WORLD NEWS | California Governor Won’t Give State of the State Speech

SACRAMENTO (USA), March 7 (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom won’t be delivering his State of the State address this year, eschewing the teleprompter that frustrates him because of his dyslexia in favor of Support this month’s statewide tour, in which he can emphasize his key policy goals in a more informal setting.

It was a break from tradition for Newsom, a Democrat and future presidential candidate who has repeatedly attempted to reinvent speech for a modern audience.

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He tried to focus his entire speech on one theme — homelessness in 2020 — and used Dodger Stadium to cheer up weary residents during the pandemic, saying “there are better days to come.”

The scripted speech got Newsom into trouble because he has dyslexia, a common learning disability that makes it harder for him to read and do other reading-related things.

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This is why he rarely uses notes in public, but memorizes a wealth of facts and figures.

Last year, he invited lawmakers to hear him in a Sacramento auditorium, in part because he had access to a bigger screen.

Almost every governor in the U.S. delivers a State of the Union address, modeled after the president’s annual State of the Union address to Congress.

California’s constitution requires the governor to report annually to the state legislature “as the state sees fit.”

Before World War II, governors would satisfy this requirement by sending letters to the legislature.

That changed in the 1940s, when former Gov. Earl Warren — who later became Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court — began issuing formal speeches to the legislature, according to Alex Vassar, a librarian at the California State Library. Unofficial historian who addresses state legislatures. Governors have been delivering speeches since then.

This year, Newsom plans to fulfill his constitutional mandate by sending a letter to the state legislature. Next week, Newsom plans to begin a four-day tour of the state to emphasize his priorities, the governor’s office said.

“Gone are the days when everyone would walk into the living room and watch a prime-time hour-long speech by the governor,” said Matt Barreto, a political science professor at UCLA. There are more effective ways to reach out to communities and speak directly to voters.”

Newsom has spoken out about his dyslexia, including writing a semi-autobiographical children’s book in 2021 and pledging to donate all proceeds to Dyslexia International. The situation didn’t slow him down. Newsom has already delivered two major speeches this year: his second inaugural address and an hour-long budget briefing for reporters, both in January.

“Based on his inaugural address and January budget, the Governor looks forward to fulfilling his constitutional duty to update the Legislature on the state of the state — and join lawmakers across California in outlining transformative policing proposals that will strengthen our communities,” Anthony York, Newsom’s senior communications adviser, said in a text message.

House Republican Caucus Chairman Tom Lackey called Newsom’s tour a way to “deflect attention from his record of failure.”

“The format of his message is not as important as its content — an honest state government should admit that California is in trouble,” Lackey said, referring to issues like inflation, crime and homelessness.

California’s State of the Union address has faded from public view in recent years. Many governors will address the joint session of the Legislature in the morning, away from prime-time audiences. The speeches serve a variety of purposes, marking the start of negotiations with legislative leaders and allowing the governor to set the agenda for lawmakers’ work.

Newsom’s biggest policy goal this year is passing a law that would penalize Big Oil for making too much profit. Newsom said that would help rein in rising natural gas costs, which hit a record high last summer at nearly $6.44 a gallon. The Legislature has yet to act on Newsom’s proposal, which some Democrats raised concerns at recent public hearings.

“The main complaint against the Sacramento governor is that he hasn’t communicated with the legislature to let them know where he stands on the controversy and what his priorities are,” said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego.

“By canceling one of his key appointments with the legislature, he could really be paying himself for these inside audiences.”

Not so, Speaker Anthony Rendon said.

“If anything, I think it helps build relationships between individual members and governors, especially when almost a quarter of our bodies are new,” Rendon said.

“I think it’s great. No, it’s not a sign of tension between us at all.” (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)