Gavin Newsom is foremost an ambitious and adaptable politician. His ambitions in politics are very clear and longstanding. Mayor of SF, then an attempt at gove

Gavin Newsom is foremost an ambitious and adaptable politician. His ambitions in politics are very clear and longstanding. Mayor of SF, then an attempt at governor and when that was thwarted, biding his time as Lieutenant Governor. Now it is governor. His next step is clear, which is the Presidency. His use of connections to obtain power and to broker power is also longstanding. He didn't grow up in wealth but used his connections with Getty to get wealthy. Getty funded his Plump Jack businesses. Getty gave him an interest free loan to buy his first house. That his maskless dinner happened with lobbyists from the California doctor's association is a continuation of this pattern. He gauges political winds well and aligns himself so that it is a tailwind. In his first mayor's race, he ended up in a runoff with a far more progressive candidate. He shifted his political positions to be far more progressive while still obtaining the support of the business elite. He won by a landslide. The last few years, he has aligned himself with the latest progressive movement. He isn't doing it out of the goodness of his heart or out of principle. He just gauged which way the political winds were blowing and aligned himself to be buoyed by them. His administration of the state is only as good as it helps further his political ambitions. Once attention shifts away from a topic, expect his attention to shift away from it as well. Don't expect long term planning nor long term execution. If you look at his administration of SF, what you see is basically muddling along with nothing much accomplished. I expect the same exact thing in California as a whole.