Gavin Newsom has big, liberal plans for California. So how would he pay for them?
"The time for timidity is over," Newsom said at a primetime speech at the
All of it would be expensive. But Newsom isn't saying exactly how he'd pay for his ideas.
"I have bold ideas. I want to be audacious in terms of the goals," Newsom said. "But I'm not reckless."
He hasn't released formal, vetted policy proposals. But estimates by independent analysts, and Newsom's campaign itself, indicate just how costly his philosophical direction could be if he becomes the state's next chief executive.
Universal preschool and childcare: Up to
Taxpayer-financed, single-payer health care:
And building the 3.5 million housing units Newsom has called for by 2025, to address the state's severe housing shortage and affordability crisis, would only be possible with a hefty state investment, housing experts say.
Newsom also wants to tackle homelessness in a way that has never been done -- with an aggressive statewide approach.
"You've got to throw money at this problem, or there's not going to be a solution," said
Newsom acknowledges the high costs of his goals. "I am not naive," he said on his campaign bus before the primary. He often repeats the line, "It's not just about more resources. It's about resourcefulness... It's not just about more money."
Some of his ideas would require higher taxes and state spending -- single-payer health care, for example.
Others could be funded with private sector investment and new programs drawing on federal and local monies, he said.
On homelessness, for example,
"There's a lot of money being spent in those areas... It's not always being best spent," Newsom said on the campaign bus. "For me, it's not just 'either-or' of a cut or a tax strategy."
He said he'd spearhead a broad "growth agenda" centered on economic development and job creation.
Newsom has made explicit promises to the public that have helped him court liberal and Democratic voters, and powerful union groups, including the
Newsom said "you've got my word" that he'd boost state spending on colleges and universities, according to the education publication EdSource. "We need to significantly invest more resources into our state institutions of higher learning," he said later, in a May debate.
On universal, single-payer health care, Newsom told a friendly crowd at the Democratic convention: "My opponents, they call it snake oil. I call it single-payer. It's about access, it's about affordability -- it's about time,
He said on the campaign bus in late May that universal preschool is a "developmental necessity. We can't afford not to do it."
The pledges, political strategists say, have set great expectations for Newsom, should he be elected. They have also sparked concern by experts on the
"I'm sympathetic to all the policy goals that
"It's easy to talk about lofty policy aims when we have a surplus, but surpluses don't last in the state of
Gov.
"I really do think
On other initiatives, such as universal health care and addressing homelessness, he said he'd start with a master plan rather than commit significant upfront resources.
"I think what's been missing for some time are goals and expectations," Newsom said. "We can set expectations and then we can start backfilling those."
He said his tenure as mayor of
Under his watch,
Taxpayers picked up the bill for the universal preschool program, paid for with general fund revenue. To implement Healthy San Francisco, the city added a restaurant surcharge to patrons' food and dining bills. Newsom and
Newsom spearheaded a homelessness housing program, also during the recession, and paid for it by collecting their welfare payments.
While he failed in some cases -- he tried unsuccessfully to create free citywide Wi-fi, for example -- he was successful in others. During the recession, in 2010, Newsom rolled out a program that created city-funded savings accounts kindergarten students, beginning with
"One of the things people will get to know when they know Gavin, is he knows how to get creative," said
Today, in a comfortable lead in fundraising and public opinion polls, he has begun to suggest that single-payer health care might not be possible.
"We've got to address these hard questions, and it requires a lot of consensus building and support from folks that are not natural allies," Newsom said. "It's a process that will unfold over the course of time, and I'm committed to pursing it and seeing how far we can go with it."
Newsom has also suggested that
To cover the costs of a universal, single-payer system,
Newsom said he'd work with groups opposed to single-payer, including the
"This is a candidate who is talking about progressive ideas and expanded government, at the same time trying to foster economic growth," Whalen said. "These are not necessarily compatible concepts.
"The first problem is going to be single-payer, because the
Garry South, a Democratic strategist, said however, Newsom's campaign talk on issues shouldn't be taken as formal policy proposals. It is aimed, partly, at motivating Democratic and independent voters to turn out in November, when Democratic candidates are seeking to unseat 10 of
"Newsom understands that turnout is driven by the top of the ticket, and every single issue that
"There's a difference between campaigning and governing," he said. "What you're trying to do in the course of a campaign is lay out your vision for the state."
But, South said, Newsom will need to "move quickly" on his chief issue: health care.
"He has promised to be the health care governor," South said. "The newly sworn in governor needs to fairly quickly move a package dealing with his signature issue, or it looks like his campaign pledge is an empty promise."
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