West
Progressive journalist says Newsom must take 'accountability' for how he 'destroyed' California
Ana Kasparian of “The Young Turks” declared she will never take Gov. Gavin Newsom seriously as a potential Democratic presidential candidate until he takes responsibility for California’s decline.
On “Her Take,” a new Valuetainment Studios podcast, co-hosts spoke about the current crop of Democratic leaders who may be vying to lead the party in the 2028 election. In the wake of President Donald Trump’s historic victory in 2024, the Democratic Party has been deeply divided over not just who should take the reins, but whether they need a fundamental shift in policy.
Co-host Jillian Michaels, a former Californian, brought up how Newsom is a potential frontrunner for the upcoming election, drawing an immediate wave of dismay from her co-hosts.
“This guy has tried,” Michaels said, noting that the governor is changing his tactics. “He’s taken notes, he’s tried to be somewhat critical of his own party, he’s tried to reach out to the other side. He’s tried to be antithetical to, you know, ‘everything exists in our silo, and we don’t reach across the aisle.’ He’s tried to show himself.”
Kasparian, a left-wing commentator who frequently shreds California’s far-left policies, replied, “I will never take that piece of crap seriously, and yes, I’m calling Gavin Newsom, my governor unfortunately, a piece of crap until he does some accountability for how he destroyed the state of California.”
Ana Kasparian scorched Gov. Newsom for his leadership of California, particularly for trying to scapegoat Donald Trump. (“Her Take/Valuetainment Studios)
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Rather than take a broad look at the Democratic Party, Kasparian recommended that Newsom “look inward and take a good hard look at the policies that you championed in our state that have completely destroyed the state.”
“He’s trying to blame Donald Trump for the loss of jobs in California,” she added. “Are you kidding me? The loss of jobs started well before Trump won the election, and it was the result of his policies, cumbersome regulations, that have now led to oil companies, for instance, deciding, ‘We’re not doing this anymore, we’re going to leave.’”
Kasparian also argued that crime has exploded under his watch.
“You have rampant crime that Democrats want to deny exists, but it obviously does when businesses close up shop and move to other states because the cost of doing business is so expensive,” she said. “Insuring businesses in California is astronomical because of the issues with crime.”
Multiple members of the panel had grievances to share about Gov. Newsom’s leadership of California. (“Her Take”/Valuetainment Studios)
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Kasparian went on to condemn the governor, claiming, “in an effort to save California money, he preemptively shut down four state prisons. There is no room to put any of these inmates in.”
This has caused an issue for the state, she said, where now county jails that were already overflowing now have to release inmates “regardless of how much time they’ve served.”
“Even if they’ve been sentenced to decades behind bars, they’re being released after serving two, three years because there’s no room for them,” Kasparian said.
Gavin Newsom speaks after being elected governor of the state during an election night party in Los Angeles, California, on November 6, 2018. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
Michaels shared a story about a man who was released early from jail after he invaded her house with a video camera and duct tape.
“Gavin Newsom is a wrecking ball to California. He is, as [Adam] Corolla says, a ‘policy disaster,’” she lamented.
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Recent reporting on Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford’s 420 days of out-of-state travel raises serious and reasonable questions about the level of transparency his office has provided.
As a lifelong Democrat who believes in good government and accountability, I’m troubled by the lack of information on the purposes of these trips all over the world. Many on the right are making this a political talking point, but my concern as an average Nevada voter is simpler — we should expect transparency from our elected officials, regardless of party affiliation.
Public service is a public trust. When officials spend significant time away from the state they were elected to serve, taxpayers have every right to understand why. What was the purpose of these trips? What concrete benefits did they bring back to Nevada? How did travel to places such as Martha’s Vineyard, Hawaii or Ghana advance our state’s interests?
I’m not suggesting that all travel is inappropriate. Our attorney general may well have legitimate reasons to represent Nevada at conferences, build important partnerships or address legal matters that benefit our state. But 420 days is substantial, and the lack of detailed explanations makes it impossible for voters such as me to assess whether this travel served Nevada well.
This is where transparency matters most. A comprehensive accounting of these trips, their purposes, outcomes and benefits to Nevada, would address these concerns and effectively. If Mr. Ford’s travel delivered real value to our state, he should be proud to share those accomplishments. If some trips were less essential, acknowledging that would also demonstrate the kind of honest leadership we need.
Democrats have long championed government transparency. We’ve criticized Republicans when they’ve fallen short of this standard. We cannot apply different rules to our party. Good government principles don’t have a political affiliation.
The solution here is straightforward: Mr. Ford should provide the public with detailed explanations of this travel. Until that happens, this issue will continue to damage public trust and distract from the important work our attorney general should be doing for Nevada families.
We can and should do better.
Susan Brager is a member of the Nevada Board of Regents. She previously served on the Clark County School Board.
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