Gov. Gavin Newsom's final State of the State address. (Photo: gov.ca.gov)
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Fairytale State of the State
Most destructive CA governor ever gives campaign speech in place of State of the State
By Katy Grimes, January 8, 2026 3:56 pm
“Was that a State of the State address, or the opening act of a campaign speech?” California State Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach) asked, following Governor Gavin Newsom’s final State of the State address. “Californians want honesty and accountability, not more rhetoric from a governor with a failing record of leadership.”
Ditto.
Newsom hasn’t delivered a State of the State in person since 2020, so why now? Likely to attempt to rewrite history – his history. Gavin Newsom claims that California leads the nation, as if it’s his leadership running the country. Au contraire.
However, California does lead the nation in poverty, gas prices, energy prices, homelessness, housing prices, unemployment, out-migration, failing K-12 students, wildfire damage, and state debt.
“Governor Newsom told Californians that homelessness is down, crime is at record lows, schools are improving, and Los Angeles is recovering after the Palisades fires,” California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said. “Governor Newsom painted a picture of a California that exists in his imagination.”
The Globe characterized Newsom’s State of the State speech as a fairytale:
Stay tuned for @CaliforniaGlobe's analysis of Gov. Gavin Newsom's rich fairytale State of the State. pic.twitter.com/J7WhzL3W6n
— Katy Grimes (@KATYSaccitizen) January 8, 2026
Ignoring that the quality of life in California has significantly degraded in the seven years he has been governor, Gavin Newsom’s fairytale California is enjoyed only by the top 1% who can actually afford to live here. With the highest taxes in the country, the most draconian regulations on businesses, highest electricity and gas prices… even billionaires are moving out of California because they’ve had it, and especially now that the left is pushing an additional 5% billionaire tax on all of their personal assets… cars, designer furniture, jewelry, art, collectables…
Let’s start with Gavin Newsom’s claims about California’s public education system, which the Globe has chronicled as the highest spending per pupil, with some of the lowest math and English scores in the country.
Gov. Newsom claimed in his State of the State that “California has seen improved academic achievement in every area in the California public educational system.”
The Globe shared Newsom’s education claims with Lance Izumi, Senior Education Director of the Pacific Research Institute; it didn’t take Lance more than a few minutes to reply:
“NOT TRUE!!! For example, among California high school seniors in 2024, 33% scored at the proficient level on the National Assessment for Educational Progress reading test. That proficiency rate is lower than the pre-pandemic 2019 rate of 36%. On the 2024 NAEP math test, a shockingly low 21% of California twelfth graders scored at the proficient mark versus 24% in 2019. Fourth and eighth-grade scores in 2024 showed similar declines from 2019. The bottom line is that on the most critical education indicator—student performance—California under Gavin Newsom has come up woefully short, despite record-breaking education spending increases.”
Then the governor also announced increased educational spending to $27,000 per student – another gift to the CTA. Izumi continued:
“Increased spending hasn’t given California taxpayers bang for their buck. The high math remediation rates we have seen at supposedly top-notch universities like UC San Diego demonstrate that the state’s K-12 public schools are not spending their largesse in ways that produce the kind of results that Californians demand and our children deserve.
It’s not how much you spend, it’s how you spend it. And how California is spending its education tax dollars is clearly ineffective.”
2025 test scores are still below test performance prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Let that sink in.
Conspicuously absent from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s State of the State address today was Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. His name was not called among the Constitutional officers present. Where in the world was Ricardo?
The governor’s speech largely ignored the declining quality of life in California. Families are paying about 25 percent more for essentials such as housing, food, and roughly 40 percent more for utilities and gas under his leadership. She also called attention to the state’s dwindling economic opportunities and the struggles facing California students.
Strangely, Newsom spoke longingly and deeply about how wonderful China is – “Climate Leadership Is Economic Leadership,” and how “China is dominating the space.” China sent 800 delegates to the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil in November, and the U.S. sent no one, much to Gavin’s chagrin. Still, Gavin went. The Governor claimed “climate policy as an economic imperative, not just a moral one.” Climate change is another fraudulent issue he continues to foment.
Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) and Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-East Nicolaus) responded to the governor’s final State of the State address, agreeing that it was more of a campaign stump speech than a sharing with the people of California the unvarnished truth of the issues facing them.
California “is the single most expensive place to live in America,” said Sen. Jones. “Gas, groceries, utilities, you name it. Working California families just can’t keep up.”
“Our schools are broken. In English, in math and in science more than half of California students do not meet basic standards,” Jones continued. “They aren’t ready for college, they aren’t ready for the workforce, they’re not getting the education they so desperately need and are so definitely entitled to.”
Jones pointed out that all these issues are self-inflicted. Under the one-party rule that defines the Newsom era, not only has Newsom ignored the decline in the quality of life in California, but he has also doubled down on the reckless policies amplifying that erosion.
“Take a walk downtown in Gavin Newsom’s California and you’ll see businesses boarded, homeless defecating and getting high in plain sight, and drug dealers operating with impunity in the heart of once vibrant communities,” Jones stated. “He distorts the data and spreads misinformation to have you believe things are better now. Look around your own life. Look at your utility bill, your grocery costs, look at your community, your safety, your opportunity. Look at the cost and quality of your life here in California and ask yourself if they match up.”
Newsom tried to claim once again that it’s Trump who is holding up rebuilding after the Los Angeles fires in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena last January 2025. This is wicked deceit. Recent reports reveal that the fires raged due to the incompetence of state and local officials.
And Gavin Newsom said he plans to go after large investors buying up California’s affordable housing, after President Donald Trump announced his plan to do this.
