Gavin Newsom Joins the Find Out Pod

Summary

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The Find Out Podcast – Gavin Newsom Joins the Find Out Pod

Date: October 15, 2025
Guest: Governor Gavin Newsom

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Overview

This episode tackles the urgent state of American democracy during Trump’s second term, featuring a candid, impassioned conversation with Governor Gavin Newsom of California. The discussion zeroes in on California’s groundbreaking response to Republican gerrymandering, the erosion of democratic norms, economic and policy crises, and what genuine leadership and progressive action should look like in an era many feel is teetering on the edge.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “Yes on 50” Ballot Initiative — A Democratic Response to Gerrymandering

[01:15–05:16]

• Context: Texas recently redrew congressional districts to favor Republicans, adding five Republican seats. California’s response is Proposition 50 (“Yes on 50”), a ballot measure proposing sending an equivalent five Democratic seats to Congress to counter the Texas power grab—but through a public vote, not partisan backroom deals.

• Newsom’s Framing:

  • Newsom highlights the historical moment, noting Trump personally demanded new congressional seats from Texas’ governor.
  • California, he says, is striking back “fire with fire...in a very honest...and transparent way,” by putting the maps to a popular vote rather than drawing them in “darkness” ([02:30]).

• Quote:

  • “We didn’t draw the maps in Mar-a-Lago...We did it in daylight in a transparent way...a temporary solution to this crisis of Donald Trump’s making, his willingness to rig the 2026 election.” — Gavin Newsom [03:09]

• Moral Position:

  • Newsom and hosts argue this is “protecting democracy, not trying to steal seats” ([04:36]).

• Obama’s Support:

  • Newsom notes a new ad campaign backed by President Obama, emphasizing the gravity and broad coalition behind the measure ([05:16]).

2. The Stakes of Democratic Erosion

[06:00–10:00]

• The Existential Threat:

  • Hosts and Newsom agree: America’s crisis is no longer hypothetical—it is “just reality.”
  • Newsom recaps the campaign kickoff, disrupted by Border Patrol and the arrest of a strawberry vendor, underscoring escalating authoritarian tactics ([08:06]).

• Quote:

  • “They tried to send [National Guard] up to Portland and a federal judge said no. And they sent 14 of them to train...in Illinois, despite some lower court rulings. This is a remarkable moment...masked men, ICE and Border Patrol, watch that space around polling booths and voting places...This is serious and sober moment.” — Gavin Newsom [09:17]

3. Coping with Fear and Navigating Hopelessness

[12:17–16:25]

• Left-wing Paralysis:

  • Hosts discuss left-wing cynicism and paralysis: constant bad news has numbed many, fostering inaction ([12:17]).
  • Newsom talks about his sources of resolve, describing his journey from hand-wringing to action.

• Quote:

  • “There’s a preciousness to the moment, because if we miss this moment, we will never get it back. He’s trying to wreck this country. There may not be another free and fair election.” — Gavin Newsom [15:37]

• Emergency Powers & Legal Gray Zones:

  • Newsom warns of Trump using ambiguous legal “gray areas” and emergency powers, aided by a “supine” Congress and Supreme Court.

4. Leadership, Digital Strategy, and the Democratic Response

[16:25–20:00]

• Why Aren’t More Democrats Stepping Up?

  • Newsom admits frustration with his own party’s slow response and complacency ([16:55]).

• Personal Turning Point:

  • He describes a “come to Jesus” moment: “Stop complaining. Get your shit together. Honestly, I literally had to come to Jesus with myself.” ([17:27])

• Quote:

  • “I started...I took Sean Hannity’s call, man...I said, alright, Sean, fine, stop calling me. I’ll sit down with you...doing a debate with DeSantis, started to go out on the road, only to red states.” — Gavin Newsom [17:37]

• No Heroes Coming:

  • The group agrees: no white horse is coming to save the left—“we” must step up ([19:49]).

5. Progressive Action on Affordability and Housing

[20:10–26:07]

• California Housing Reform:

  • Newsom details his landmark housing bill: historic zoning reform, upzoning along transit corridors, slashing red tape, tying housing legislation to the state budget for the first time ([21:31]).

• Quote:

  • “This is a crisis...the first generation in US history not doing better than their parents. This is code red...the mistake I made...is we didn’t start with, ‘I feel your pain.’...My kids can’t afford rent, let alone housing, and they got three roommates.” — Gavin Newsom [22:32]

• Model for Other States:

  • Newsom calls California’s reforms a “model for other parts of the country to address this affordability crisis” ([25:54]).

