar to the friction Davis had experienced as chief of staff to Jerry Brown, whose governorship preceded Deukmejian and Wilson.

like Gavin Newsom tries to wrap up his governorship and move into a near-certain presidential campaign, his differences with today’s legislative leaders — again in terms of priorities — are on display.

Newsom is almost desperate to erase a series of billion-dollar budget deficits caused by revenue overspending. It portrays what it suggests A budget of $349.4 trillion as balanced—not only for the upcoming fiscal year, but also for the first cycle of its successor.

The plan narrows but does not close the chronic gap between income and spending by limiting spending on education, health care and social services, which are top priorities for Democratic lawmakers.

Since Newsom presented his revised budget in May, lawmakers have been bombarded with complaints from advocates for services such as Medi-Cal health care for low-income Californians.

The budget that legislative leaders released last week meeting Monday’s constitutional deadline would either restore many of Newsom’s cuts or delay them until the next governor. Overall, the legislative version would increase spending by more than $6 billion compared to Newsom’s budget, thereby increasing the deficit unless there is a surge in revenue, which the Legislature believes will happen.

“The Legislature is committed to stopping drastic cuts to the safety net programs that millions of Californians rely on to make ends meet,” said Senate President Pro Tem Monique LemonDemocrat from Santa Barbara, said in a statement.

With the June 15 deadline met, Newsom and legislative leaders now have two weeks to agree on a more finalized budget so the 2026-27 fiscal year can begin July 1 with statutory authority to spend specific appropriations.

As Newsom nears lame-duck status, his ability to manage the budget diminishes. His career aspirations may be less important to lawmakers than maintaining services for their constituents.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.