Key takeaways from the Newsom-DeSantis debate

Finally, the debate.  

Behind one lectern: Gavin Newsom, repping California and Democrats. Behind the other: Ron DeSantis, on behalf of Florida and Republicans.

Then 100 minutes or so (minus ad time) of the two governors yelling at each other and arguing about facts. 

“You are just making things up,” DeSantis lectured Newsom at one point.

“You keep denying some basic fundamental facts,” Newsom shot back later.

As CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff explains, the Fox News face-off Thursday night — live from a stage in Alpharetta, Ga., but with no live studio audience — had the feel and build-up of a presidential debate, though only DeSantis is actually running for the nation’s highest office at the moment. And DeSantis had the most to gain, or lose, as he’s trying to gain ground in the Republican presidential primary — far behind former President Donald Trump and in danger of falling behind former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.  

At one point, Newsom jabbed DeSantis, saying that neither one of them is going to be a presidential nominee, while DeSantis said that Newsom is running a “shadow campaign” for president but just won’t admit it.

Newsom played the role of loyal Democrat. Throughout the debate, he repeatedly praised the Biden-Harris administration, and in a fundraising email Thursday, the governor said he agreed to the debate “because I want to tell Fox News viewers something they’ve never heard before…. The truth about Joe Biden’s record.”

But more of the debate focused on the respective records of the two governors than the president’s. They tussled over taxes, COVID shutdowns, immigration, schools, abortion, homelessness, crime and more. 

Though DeSantis praised California for having “more natural advantages” than other states, he repeatedly emphasized how people were leaving the state “in droves” due to Newsom’s failures — and argued that Biden would bring those problems nationwide. 

Newsom, meanwhile, pointed out that for all of DeSantis’ praise for individual freedom, the governor is tightening restrictions on abortion, supporting school book bans and attempting to rein in Disney over its pushback against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Amid all the bickering and moderator Sean Hannity urging them not to interrupt one another,  Newsom said he’s used to attacks from political foes: “Again, Ron. Relax. I can handle it, I’m used to bullying. You’re nothing but a bully.” To which DeSantis replied, “You’re a bully.”

And now the two sides are arguing about whether they broke the debate rules, Politico reports.

For more on what happened at the debate (including the “poop map”), read Alexei’s story. And for more details on the issues that came up, check out our breakdown.

Back home in California, Republicans were not impressed, unsurprisingly. They kept up their online trolling of Newsom and criticism that he’s focusing too little on the issues facing the state. Senate Republicans said they “take offense” at Newsom bragging about California when it’s failing on cost of living, crime and homelessness.

• Sen. Brian Dahle, in a statement after the debate: “There’s not much to debate when you’ve failed Californians on just about every level — from affordability to rampant crime, homelessness, and failing our students…. California’s future continues to look bleak with one-party control and a governor who rules with reckless abandon. Tonight’s debate was nothing more than California’s governor having delusions of grandeur.”

From CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu:

How much does the presidential election in 2024 matter to you?

Depends on who you ask.

Roughly half of the immigrants nationwide will tell you their lives won’t change much no matter who sits in the White House, according to a new poll of more than 3,300 immigrants by the health policy research nonprofit KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation) and the Los Angeles Times.

Beyond just the presidential race, many immigrants don’t lean toward either of the major political parties. 

While immigrants overall are twice as likely to favor Democrats over Republicans, 25% of the survey respondents said neither major party represented them. Another 27% said they were not sure, the survey showed.

Yajaira Gonzalez, a naturalized citizen and a registered Democrat, told the L.A. Times she is disappointed in President Joe Biden’s policies on providing citizenship opportunities to undocumented immigrants and may even vote for a Republican challenger of his in 2024.

• Gonzalez on Biden: “He made many promises, and many of them he did not keep.”

The considerable portion of immigrant voters with no clear party preferences suggests a significant yet largely untapped group of swing voters. But some respondents said they felt “used as pawns” when candidates reached out, that the politicians were courting them “just for their vote” or that their votes made no difference — a common sentiment among Latino voters in California, who are the biggest racial and ethnic group, yet the least likely to vote.

As CalMatters reported, experts and voters said campaigns historically ignored them and focused too much on immigration, while issues like economy and inflation were consistently a priority concern.

Among other highlights of the survey:

• 79% supported the DREAM Act, which provides a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrant children. 
• 59% supported providing health care coverage for undocumented immigrants, although naturalized citizens were evenly split on the issue.
• 19% said immigration enforcement is too tough, but another 18% argued it’s not tough enough. Naturalized citizens are more likely to say it’s not tough enough than green card holders or likely undocumented respondents.

As the union representing 29,000 California State University faculty members readies itself for rolling one-day strikes starting Monday, one of the dominant arguments the university posits against the union’s wage demands is that Cal State simply can’t afford it. After all, how could the nation’s largest public four-year university system meet the union’s desired 12% pay hike while grappling with a $1.5 billion funding gap?

But as Elizabeth Wilson and Hugo Rios of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network explain, it’s a tough argument to sell when Cal State Chancellor Mildred García will earn nearly $1 million in total compensation during her first year. Indeed, the base salary for that job has increased by 38% — from $451,500 in 2007 to $625,000 in 2022. Over the same 15-year period, Cal State campus presidents’ base salaries have also grown — by an average of 43% (or roughly $119,882).

That’s a stark contrast compared to Cal State faculty. On average, lecturer salaries increased by 22% over the past 15 years, while professor pay has risen 30%. (In fall 2022, the average salaries for full-time lecturers and professors were $71,255 and $122,016, respectively).

The debate over pay comes just two months after Cal State trustees voted to hike tuition by 6% annually for the next five years. It was the second tuition hike in 12 years for the university, and a move that was highly criticized by students. 

For more on CalMatters’ analysis on Cal State exec pay, read Elizabeth and Hugo’s story.

It’s been a mixed bag for California environmentalists and conservationists these past few weeks, as the state grapples with its precarious salmon population and unsustainable use of plastic. 

In November, the East Bay Municipal Utility District reported an impressive fall run of Chinook Salmon on the Mokelumne River this year. More than 20,000 fish returned from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in the river — the highest count in more than 80 years since the public agency began keeping track.

But while this year’s record was “too good of news to keep under our hats,” to the district’s fisheries and wildlife manager, it wasn’t so impressive to the Golden State Salmon Association, which represents the commercial and recreational salmon industries and others. That enterprise has been rocked by this year’s cancelation of California salmon season, and the association says the numbers “likely will not be enough to allow fishing in 2024.” In contrast, the fall run in the Sacramento River, for example, “witnessed disastrous numbers in 2023.” 

Speaking of fish, the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife is expected to carry out its very first land return to a California tribe next year. Forty acres of the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery — which produced trout before it closed to the public in 2008 — will be transferred back to the Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians. The transaction includes hatchery structures, residences, native plant vegetation and other natural habitats, the department announced Wednesday. 

On plastics: The Irvine city council voted Tuesday to table an ambitious proposal to ban single-use plastics citywide, including prohibiting restaurants from using plastic utensils, containers, water bottles and other items. 

As with past legislation to ban single-use plastics, this measure was met with heavy industry pushback. One council member admitted to experiencing “lobbying pressure” by the American Beverage Association, reports the L.A. Times. (The vice president of the association, by the way, is Rick Rivas — Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ brother.) 

CalMatters commentary is now California Voices, with its first issue page focusing on homelessness. Give it a look.