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State Of The State: Newsom Blasts 'Naysayers And Dooms-dayers' As He Touts Pandemic Progress
California Governor Gavin Newsom delivers the State of the State address at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on March 9, 2021. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty I
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With a tradition-busting speech meant to mark the tragedies of the last year while inspiring hope for the future, Gov. Gavin Newsom also worked Tuesday night to shore up support from the Californians who can keep him from being thrown out of office.
Mothers. Nurses. Teachers.
They all got shout-outs from Newsom as he delivered the annual State of the State speech from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, hundreds of miles and a world away from the event’s usual digs at the Capitol in Sacramento. Instead of standing in the chandeliered Assembly chamber before an audience of applauding lawmakers, Newsom stood beneath dusky skies on a lush green field evoking the rebirth of spring, and looked out at an almost empty stadium symbolizing the Californians killed by COVID-19.
Instead of talking to the Legislature about an ambitious policy agenda for the coming year, as he did last year on homelessness, Newsom spoke directly to Californians whose lives have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic.
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“COVID was no one’s fault—but it quickly became everyone’s burden,” Newsom said.
“Forcing hard-working Californians into impossible choices—go to work and risk infection, or stay home and lose your job. It magnified daily worries about feeding your kids, paying rent and keeping loved ones safe.”
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