6. California as a Case Study in Progressive Leadership

[27:08–30:56]

• Defending California:

  • Newsom rebuffs “California derangement syndrome,” listing the state’s unmatched economic output, innovation, and progressive policies as key drivers of national prosperity ([27:16–30:56]).

• Quote:

  • “I represent a state larger than 21 state populations combined...We are the tent pole of the U.S. economy, and so when they’re attacking California, they're attacking what makes this country so special and unique.” — Gavin Newsom [29:31]

7. Red-State vs Blue-State Realities

[31:21–33:23]

• Taker vs Donor States:

  • Newsom denounces the “messenger war” Republicans have won, citing better performance in blue states on health, life expectancy, and even taxes for working people ([31:24]).

• Homelessness:

  • Acknowledges the crisis isn’t unique to California, pushing back on red-state attacks ([32:24]).

8. Addressing Republican Concerns: Taxes & Gas Prices

[33:23–37:20]

• Rebuttal to “High Tax” Critique:

  • Newsom argues working people actually pay more in taxes in Texas/Florida than progressive California ([33:23–33:31]).

• Climate Policy & Gas Costs:

  • Traces California’s high gas prices back to regulatory leadership, environmental necessity, and the state’s focus on innovation and the future, not nostalgia ([36:35]).

• Quote:

  • “They’re doubling down on stupid...Meanwhile, places like China are leaping into the future and are going to dominate the supply chains and dominate consumer choice...We’re not going to give it up here in California because we believe that's the future.” — Gavin Newsom [36:46]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's not the rule of law, it's increasingly the rule of dawn." — Gavin Newsom [05:52]
• On federal militarization: "Active duty Marines, almost 5,000 military to an American city. We still have hundreds of federalized National Guard in LA today. You’re paying for it. They’re doing nothing." — Gavin Newsom [09:04]
• On leadership: "I'm not trying to be the guy on the white horse...I'm just trying to be accountable and trying to see what works." — Gavin Newsom [18:42]
• On the American moment: "We’re that frog in the boiling water right now. Wake up." — Gavin Newsom [11:02]

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Fun & Lighthearted Segments

• Clinton Impression:
  Newsom shares a story about being honored by Bill Clinton and jokes about nailing his Clinton impression ([37:38]).

• Fortnite Callout:
  The youngest host mock-roasts Newsom’s gaming skills: “Was there not room in the budget for a Fortnite coach?” — Youngest Host [39:13]. Newsom laughs and admits his gaming failures make the rounds online ([39:26]).

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Timestamps of Note

• [01:15] – Introduction to “Yes on 50” and its national significance
• [03:09] – Newsom on the democratic process vs. GOP gerrymandering
• [09:17] – Militarization, border patrol, and threats to democracy
• [12:17] – Left-wing paralysis, coping with cynicism
• [15:37] – On what happens if this moment is missed
• [21:31] – California’s new housing reforms
• [27:16] – Defending California’s model
• [33:23] – Red and blue state economic realities
• [36:35] – Gas prices, environmental policy
• [37:38] – Bill Clinton impression
• [39:13] – Fortnite joke and Newsom’s response

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Tone

The tone is irreverent, passionate, and at times darkly humorous—combining Newsom’s earnest warnings and policy wonkishness with the hosts’ banter, skepticism, and lived-out frustration. Both hosts and guest frequently deploy sarcasm and profanity to emphasize urgency, and the discussion oscillates between policy details and raw, personal appeals for engagement and hope.

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Summary Takeaways

• Democratic institutions are under direct attack — states must fight back strategically but transparently.
• California is positioning itself as a model and bulwark for progressive values, not just in policy but in defensive democracy.
• Housing affordability and economic inclusion are the dominant issues for American voters, and substantial reform is possible.
• Leadership requires initiative, courage, and humility—no saviors are coming, and every citizen, including those paralyzed by cynicism, must engage.
• Despite high stakes, the conversation retains a sense of camaraderie and humor—a reminder to “fight, but also live.”

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Transcript

[Gavin Newsom]

Foreign.

[Podcast Host 1]

Hey, everybody, welcome back to the Find out podcast. We have a very big show for you. We've got our a very important guest with us today. He is a former entrepreneur, former mayor of San Francisco, former lieutenant governor, and is now the 40th governor, governor of California. Governor Gavin Newsom is here with us today. Governor, it's really great to have you.

[Gavin Newsom]

I like this. I like the, I like starting with entrepreneur. I haven't heard that in a while. I'm telling you, man, like, if you're going to describe me seriously, that's like for me, personal. And it's absolutely kind of explains more things in more ways on more days, that entrepreneurial mindset. And so I'm not the only change I'd make is not former. I still maintain.

