In a move that has sparked controversy, California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has dismissed President-elect Donald Trumps Office of Government (DOGE) as a mere publicity stunt.
In a recent press conference in Redding, CA, Newsom boldly claimed, We've been working, I don't know, before DOGE was DOGE, and went on to label the new agency as a promo project.
According to The Post Millennial, Newsom further asserted, 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 However, critics were swift to highlight the state's $45 billion budget deficit under Newsom's stewardship, a stark contrast to the $100 billion surplus just three years prior.
A state audit in April revealed that Newsom's administration had spent over $24 billion in the past five years attempting to tackle California's escalating homelessness crisis. Despite this considerable expenditure, the state failed to monitor the results or the effectiveness of its initiatives. The number of homeless individuals in California has surged by at least 30,000 during this period, with the state now housing at least 30 percent of the US's homeless population.
Several homeless programs, which received over $9.4 billion since 2020, could not be evaluated due to insufficient data. Furthermore, the implementation of Newsom's $20 minimum wage law in April has led to the loss of over 10,000 jobs in the state's restaurant industry. Struggling businesses have been compelled to reduce their workforce and increase prices to cope with the costly wage hike, resulting in widespread layoffs.
Newsom's high-speed rail project has also been a financial fiasco. DOGEs X account posted in November, Summary of California High Speed Rail Project: -Originally projected (in 2008) to cost $33 billion; now projected to cost between $88.5 and $127.9 billion -Estimated completion date was 2020; as of 2024, zero passengers have been transported and the majority has not even been fully designed -Received $6.8 billion in federal funds -Requesting $8 billion in additional federal funds.
Adding to the political intrigue, Politico reported on Monday that Dana Williamson, Newsom's chief of staff, has left the governor's office. She was replaced by Nathan Barankin, a political consultant and adviser to Kamala Harris. This development has fueled speculation that Newsom may be considering a presidential bid in 2028, while Harris could potentially be eyeing the California governor's mansion.
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