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I lived in California for 28 of my 30 years, and I have a lot of frustrations with the political system there. Even though there’s a robust Democratic majority, state and local governments still have a lot of gridlock and inefficiencies. The state has some very serious problems coming down the pike and it seems as if there is not enough political will to meaningfully address them. There is a catastrophic housing shortage. This miraculous winter notwithstanding, the state is in a perpetual drought and water shortages wreak havoc on the agricultural sector, which provides the US with over 60% of its winter vegetables. Wildfires steal innocent lives, destroy entire towns, and threaten the state’s most precious and irreplaceable treasures, like the Sequoias. The cost of living is unsustainable, and there is a crisis of homelessness in Los Angeles and San Francisco. I love my home state, and I miss it constantly. But I left it because it has come to embody the original double meaning of the word “utopia”: it is both the good place, and the place that cannot be. (And yes, that is a reference to Mad Men.)
Needless to say I have some reservations about how governor Gavin Newsom’s tenure has been going. He also annoyed me so much when he went to French Laundry at the height of lockdown in 2020. The governor dining at a $600-a-head tasting menu fancypants restaurant when Californians were getting sick and dying? It left a gross taste in my mouth and demonstrated a lack of integrity. I don’t think he deserved to be recalled but I’m looking at him with a beady eye going forward, that’s all. I think Gavin Newsom has his big ambitions, whatever he may say to the contrary. I’m sure he’s going to try to run for president someday, and that’s probably why he’s offering to help end the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. He’s offered to help broker a deal, but it seems like nobody’s taking him up on it. At least not right now.
He’s reached out to “all sides” of the labor dispute: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has contacted all sides of the strikes that have hobbled Hollywood, his office said Wednesday, offering to help broker a deal to restart an industry that is crucial to keeping the state’s economy humming amid signs of weakness.
So far, neither studio executives nor actors and writers have shown formal interest in bringing Newsom to the negotiating table, said Anthony York, Newsom’s senior adviser for communications. But York said both Newsom and senior members of his administration have been in touch with all sides as the two strikes stretch deeper into the summer blockbuster season.
“It’s clear that the sides are still far apart, but he is deeply concerned about the impact a prolonged strike can have on the regional and state economy,” York said. He further noted “thousands of jobs depend directly or indirectly on Hollywood getting back to work,” including crew, staff and catering.
The last time the writers went on strike more than a decade ago, the 100-day work stoppage cost the state’s economy an estimated $2 billion. The economic hit could be even bigger this time around now that actors have joined the picket lines. The strikes come after Newsom signed a state budget that included a more than $31 billion deficit in part because of a slowdown in the tech sector, another one of the state’s key industries.
Why helping end the strike could help his political future: Now in his final term in office, Newsom has worked hard to boost his national profile as he sets his sights on life after the governor’s office. He is widely considered a future presidential contender, though he has said he has no plans to run. Any role for Newsom to help end strikes halting one of the country’s most recognizable industries could bolster his status on the national stage.
Labor actions have lit up California this summer, and it has become common for politicians and their allies to step in to broker deals. New Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, for example, helped negotiate an end to a strike by Los Angeles school staff. Acting Biden administration Labor Secretary Julie Su, a former California labor leader, helped reach an end to a contract dispute at Southern California ports.
His connections to Hollywood’s top brass: York declined to say who Newsom has spoken with, either on the unions’ side or the studios. Representatives for the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers declined to comment.
Hollywood isn’t just a major economic driver in California — it’s also a fundraising powerhouse for mostly Democratic candidates, including Newsom. In 2021, when Newsom was facing a recall election that could have removed him from office, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings donated $3 million to help defeat it. He has received smaller contributions from executives at Disney, Sony and Lionsgate. Prominent directors and producers like Stephen Spielberg and Chuck Lorre have also donated to his campaigns.
It doesn’t surprise me that Newsom is somewhat cozy with Hollywood execs and power players. Powerful people stick together. Honestly I am not sure the unions should trust him but that’s because I don’t trust him. With the tech sector slowing down, I see why he’s motivated to try to negotiate. He needs that tax revenue coming in, and Hollywood is a reliable cash cow. I just don’t think he’s going to get anywhere, but I’m happy to be proven wrong. We know that the studio execs are planning to run out the clock to make their own workers desperate and homeless. The sooner this ends and they can get a contract together that meets the unions’ *entirely reasonable* demands, the better. I’m also selfishly motivated for the strikes to end because I love red carpet fashion and going without it is sad, even during high summer when there’s not a lot of premieres except for action blockbusters.
Newsome … I can’t figure him out. He is all over the place. He tries to position himself as a counter to DeSantis by wading into the anti-woke debate, he wants a 28th amendment on guns, and now this. I think he could play a role as counter to the GOP hive mind. But he needs to tighten up his messaging and strategy.
Carina, thanks for the background on Newsom and his relationship to the power players in the strike.
My gut feeling agrees with not having him get involved, because in terms of power, he seemingly has more to gain by staying aligned with rich political donors.
20+ year CA resident and directly affected by the strike… the craziest fact about Newsom is that his first wife was Kimberly Guilfoyle.
LA resisdent here — and the Kimberly Guilfoyle marriage still makes me shake my head. I keep thinking she was different then, but I don’t think her other ex-husband talks to her either.
I don’t know that she was different but he certainly was. He’s matured a lot from his party boy ways. I think his ego was much bigger then, also. It was a fun gossip time in SF back then.
He was our Mayor and she was our First Lady when I lived in SF. She was exactly the same person then, albeit with a more natural face. I like his politics and I’ll likely vote for him when he inevitably runs for President, but I still fear we’ll have a Bill Clinton redux on our hands if he wins. Because his personal judgment is terrible (he married her) and his comportment in his private life is just messy. Sadly. And neither has changed much, no matter what his PR might say.
Newsome has done and attempts to do far more good than the mistakes he’s made. Besides I’m not as sure as others he’ll run for President in 24 for several reasons. I don’t believe he’d denigrate Biden or step on Kamala. I appreciate he spoke up on deSantis and approve of a 28th amendment and any other of his constant counters to rethugs.
I like Newsom and a lot that he’s done, but it’s really not his place to try and step into this. Both unions have officers and bargaining teams to do the negotiating. There are also specific procedures in place for next steps and they don’t involve the governor’s office.