[Podcast Host 1]

Okay. Current entrepreneur, Governor Gavin Newsom. Well, thank you for joining us.

[Gavin Newsom]

Hard out Cuban, you know, Shark Tank.

[Podcast Host 1]

Clip that you're gonna have to sit in the chair, right?

[Gavin Newsom]

I like Cuban. Wait, I like Cuban.

[Podcast Host 2]

I got all that shit for it, but I like Cuban.

[Podcast Host 1]

Yeah, he's a good dude. Well, we want to start off because obviously you have kicked off a very big campaign in California, this Yes on 50 initiative, which is in response to Texas's illegal gerrymander where they took five seats, Democratic seats, and you have put on the ballot, instead of just doing this behind closed doors, you are putting to the, to the voters this November a gerrymander bill of your own to take those five seats back. And just recently, we've also heard North Carolina is trying to move and do this as well. So, Governor, tell us about yes on 50 where we stand and how things look right now.

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, just a quick reminder and I appreciate the frame, glad we're having an opportunity to talk about it because we're just three weeks away from the election day ending, meaning we have all mail in ballots. Those ballots dropped a week ago. Our election is all it was throughout the month of October and it ends in the special election on November 4th. But look, it's a special and precious moment in American history. We have a president did something unprecedented. There's never been a president, United States that's made a phone call to a sitting governor saying, quote, unquote, he's entitled, entitled to five new seats. President Trump made that phone call to Greg Abbott and he did so for obvious reasons. He knows he's losing in every critical category. Donald Trump is underwater and he knows that all things being equal, he will no longer have a supine Congress. He will no longer have the lap dog that is Speaker Johnson, he will lose the House of Representatives and de facto, the presidency as we know it ends. There'll be fire and fury, sure. Signifying a lot less substance than it does today if we finally have real oversight, a co. Equal branch of government. And so that's exactly why he endeavored to change the maps. And he was successful. But what he didn't expect, and I humbly believe this, he didn't expect the state of California to do something along the lines that we have at least asserted to do on November 4th. He thought we'd write an op ed. He thought we'd hold hands, candlelight vigil, talking about our democracy and its sunset days, 49 years. And instead, we hit him back, fire with fire, not one hand tied behind our back, and we put initiative on the ballot in a very honest, and I appreciate the frame of your question and transparent way. We didn't draw the maps in Mar a Lago. We didn't draw the maps without any consideration of the Voting Rights Act. We didn't draw the maps in darkness. We did it in daylight in a transparent way. And we're putting in front of the voters not only transparent maps, but a temporary solution to this crisis of Donald Trump's making, his willingness to rig the 2026 election. And so we're responding to that in the most democratic way, the first time ever, in closing, that the people themselves will decide for themselves the maps for redistricting. And that's why we are so grateful for the support that we have received from over a million individual contributors with Proposition 50.

[Podcast Host 1]

Yeah, I mean, it's really incredible to see all the excitement, because it's interesting, because generally, Democrats are against gerrymandering because it tends to be undemocratic as the. As Republicans are showing us. But this is, in this particular case, and this is why we're glad we're talking about this, because people need to hear this. This is about protecting democracy, not trying to steal seats. And I think that's why it was, you know, a really smart move to put this to the people. And I think we're seeing the reaction from people that is like, no, we understand why we have to do this in this particular case. And I think it's treating voters like they actually understand what they're hearing, which is exactly right. So it's been really, really heartening to see so many people getting excited about this.

[Gavin Newsom]

No, I appreciate it. Including today. We just launched an ad with President Obama, you know, and he's, you know, he's. He still. It's Amazing. We just ran, unsurprisingly, a bunch of numbers. I mean, how popular he still remains, not just in our state, but across the country, but particularly for this demographic. And that's independence declined to states. And that at the end of the day, that's going to be the playing field. I think people understand what's at stake. Republicans, because they put a stake in the ground and they want to put a stake in the heart of our democracy and, and the enduring principles of our founding fathers. The best of the Roman Republic, the Greek democracy, co equal branches of government, as I said, but popular sovereignty, the rule of law. And increasingly anyone that's got their eyes open, their ears and they're listening can see for themselves what's going on. It's not the rule of law, it's increasingly the rule of dawn. And. And so we are asserting ourselves in a very formal way, but we're doing it with some moral authority as well, because to your point, we recognize what's at stake. If they're successful in Texas, they've already redistricted five. They're successful in Indiana, where the vice president had his second visit. If they're successful in North Carolina, which they appear they will be. They already were in redistricting in Missouri. Likely next will be Florida, and we'll see what happens in Ohio and Utah and California votes no, and we lose this opportunity to push back and neutralize what happens. Texas, we may not have a country as we know it today. And I know that sounds ridiculous and almost bloviating, but I really believe that in my core.

