Gov. Gavin Newsom answers Texas’s Republican redistribution through his own plan, a powerful example of how the Golden State Democrats take control of President Trump and fire the base. But while guerrilla fireworks have attracted attention, California Democrats have quietly offered another model for the NPC, which may make more sense in the long run. They are not just resisting Trump. They are actually managed.
Forgot what you know about California and its left-handed Democrats. They are heading towards the center, meeting with voters, which is improving people’s lives.
Just look at San Francisco, which has long been seen as a symbol of dysfunctionality in gradual governance failure.
The city’s new mayor, nonprofit leader and philanthropist, Daniel Lurie, has moved away from the left-wing taboo and focused on delivery result. Instead of returning funds to police, he hired more officers to combat shoplifting and drug crimes. Instead of demonizing the business community, he worked with them. He is also reforming the zoning law to make it easier to build more housing, thereby alleviating the crisis of affordability and homelessness in cities. Lurie is in the office for less than a year, but the crime is decline His recognition rate has reached 73%.
National Democrats can find a lesson here: voters care about the outcome, not just empathy and ideology.
In Sacramento, news and legislative Democrats have adopted similar strategies, even in their own coalitions, stubbornly focusing on affordability and courage to stare at the opposition. For example, the Legislature recently reformed the California Environmental Quality Act, a highly-reviewed 50-year-old law to hinder construction projects, clean energy development and public transportation. This angered some powerful environmental activists, but will ultimately help reduce housing and energy costs.
CEQA reform symbolizes a new, more balanced approach to California on some difficult issues, such as energy and climate. The state recently announced Two-thirds The power now comes from clean energy, which is a major achievement. Meanwhile, the news and the legislature agree The package bill will add oil drilling as the state cap and trade plans are expanded. Packaging can reduce energy costs for Californians and Strengthens the opportunity for our country to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Some environmental justice advocates and climate purists oppose the deal, but this is an example of how affordability can be addressed in the short term in the long term.
Immigration is another example: Newsom and other leading California Democrats continue to stick to the Trump administration’s inhumane immigration policy, including Prosecution Stop deploying troops to Los Angeles. But they also recently passed a budget Pull backward About the expensive plan to provide health insurance for all low-income undocumented immigrants.
This reflects the new California model: Principle Resistance and Pragmatic governance. As a result, he talked to himself. Golden State Recently Beyond Japan has become the fourth largest economy in the world.
Democratic leaders are taking these moves The most concerned issue.
In 2024, these concerns have led to a surprising Californian abandoning Democrats, even as Kamala Harris, a former U.S. Senator and Attorney General of the state, was on the vote. trump card Flipped 10 counties And received support in 45 years. Since 2016 72% California counties have turned red, including many heavily populated populations.
Democrats are paying attention and are wisely changing the course. Responding to voter concerns doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing core values, but when the old approach doesn’t work, it does require new approaches.
Karen Skelton (his father is a political columnist for the Los Angeles Times) is a political strategist who has worked at the White House under Presidents Clinton and Biden and the president of the U.S. Department of Energy, Transportation and Justice.
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Ideas expressed in the work
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California Democrats provide a model for the National Democrats by moving towards a political center while maintaining their core values, demonstrating effective governance that goes beyond resistance to Trump’s policies.
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San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie achieved this pragmatic approach by hiring more police officers, combating shoplifting and drug crimes, and working with the business community rather than demonizing, resulting in a drop in crime rates and a 73% approval rating.
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Sacramento Democrats are prioritizing affordability and practical outcomes over ideological purity, as evidenced by their reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act, which, despite opposition to environmental activists, ultimately helps reduce housing and energy costs.
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The state’s approach to balance energy and climate policy shows how Democrats can make long-term progress while addressing direct affordability issues, achieving two-thirds of clean energy, while also increasing oil drilling through hats and trade packages.
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On immigration, California Democrats maintain principled resistance to Trump’s policies while making pragmatic budget decisions, such as withdrawing expensive plans and providing health insurance to all low-income undocumented immigrants.
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This strategic shift reflects Democrats’ concerns about voters’ high cost of living, which led to Trump’s support in 10 counties in 2024 and 45 counties in 2024, and 72% of California counties have become popular since 2016.
Different perspectives on the topic
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Republican leaders view California’s redistribution response as partisan power rather than governance in principle, with some vowing to challenge the map in court and believing that the process of redistribution violates California’s constitution and relies on outdated population data[1].
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Environmentalists and climate advocates oppose California’s pragmatic approach to energy policy, especially by expanding caps and trade programs while adding packaging for oil drilling, viewing it as a betrayal of the principles of environmental justice.
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Progressive groups initially opposed California’s re-division efforts, a common justification for a good governance group that supported independent re-division, initially opposed the state’s partisan response[1].
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Some Democratic voters believe that progressive policies such as universal health care for undocumented immigration represent core democratic values rather than pragmatic governance.
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Critics argue that the centrist shift represents a surrender to conservative pressure rather than principled leadership, and argues that Democrats should maintain their gradual stance rather than adjusting to deal with political setbacks.
