Issues
Agriculture
Agriculture is the foundation of California’s economy – our state produces more value in agricultural products than any other in the nation. California is home to 88,000 farms and ranches and an agricultural industry that generates up to $100 billion in related economic activity.
In San Francisco, Gavin Newsom has supported sustainability in farming, brought fresh and wholesome foods to San Francisco’s schools and markets, helped to protect local and family farms and worked with neighboring rural communities to support farming in the greater San Francisco region.
Budget Reform
This year’s three-month budget standoff made it clear that politics as usual in Sacramento is not just a problem – it’s a crisis. The gridlock pushed the state to the brink of insolvency - threatening to bring infrastructure projects to a halt and cut services to the most vulnerable. In 2009, California's bond rating dropped lower than any other state's in the wake of the budget crisis.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom has put politics aside, bringing together all stakeholders to balance the city’s $6 billion-plus budget every year for the past five years. Today, the city is on sound financial footing, its bond rating is strong and improving thanks to these responsible fiscal policies and a significant Rainy Day reserve.
Children & Youth
We are all accountable for our failure to better serve California’s youth. Today, the barriers to leading a healthy and productive lifestyle for Californian young people are profound.
In 2006, Mayor Newsom announced a $35 million investment in youth and children’s services - the largest in San Francisco’s history. He has expanded health care and preschool programs, taken on reform of the local juvenile justice system and has worked in partnership with the school district to make San Francisco the highest performing urban school district in California.
Disaster Preparedness
California must be ready for a wide range of natural disasters, including floods, wildfires, mudslides, drought and earthquakes. And as a major commercial and cultural hub, California must be prepared for man-made disasters as well – terrorist attacks, hazardous material and oil spills and biological and chemical threats.
In San Francisco, Gavin Newsom has increased regional disaster preparedness cooperation and has spearheaded new emergency planning and safety initiatives to better prepare San Francisco for a major catastrophe, natural or man-made.
Economy & Jobs
Communities throughout California have been hit hard by the recession. Homes that once sold for $500,000 now sell for less than half that amount. California’s statewide bond rating has fallen to the worst in the nation, making it harder to fund state projects and create new jobs. Unemployment, at 10.6% in March of 2009, continues to rise across the state. More people are losing their employer-based health care, stressing already maxed-out family budgets.
In the midst of a national economic crisis, San Francisco’s economy has remained strong. The city’s bond rating has risen, its rainy day reserve is funded and the city’s unemployment rate is the fourth lowest among California's 58 counties. Mayor Newsom – building on his experience in the private sector where he built a thriving enterprise of 15 businesses and created almost 1,000 jobs – has transformed the city’s economy.
Education
Today, California’s education system is facing sweeping budget cuts from Sacramento. California already experiences some of the lowest levels of educational achievement in the country - 97 California school districts failed to meet basic federal standards. And inexcusably, California is 47th in the nation in per-pupil spending, spending $1,900 less per student than the national average.
Working largely with existing resources, Mayor Newsom has applied a little common sense and a lot of innovation to help turn San Francisco public schools into a statewide model for educational achievement.
Energy
California attracts more investment in green and clean technology than any other state in the nation. Harnessing the power of clean, renewable energy and improving energy efficiency will create thousands of new jobs, introduce a new “green-collar” economy and help free us from dependence on foreign oil while protecting the environment and reducing energy costs in the long run.
As Governor, Gavin Newsom wants to bring the power of a clean energy revolution to California – the same way he brought it to San Francisco, by expanding partnerships with the private sector, attracting clean tech industries and establishing aggressive incentives to generate clean, renewable energy while creating new jobs and economic opportunity.
Environment
Reducing California’s environmental impact is one of the most urgent challenges the state faces. California is responsible for 1.4% of the world’s and 6.2% of America’s greenhouse gases, and measured against other countries, California is the 12th largest source of global warming emissions in the world.
San Francisco has set an example for the state by requiring city government to be carbon neutral by 2020, investing in bio-diesel conversion for food waste and developing some of the most aggressive solar and wind power incentives and carbon offset programs in the nation. Under Mayor Newsom’s leadership, San Francisco has become one of the “greenest” cities in the country.
Government Reform
The political system in Sacramento is broken. The state’s bond rating is now the lowest of any state in America. For years – even during strong economic times – the California state government has operated on borrowed money and time. Certain aspects of California government are just backwards: it takes only a majority of voters to strip a group of Californians from their constitutional rights but it takes a two-thirds majority to pass a budget. Every year, we allow a small group of politicians to hold the California budget – and all the services our state provides – hostage.
Applying lessons from his career building the PlumpJack enterprise, Mayor Newsom has used technology, marketing, data analysis and results-driven incentives to manage what is often seen as an unmanageable city.
Health Care
According to the latest data, 6.6 million Californians, or one-in-five residents, live without health insurance. And as of April 2009, the economic downturn had caused an astounding 500,000 working-age Californians to lose their health insurance.
Mayor Gavin Newsom isn’t waiting for the politicians in Sacramento to solve this problem – he’s created the only universal health care program in the country. In 2007, Mayor Newsom launched Healthy San Francisco to provide health care for all San Francisco residents. Remarkable for its simplicity, President Barack Obama recently acknowledged the initiative saying: "Instead of just talking about health care, mayors like Gavin Newsom... have been ensuring that those in need receive it."
Healthy Food
Recent studies have shown that the average item of American food travels over 1,500 miles before consumption. Serious public health problems – such as obesity and diabetes – are increasingly linked to our current food system and its dependence on fertilizers, pesticides and long transportation routes for high-calorie, nutrient-poor, processed foods.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom has launched a variety of landmark food initiatives designed to increase healthy food awareness and the consumption of locally-grown, healthy foods in San Francisco’s schools and communities.