[Podcast Host 2]

That's. I mean, I think the stakes are really different at this point. Like, I feel like we've spent so much time saying stuff like that, and people go, yeah, yeah, yeah. But we're reaching that point where it's like, no, this is actually becoming a thing, because I'm one of those sort of. Yeah, yeah, yeah. People like the boy who cried wolf, Right, Exactly. But at this point, it's sort of like when they're putting functional changes into action like that, if we can't respond, we're screwed. I mean, that's the end of it. So I'm so glad that you're leading the charge on that because we need people to fight and that's. You're leading the charge on the fight for sure.

[Podcast Host 3]

Yeah. It's not an existential threat. Right?

[Gavin Newsom]

It's.

[Podcast Host 3]

It's happening. It's actually happening.

[Podcast Host 2]

We talk.

[Podcast Host 3]

We heard existential threat for, for 10 years. There's. It's not existential. And it's not a threat, it's just reality. And we have to fight back.

[Gavin Newsom]

And let me just sort of, if I may, just, you know, color in a little bit more that reality. Just very briefly, I just remind everybody that we had a kickoff of this campaign with two U.S. senators, a dozen members of Congress, 100 community leaders at the sacred site of the Japanese Museum, which is at the Democracy center in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. That's the same site, by the way, we were busing and interning the Japanese. It's a site that defines the essence of this moment. And so we thought we'd kick off The yes on 50 campaign there only to have border patrol show up mass men surrounding the event as poor, poor, poor soul. He was just released, by the way. This poor soul was arrested who was selling strawberries nearby. Hardly a hardened criminal. He was quote, unquote, collateral damage. These guys will go to the ends of the worth to win. They're not screwing around. Wake up. We said it when they started the process of federalizing our National Guard, 4,000, not 300, not 400, 4,000. And then he took 700 active duty Marines. He didn't send them to the Middle east, he sent them to East LA, sent them downtown in the second largest city in America. Active duty Marines, almost 5,000 military to an American city. We still have hundreds of federalized National Guard in LA today. You're paying for it. They're doing nothing. They're sitting around in the armory. They tried to send them up to Portland and a federal judge said no. And they sent 14 of them to train. And they currently are training in, in Chicago, in Illinois, despite some lower court rulings. This is a remark moment. And we said that was a preview of things to come. The federalization, you saw it not just in Chicago, Portland. We obviously seen it in D.C. and I assure you, masked men, ICE and Border Patrol watch that space around polling booths and voting places around not just this November election, but next November elections. This is serious and sober moment.

[Podcast Host 1]

So, Governor, I just, I want to follow up on that because you guys, you, you know, when the, when Trump sent the National Guard and you were, you were essentially everywhere and you were, you were standing in front and saying, this is not how we would do things in California. This is illegal. Now we're starting to see them trying this in other places. What would you tell citizens of Chicago, of Portland, potentially New York City, where I live, you know, next year? They've been talking about, especially if Mamdani wins, which he likely will, what Should Americans be doing if they see this happening on their streets?

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, they've lost their country. Founding Fathers talked about. I mean, by the way, someone sent me the 27 articles in the Declaration of Independence. One should read them again. You should read them. Yeah. I mean, but do it in the morning because I want you to get to bed that night. You'll need a little time to recover.

[Podcast Host 3]

Right?

[Gavin Newsom]

Read them. Read the grievance grievances, the list. Taxation without representation. What the hell is this tariff regime? The Bolsonaro Tariff. Your. Your coffee increased 20.9% year to date. That 50% tariff in Brazil for what? I mean, the Founding Fathers saw this coming, and they. I mean, that's the whole framework of the Posse Comitatus Act. I mean, you know, people are rolling their eyes. What the hell does that mean? They were having a hard enough time at the gerrymander. Sounds like a salamander. I mean, this is complicated, right? But. But this idea of using the military for domestic police enforcement, it's happening. That's not what we. The Founding Fathers, lived and died for. It's literally right. Not what they lived and died for. And so this. This is why we're. You know, I just want folks to wake up to the fact that we're in. We're that frog in the boiling water right now. Wake up. And every day it just. We're getting more and more socialized, more and more and normalized. We're more and more distracted, more and more exhausted. It's just this erosion of consequence. So every day, and it adds up to something profound and. And significant. And so we're just. We're doing our part, but people across the country doing their part as well. And I'll just, on that point, just want to say thank you to folks out there that haven't given into that cynicism, that haven't given up to that negativity that are showing up and turning out in this week's no Kings rally. It's profoundly consequential that they do so again.

