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The Issue Is: Gavin Newsom, Dan Schnur, Gustavo Arellano, Susan Shelley
This week, Elex is joined by Governor Gavin Newsom, who discusses his recall strategy and his agenda for the year ahead. Dan Schnur, Gustavo Arrellano of LA Times and OC Register's Susan Shelley join The Issue Is to discuss the state of the recall race.
LOS ANGELES - With just weeks left in the recall campaign, California Governor Gavin Newsom is traveling the state, encouraging voters to keep him in office.
This week, while on a campaign swing through Los Angeles, the embattled Governor spoke with Elex Michaelson on The Issue Is to discuss campaign strategy, his GOP challengers, and the future of the Golden State.
Also this week, Michaelson is joined by an all-star panel, including political strategist Dan Schnur, Gustavo Arellano of the Los Angeles Times, and Susan Shelley of the OC Register.
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THE ISSUE IS: THE STATE OF THE RECALL RACE
NEWSOM’S CENTRAL TAKE: "Well, we turn out our vote, we're going to win overwhelmingly. We just have to remind people the imperative to vote 'no' on the question that is in front of them. And I say in front of them, because this is an all mail-in ballot, it's very different, it's an off-year, off-month. It happens on September 14th, but at the end of the day, the Election Day is every single day between now and September 14th. It's all about turnout…"
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THE ISSUE IS: WHAT CAN A NEWSOM REPLACEMENT DO IF FACED WITH A DEMOCRATIC SUPER MAJORITY AND JUST A YEAR IN OFFICE?
NEWSOM’S CENTRAL TAKE: "You could start to vandalize all the executive orders. You can eliminate the masking requirement for public schools. You can eliminate the vaccine requirements for public health care workers. So many of the things that I signed through executive order could be undone overnight. You can appoint judges without any oversight and consideration - that's going to have an impact for years and years and years. If there's a vacancy, and you've seen many vacancies, Secretary of State, U.S. senator, you've seen an Attorney General, you appoint County Board of Supervisors... So it is a profound consequence. And also, you have the bully pulpit of the fifth largest economy in the world and you have a midterm election coming up with another Californian who wants to take out Nancy Pelosi. The consequences are pretty extraordinary…"
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THE ISSUE IS: NEWSOM’S AGENDA FOR THE COMING YEAR
NEWSOM’S CENTRAL TAKE: "We just put together a comprehensive, detailed strategy, first in state's history, to deal with the issue that's probably the most frustrating and vexing issue of our times, and that's homelessness - a $12 billion plan, $3 billion dollars for new mental health housing, for conservatorships, and to place people that are severely, mentally ill, get them off the streets... A $3.75 billion dollar commitment on affordable housing, a housing agenda the likes of which we've never had. Cleaning up our streets. We're transforming our public education system, and we are combating climate change, leading the nation in terms of our low-carbon strategy. So I think a lot is at stake. All of that gets set back, quite literally, in many cases reversed, if we don't turn out and vote ‘no’ on the recall…"
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THE ISSUE IS: EMPATHIZING WITH THE CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS, AND DEMOCRATS, WHO SUPPORT THE RECALL
NEWSOM’S CENTRAL TAKE: "We've all been frustrated, the whole tremendous fear, anxiety all of us have been faced with across the country. There's not a state, and no one in positions of influence or leadership is not struggling with everybody's anxieties. You have to be empathetic in that respect. But also you have to be sort of mindful that there's a reason the RNC is behind this, and Newt Gingrich is behind this, and folks like Devin Nunes are behind this. There's a reason the RNC wrote a check to help get this on the ballot, and there's a reason that it was initiated. I think this is incredibly important: read the petition, read the list of grievances, and it starts with sort of a condemnation of immigration and our diversity, and I just tell folks pause and really reflect on what this is really about. The same time, look, I deeply understand the difficulty and challenges we've been through as a state, but, boy, we are turning the state around, outperforming across the spectrum, across the economic and health spectrum compared to other states, and the best is yet to come…"
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The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson is California's only statewide political show. For showtimes and more information, go to TheIssueIsShow.com.