In his latest burst of missing the forest for the trees, California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom boasted of his government’s efficiency while ripping the incoming Trump administration, pontificating, “We’ve been working, I dunno, before DOGE was DOGE.”
Newsom seemingly ignored that the purpose of DOGE is to reduce the cost of government to save taxpayers’ money.
“I dunno, this is like a promo project,” he said mockingly of DOGE, then bragged, “We’ve been doing civil service reform in this state; we’ve been consolidating job classifications; we’ve been updating job descriptions in this state, and we waived those requirements. And in fact, I think it was in August, earlier, in August, we came up with your shop. We’re gonna double that next year. In fact, by 32,000; it’ll be 62,000 positions we will have eliminated those barriers and that requirement. I’ve always been a leader in that space.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom refers to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s initiative DOGE as a “promo project.”
‘We’ve been working [on this] before DOGE was DOGE.” pic.twitter.com/8ACvGJNTsW
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 16, 2024
The California Legislature’s Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor stated, “The state has faced significant budget problems over the last two years—by our estimate, a $27 billion deficit in 2023‑23 and a $55 billion deficit in 2024‑25 (excluding early action taken this year). … Faster Than Normal Spending Growth Contributing to Deficits. One reason the state faces operating deficits is growth in spending. Our estimate of annual total spending growth across the forecast period—from 2025‑26 to 2028‑29—is 5.8 percent (6.3 percent excluding K‑14 education). By historical standards, this is high. … Spending Growth Driven by Past Program Expansions and Underlying Growth.”
Last June, the AP reported that California had “an estimated $46.8 billion budget deficit,” adding that the surpluses Newsom bragged about in 2022 were the result of “hundreds of billions of dollars of federal COVID-19 aid and a progressive tax code that produced a windfall of revenue from the state’s wealthiest residents.” The AP added that the deficit in 2023 had been about $32 billion.
The Tax Foundation’s 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index states, “California‘s tax system ranks 48th overall on the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index. California combines high tax rates with an uncompetitive tax structure, yielding one of the worst rankings on the Index.”
CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
Newsom has also presided over the skyrocketing costs of homelessness. Last April, The Los Angeles Times noted:
California has failed to adequately monitor the outcomes of its vast spending on homelessness programs, according to a state audit released Tuesday, raising questions about whether billions of dollars meant to thwart the crisis has been worth it as the number of people living unsheltered has soared. A new report from the California State Auditor’s Office found that a state council created to oversee the implementation of homelessness programs has not consistently tracked spending or the outcomes of those programs.
In July, the Hoover Institution pointed out, “Since 2019, California has spent about $24 billion on homelessness.”
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the cost of building California’s largely unfinished high-speed rail line — of which Newsom bragged, “We’re making rail real in California” — was initially estimated at $33 billion and now has ballooned to over $100 billion.
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[[{“value”:”
In his latest burst of missing the forest for the trees, California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom boasted of his government’s efficiency while ripping the incoming Trump administration, pontificating, “We’ve been working, I dunno, before DOGE was DOGE.”
Newsom seemingly ignored that the purpose of DOGE is to reduce the cost of government to save taxpayers’ money.
“I dunno, this is like a promo project,” he said mockingly of DOGE, then bragged, “We’ve been doing civil service reform in this state; we’ve been consolidating job classifications; we’ve been updating job descriptions in this state, and we waived those requirements. And in fact, I think it was in August, earlier, in August, we came up with your shop. We’re gonna double that next year. In fact, by 32,000; it’ll be 62,000 positions we will have eliminated those barriers and that requirement. I’ve always been a leader in that space.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom refers to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s initiative DOGE as a “promo project.”
‘We’ve been working [on this] before DOGE was DOGE.” pic.twitter.com/8ACvGJNTsW
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 16, 2024
The California Legislature’s Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor stated, “The state has faced significant budget problems over the last two years—by our estimate, a $27 billion deficit in 2023‑23 and a $55 billion deficit in 2024‑25 (excluding early action taken this year). … Faster Than Normal Spending Growth Contributing to Deficits. One reason the state faces operating deficits is growth in spending. Our estimate of annual total spending growth across the forecast period—from 2025‑26 to 2028‑29—is 5.8 percent (6.3 percent excluding K‑14 education). By historical standards, this is high. … Spending Growth Driven by Past Program Expansions and Underlying Growth.”
Last June, the AP reported that California had “an estimated $46.8 billion budget deficit,” adding that the surpluses Newsom bragged about in 2022 were the result of “hundreds of billions of dollars of federal COVID-19 aid and a progressive tax code that produced a windfall of revenue from the state’s wealthiest residents.” The AP added that the deficit in 2023 had been about $32 billion.
The Tax Foundation’s 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index states, “California‘s tax system ranks 48th overall on the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index. California combines high tax rates with an uncompetitive tax structure, yielding one of the worst rankings on the Index.”
CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
Newsom has also presided over the skyrocketing costs of homelessness. Last April, The Los Angeles Times noted:
California has failed to adequately monitor the outcomes of its vast spending on homelessness programs, according to a state audit released Tuesday, raising questions about whether billions of dollars meant to thwart the crisis has been worth it as the number of people living unsheltered has soared. A new report from the California State Auditor’s Office found that a state council created to oversee the implementation of homelessness programs has not consistently tracked spending or the outcomes of those programs.
In July, the Hoover Institution pointed out, “Since 2019, California has spent about $24 billion on homelessness.”
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the cost of building California’s largely unfinished high-speed rail line — of which Newsom bragged, “We’re making rail real in California” — was initially estimated at $33 billion and now has ballooned to over $100 billion.
“}]]