California State Senators and Assembly members unanimously passed two bills last January 23, 2025, to provide a total of $3 billion to help Los Angeles begin recovery and cleanup from the devastating wildfires. But Democrats blocked $1 billion for wildfire prevention.
Pages and pages of notes on Newsom’s State of the State are merely pages and pages of lies and grandstanding by the governor.
Here’s a small sample:
The Governor’s press office pre-released some of Newsom’s talking points from the state of the state stump speech. The Globe’s responses are in red.
- California Leads the Nation — Not Trump Laughable, preposterous
- California is a direct counterpoint to Donald Trump’s destabilized federal government, which is chaotic, lawless, and captured by wealth. The federal government hasn’t been this stable in years. It’s Newsom’s California which is chaotic, lawless and captures by wealth. And how did Newsom get his wealth?
- California is actively governing — offering a blueprint for democratic leadership at a moment when American norms are under assault. California lacks any leadership, and instead has a boy playing governor.
- Economic Strength, No Apologies The only current economic strength is the state’s labor unions. The billionaires are leaving, and taking their companies with them.
- The Governor will reject the California crackup narrative outright and make the case that CA’s success is intentional, not accidental. California crackup is taking place because of Gavin Newsom, and his socialist politics.
- That growth is paired with fairness — progressive taxation, higher wages, and targeted tax credits — ensuring prosperity is broadly shared, not hoarded at the top.” California’s progressive personal income tax system ranges from 1% to 13.3% – the highest in the country.
- “Homelessness and Mental Health: Results, Not Rhetoric” Gov. Newsom spent $37 billion on homelessness and only grew the homeless population through the failed “Housing First” plan.
- An estimated 9% statewide drop in unsheltered homelessness see above
- The Governor’s address frames affordability as a stacked crisis, with housing identified as CA’s original sin. Newsom has had 7 years to simplify the building permit process in order to get more housing built, thereby lowering the overall cost of housing.
- “Education Is the Center of the Budget” see above
- CA invests in resilience, clean power, and insurance reform to protect homeowners and maintain global competitiveness. The state is focused on execution — the ‘how,’ not just the ‘why.’” “LA Fires Show Government That Works” “Following the one-year anniversary of the Los Angeles fires, the Governor points to the fastest debris removal in American history, accelerated rebuilding permits, and direct support for survivors. He contrasts decisive state action with Trump’s refusal to deliver disaster aid, using the recovery as proof that CA governs effectively when Washington fails.”
We have many years of Globe articles covering Gov. Gavin Newsom’s real record, detailed, sourced and often linked to state government documents and records.
History will not be kind to Gavin Newsom, despite his fairytale State of the State today.
A California native and Navy mom, Katy lives in Sacramento, CA.
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Love the “annotated” talking points of the Worst Governor Ever’s State of the State.
Glad I missed it. To quote his phony statement (!!!), I “can’t STAND it when a politician lies to my face. I just want to roll my eyes.”
But that’s not even anywhere NEAR the half of it, is it. Look, just LOOK at the devastation he has brought to California. And he has no remorse; not a drop of it. He only wants to destroy the state even more. Then lie and pretend he didn’t do it now that he is running for President.
Gavin Newsom: Once a horse’s ass, always a horse’s ass. Can’t wait to see his backside as ex-governor walking away from us forever.
Hey kids, do you want a master class in gaslighting?
Look no further than Newsolini’s delusional ‘“State of the State” campaign speech.
It really is hard to stomach.
He can’t even address what needs to be done to make this state livable and why should he? He has moved on. Just like the villain in a horror movie he now has his sights on other victims such as the rest if the United States residents.
Yes, Gov Gav can roll up his sleeves and move on!
The rest of us will have to live in his wake, at least until we get fed up and high tail it to safer ground.
Thank God for Katy Grimes, she has kept the receipts.
If the next Govenor does not fix this State, another Native Californian is gone! And by Fix I don’t mean like that Clinton tool Styer.
Thankfully we have Katy Grimes who was able to watch and report on Hair-gel Hitler Newsom’s spiel so we don’t have to. Katy has been documenting his failed record for years and she artfully refuted his bold faced lies.
He’s a demonic WEF globalist reptilian who has been a complete disaster for California. He’ll destroy the country like he has California if the criminal Democrat thug mafia and the deep-state are allowed to install him as president with their voter fraud.
Once Newsom declares his presidential candidacy the gloves will come off – and not in his favor. He will no longer have the California public employee union mafia providing “protection.” In fact, any other democrat running in that party’s primaries will undoubtedly eviscerate him using the same evidence Katy has provided here. Or, perhaps the Democratic Party will ignore the primary process and anoint him ala Kamala.
“Conspicuously absent from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s State of the State address today was Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.”
I can tell you where Lara is. He is hiding, because as I write this people are losing their homeowners insurance because of his negligence.
“CA invests in resilience, clean power, and insurance reform”, Newscum.
This POS governor actually thinks anyone believes this as people are losing their insurance?
The entire Democrat leadership of this state is a fraud. Stop with the insanity. Vote in a different party, the Republicans.
Conspicuously absent from Gov. Grabby Hands’ speech was how he plans to close the budget deficit. Criticizing the Executive and Legislative branches ad nauseum and then going to them, hat in hand, for bail out funds labeled as ‘Wildfire Relief’ is not a winning strategy. There is no way Gov. Graby Hands can win a presidential bid only carrying two States (California and New York) in the Electoral College but he is to delusional to see it. Can you imagine ‘First Partner’ (First Cuckqueen) Crazy Eyes as the ‘First Lady’ of the US? Lol!