California Politics: Newsom frames today’s inauguration as a rebuke of Jan. 6 attack

Happy new year! We are kicking off 2023 asking for your feedback about this newsletter. Please take a minute to complete this short survey. Now here’s the news:

Two years ago today, supporters of former President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, causing the worst attack on the nation’s seat of government in more than 200 years and breaking the American tradition of the peaceful transfer of power. The violence on Jan. 6, 2021, disrupted Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election, led to several deaths and injured more than 100 police officers.

It was a horrible day for America.

Or was it?

American sentiment about the date is overwhelmingly split along partisan lines, according to new polling that YouGov conducted at The Times’ request. Among Democrats, 48% said Jan. 6, 2021, was a “tragic day” for America, while 12% of Republicans called it that. One-third of Republicans said it was “neither a good nor a bad day for America” — a view held by only 10% of Democrats.

By contrast, the pollsters found little partisan divide about other historic attacks: Forty-two percent of Democrats and 43% of Republicans called President John F. Kennedy’s assassination a “tragic day” for the country. And 9/11 was a “tragic day” for America in the view of 70% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans.

The divide over Jan. 6 forms the backdrop to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s inauguration today, which he has billed as a “peaceful contrast to the violent insurrection and assault on our democracy which occurred two years ago.”

Newsom privately took the oath of office on Monday, in accordance with the state Constitution, which says that after an election, a governor must “hold office” beginning on the Monday following Jan. 1. But it does not specify a date for a gubernatorial inauguration, which is more of a public celebration than a legally required event. So Newsom’s decision to publicly launch his second term on this anniversary is a political choice — one that reflects his desire to position himself on the national stage as a warrior for the left.

“It’s performative stunt politics,” said Bill Whalen, a Hoover Institution fellow who was a speechwriter for Republican former Gov. Pete Wilson. “Inaugurations are supposed to be forward-looking and visionary, and he’s doing the opposite by invoking Jan. 6.”

I’m Laurel Rosenhall, The Times’ Sacramento bureau chief. Inauguration day kicks off this morning with the governor leading a march through downtown Sacramento to the state Capitol, where he will deliver a speech. My colleagues and I will be reporting on all of it, so check latimes.com later for full coverage of the events.

The speakerless House

California’s most prominent Republican officeholder spent the week fighting for his political life. The historic standoff over whether Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield can win enough votes to become speaker once again reveals divisions in the GOP that pit the right against the ultra-right. Even McCarthy’s endorsement from Trump hasn’t won over the hard-liners who don’t want him to lead the House.

It’s been shocking to watch.

McCarthy’s identity as a political climber who hoped one day to become House speaker has been a defining characteristic since he was elected to the California Assembly 20 years ago and quickly became the Republican leader. Back then McCarthy shared a home in Sacramento with other GOP legislators that functioned as a kind of clubhouse for the caucus, with a pool table, a poker table and a barbecue. He’d invite his members over and run them through flash cards to make sure they mastered the Assembly’s procedural rules. Then, he told me in an interview several years ago, while everyone else relaxed over a game of cards or pool, he would ask what happened in committee that day, keeping tabs on everything.

In Washington, McCarthy became known for hanging pictures of his caucus members on the walls of his office — and for raising huge sums of money to elect more Republicans. Now, after two decades of helping Republicans win, and in turn, helping himself gain power, McCarthy’s career could soon be torpedoed by a slim minority of the House GOP.

It’s the law

The start of a new year always reminds me how consequential the work that happens in Sacramento can be, as hundreds of new state laws go into effect:

• Check out our comprehensive guide that explains the most significant new laws affecting the environment, healthcare, housing, criminal justice and more.
• You can now jaywalk in California — but you can’t buy a new fur coat.
• A raft of new laws expands protections for workers.
• An especially controversial one allows Californians to sue the gun industry.

And in case you missed them over the holidays, here are some fascinating stories that show how Californians are making use of state laws signed in years past:

• Spurred by a 2020 law giving adults more time to sue over childhood sexual abuse, thousands of lawsuits were filed against schools, religious organizations, sports groups and nonprofits.
• Police misconduct records that were long kept secret — including those detailing when officers made unlawful arrests or searches, used unreasonable or excessive force, or practiced discrimination — became public with a 2021 law. Here’s a look at what those records revealed in San Diego.
• A woman who spent 32 years in prison for a violent robbery she committed at age 18 was granted parole because of a 2019 law changing California’s “felony murder” rule. Ranza Marshall was eligible to have an attempted murder conviction vacated because she did not intend to kill anyone and was not a major participant in the underlying felony. She’s scheduled to be released from prison today.
• California civil rights officials have sued two Sacramento landlords, alleging they illegally harassed and evicted a tenant because she paid through a Section 8 voucher. It’s the first lawsuit brought by the state Civil Rights Department under a 2020 law making it illegal for landlords to refuse to accept tenants who pay with subsidies like Section 8.

It’s *not* the law

Two of Newsom’s most interesting vetoes last year were those blocking a bill to regulate cryptocurrency and nixing an effort to prevent drug overdoses by allowing a handful of cities to set up clinics where people with addiction can inject drugs under medical supervision. Fallout from those vetoes is at the heart of two recent articles you should not miss:

• The fate of overdose prevention in California will probably be decided in the coming weeks by one woman — San Francisco Mayor London Breed, columnist Anita Chabria reports: “Breed is either going to buck state and federal law and the loud disapproval of the crackdown crowd to open another safe consumption site, or she’ll cave to mounting political pressure and won’t, which will likely kill the concept in the Golden State for the foreseeable future.”
• In the months since Newom’s veto, crypto exchange FTX has filed for bankruptcy, its former chief executive has been charged with multiple federal crimes, and crypto prices have fallen further. Still, Newsom has not expressed regrets for the veto and said in an interview that “California’s approach was a sober approach.” Lawmakers in Sacramento are unconvinced and are gearing up to try again.

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