Housing
The national foreclosure epidemic has affected California homeowners particularly hard – there were almost 236,000 California homes that went into foreclosure in 2008, an increase of 180% from 2007. While the rate of foreclosures forced home prices down 20% in 2008 – home prices are still 50% higher than they were just five years ago. With a rapidly expanding population and the possibility of a sustained economic downturn, addressing California’s housing needs is a priority.
When it comes to housing, San Francisco is a microcosm for the entire state with an aging housing stock that is increasingly unaffordable to the average Californian. To address this, Mayor Newsom has instituted key reforms to expand affordable housing and help keep San Franciscans in their homes.
Immigration
Today, California’s population exceeds 36 million people and one in four people in the state is an immigrant. Since 2000, more than 40% of the state’s population growth has been from immigrants. Immigrants also play a crucial role in the national and California economies: according to studies, immigrants pay an estimated $30 billion in federal taxes, $5.2 billion in state income taxes, and $4.6 billion in sales taxes each year.
San Francisco is a city of immigrants, with one of the highest percentages of immigrants of any city in California. Mayor Gavin Newsom has established policies to save money, stimulate the economy and improve public health and safety by bringing immigrants out of the shadows of society and into the mainstream.
Infrastructure
California’s population is expected to increase by more than 20% over the next 20 years. To meet the needs of this population growth, and to facilitate the economic development that will sustain the state’s competitiveness, California must make significant and long-term investments to restore our statewide infrastructure network.
In San Francisco, Mayor Newsom has initiated some of the largest infrastructure projects in the city’s history. Investing in housing, transportation, water and the city’s streets and parks has been a priority of Newsom’s administration.
Marriage Equality
In February of 2004, then newly-elected Mayor Gavin Newsom took a courageous step for marriage equality by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in San Francisco. Since 2004, Mayor Newsom has continued the fight for full equality and the same rights and benefits extended to all. While the march to equality for LGBT Americans has suffered setbacks, enormous steps forward have also been accomplished.
Mayor Newsom believes all should be treated equally under the law. While campaigning against Proposition 8 in the fall of 2008, Mayor Newsom would often quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice.” It is a perspective on history that guides Mayor Newsom’s unwavering belief that separate is not equal, not just on the basis of gender or race but also on the basis of sexual orientation. Mayor Newsom's commitment is to continue fighting until all Americans are accorded the same rights and responsibilities that he and his wife Jennifer enjoy.
Public Safety
There is nothing more important than ensuring the safety of our neighborhoods and families. But for too long, California has engaged in expensive and outdated policies that have failed to stem violence and crime. The facts paint a grim picture: California has lost over 15,000 lives over the last 30 years due to gang violence and estimates on membership in gangs in California range from 250,000 to 420,000 members.
In San Francisco, Newsom has implemented innovative new solutions to help keep residents safe. In 2009, overall crime rates and homicides dropped significantly in San Francisco thanks to increased police hiring, a new “zone” strategy of policing and smart use of technology.
Seniors
Today, California has nearly four million people over the age of 65 – the largest such population in the nation. This figure is expected to double over the next several decades – with the greatest growth among Californians 85 and older.
In San Francisco, where the population is older, per capita, than the rest of the state, Mayor Gavin Newsom has focused on ways to help enhance the quality of life for seniors by expanding transportation services, in-home support services and community-based programs that both involve and serve seniors.
Transportation
For years, California has delayed investment in our statewide transportation network. Now the need to repair and modernize is urgent. Creating robust mass transportation systems will connect our local and regional economies, create jobs, give Californians better affordable transit options and ease traffic congestion. And it will enhance local and statewide efforts on air quality, pollution reduction and energy efficiency.
In San Francisco, where residents rely heavily on public transportation, Mayor Gavin Newsom has spearheaded extensive transit reform, making public transportation more accessible and efficient, decreasing pollution and emissions and implementing technologies to improve traffic flow.
Veterans
More than 2,000 military personnel return home to California each month. Many return home with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injuries or other serious injuries. And many find it almost impossible to find permanent housing, good jobs and the support services they require.
The grandson of a veteran who survived the infamous Bataan Death March, Mayor Gavin Newsom has worked to make sure another generation of service veterans are not victims of addiction, despair and homelessness – and are instead provided the benefits they have earned. While resources are limited at the local level, Newsom has prioritized housing and employment services for local veterans.
Water
After successive years of drought and water mismanagement, Californians will be faced with difficult choices about water usage in the years to come. Any conversation about the future of California’s water resources must revolve around greater conservation and stewardship efforts, greater focus on environmental impacts, preservation of sustainable agriculture and agricultural jobs, investment in new technologies like ground water storage and improved management and increased investment in our aging water infrastructure.
In San Francisco, Mayor Newsom has focused on aggressive water conservation efforts and made long-term investments in Hetch Hetchy and San Francisco’s regional water infrastructure.
Coming Soon
With its growing population and diverse needs, California is facing issues well beyond those we've listed above. That's why, in the coming weeks, Mayor Newsom will be updating the policy section to address issues of concern to the LGBT, African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander, Filipino-American, Native-American and Latino communities. Additional updates will include briefs on technology, the state of labor in California, the unique obstacles California women still face and the challenges facing Californians living in rural areas as well as those living with disabilities.
If you'd like to sign up to receive these updates, please email us at updates@gavinnewsom.com.
