Gavin Newsom

So it'll be Cox vs. Newsom. I'm sure Newsom will win and it will reveal the foolish direction California is taking itself. I may vote Republican for the first time in my life. We'll see. That is based more on my dislike for Newsom than knowing anything about Cox.

Here's why: San Francisco has turned to shit. How is it possible the voters should reward Newsom for his tenure? In the midst of being the home to the most dynamic economic engine in the world (Silicon Valley), somehow the city politicians didn't figure out housing prices, homelessness, crime, drug use, etc. So much so, 46% of all SF residents are considering moving. It's an astounding political failure -- that in the midst of so much prosperity, one cannot figure out how to manage the very basics of governance. Furthermore, Newsom has explicitly stated his flouting of federal immigration laws in favor of SF and other places becoming sanctuary cities. This he does while living in Marin County (where I'm from), which protects itself from the consequences of such an immigration policy by pricing out any multicultural element from the real estate market. Marin residents benefit from cheap labor, of course, via garden maintenance, nannies, and restaurant employees. But there's no way they share schools, hospitals, or neighborhoods with the same population they hire to fix their roofs.

And oh yeah, he slept with his best friend's wife. But on the positive side - he was one of the first major politicians to favor gay marriage. What a brave stance for the mayor of San Francisco to take! One year before the whole damn country jumped on the bandwagon!

Problem with Cox - and I'll need to read more - he seems like he loses every election he runs in. Not a good sign.