Senators discuss what should be in Newsom’s Capitol speech

By Madeline Shannon
The Center Square

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will give his annual State of the State address on Jan. 8, one year after the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County.

Some lawmakers are voicing interest in what Newsom will say during his morning address before a joint session of the Legislature in Sacramento.

In addition to fire resilience, top issues should include waste or abuse of taxpayer dollars, the environment and energy, according to legislators.

“I hope he tackles a lot of the waste, fraud and abuse,” state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, told The Center Square on Wednesday. “Those are hardworking taxpayers’ dollars that are wasted.”

Pulling taxpayer funds from paying for the California High-Speed Rail and instead using them for other transportation infrastructure projects would be a better use of that money, Strickland said.

He also noted he hopes to see increased funding for enforcement of Proposition 36. That measure passed in 2024 and aimed to enforce mass treatment for individuals who are charged with drug-related crimes. It also turns some misdemeanors into felonies and allows for tougher sentencing for repeat drug and theft charges.

However, adequate funding from the state has not come through for enforcement of that measure, according to previous reporting by The Center Square.

“I want him to say he’s going to make crime illegal again and fully fund Proposition 36,” Strickland told The Center Square. “What he did last year was a slap in the face. He didn’t fund it, especially when it comes to the probation and accountability piece. He should make safety a No. 1 priority, and he didn’t make it a priority at all.”

Budget issues, California’s relationship with the federal government and environmental issues should also be important priorities in Newsom’s State of the State address, said Sen. Ben Allen, D-El Segundo.

“I’m certainly very interested in what he’s going to be thinking about in terms of our energy grid, the Pathways initiative, and fusion development,” Allen told The Center Square. “Broadly speaking, his speech is going to give a sense of the state of the economy, and where that will impact the budget going forward.”

Fire resilience and recovery, too, could be top of mind for the governor in his speech, Allen said, considering that the day of the State of the State address follows the first anniversary of the destructive Palisades Fire. That fire, which burned 23,448 coastal acres between Malibu and the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, destroyed 6,833 homes and killed 12 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Another devastating blaze, the Eaton Fire, destroyed 9,418 homes and killed 17 people, Cal Fire reported.

Both fires started Jan. 7.

“I would certainly expect him to mention the fires,” Allen said. “Obviously, he could talk more broadly about what needs to happen in terms of making the state more resilient to the impacts of climate change, and that relates to so many topics, including insurance, the future of our utilities, the wildfire fund and the FAIR Plan.”

The Governor’s Office declined to comment Wednesday about the State of the State speech.

The address will be live-streamed on the governor’s Facebook, YouTube channel, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram pages. The address is also expected to be broadcast live on television. The Governor’s Office hasn’t yet announced the time of the morning address.