[Podcast Host 3]

Yeah, that's. That's the theme I'm hearing in my comments, and I think in all of our comments. I mean, the. The people on the left, especially the people who maybe are consuming a lot of news and spending a lot or too much time online, they have become almost paralyzed with fear. And so helping them navigate, like, what is the Insurrection Act? What does it actually do? What could actually happen next? What can't happen next legally. He's finding all of these ways to manipulate the gaps between laws and use emergency powers. He's still trying, trying to do it, like, legally, but only where there's enough gray area to navigate and get the courts to kind of go along with him. And so, you know, trying to help people find hope or at least hang on to a shred of hope has been a really. It's been difficult, but it's been a top priority. Because if people start giving up, then that's when. And that's where I think your, your pushback, your fight. You fought on every front fearlessly. And so how do you find that? Like, where does that. Where's that fight coming from for you, man?

[Gavin Newsom]

I just, I do. It's funny. I, I. This crying wolf I'm with. I think you guys said it in this sort of sensitivity. I was one of those. I feel like, you know, I was out the. Look, I, I was, I was making this case on the Harris campaign, is making this case on the Biden campaign. I think he's one of the last men standing for Joe Biden. And, you know, it really was. And, you know, and I was worried about, you know, I saw this president, United States, try to light democracy on fire. January 6, he tried to break this country. He dialed in for those votes, just like he dialed up Greg Abbott for those seats. And I'm like, what, What. What is this just me. I'm like, what the hell's going on? And, and, and, And I also saw his comeback, and I was deeply concerned about. That's why I was out there for Biden. I said, look, unless this guy taps out, he's our guy. So I'm not here to hand wring about this. This is existential. It's darkness and daylight. You know, it's America in reverse. This guy wants to bring us back to a pre1960s world, and at the time, it was around voting rights and civil rights, but now you're seeing it at scale with LGBTQ rights and women's rights, et cetera. And he's doing it. I'm thinking now it's not 1960s, it's 1860s in some respects. I mean, you just brought up the courts, the shadow docket. It's a chaos presidency, but it's also emergency presidency. He's extending. He's at the extreme edge of those emergency powers, and he buys time with that, and we don't have time for timidity to your question. And I guess that's what I'm calling out. There's a preciousness of the moment, because if we miss this Moment, we will never get it back. He's trying to wreck this country. There may not be another free and fair election. It will be a Putin election where the question is at 87% of the vote. Or is it 87.3% of the vote? Right, and so the Insurrection act, he throws that out. He's not screwing around. There's no posse comitatus. That doesn't apply. Then under the Insurrection act, he buys time with the Supreme Court. I talked about a supine Congress. How about the supine Supreme Court? And the shadow docket has allowed him to racially profile American citizens, not just people here, without documentation. You, me, anyone that speaks a different language, that congregates at the wrong place, not just on the basis of their skin color. That's what was sanctioned by the United States Supreme Court in the shadow docket. Forgive the long windedness, except to say I don't know that we have much time if we don't reconcile what is happening in real time. And that's why the stake in the ground with Prop 50. And that's why a little more assertiveness from me so I can look my damn kids in the eye and say I'm not in peril of not living at this moment.

[Podcast Host 1]

Well, I'm going to push on that a little bit because I think we all feel the same way, that this is a moment to stand up and fight. And, and you were really the, the first one that started doing that. And I think, you know, after the election, people were sort of like, we don't have leader, like, who is the leader? Who are our leaders right now? And there was a bit of an absence in a vacuum. And you've, you've stood up and you've, you know, you know, I, I'm sure you don't want to talk about popularity numbers, but like, your numbers, you have done very well. And you know, your audience, you know, your digital strategy with your, the Social strategist is brilliant.

[Podcast Host 2]

I love it.

[Podcast Host 1]

But like, but like, I, I, why aren't more Democrats doing this? Like, I, I guess that's one question I don't understand. Like, you, you've kind of put a stake and some are starting to come along and we're seeing some progress. Yeah, but like, this feels like this should have been the, the, the, the positioning from the beginning, right? That like, this was an existential threat.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yeah, yeah. Look, I, I, you know, society becomes how we behave, we are our behaviors. And you know, I'll be candid with you. I, you know, I'M sitting there. I was pointing fingers. Where the hell's my party? I was saying a few years ago, after Dobbs, and. And then I realized, hey, brother, wake up, man. What. What, you sitting there preaching? How about practice? You son of a. The governor of California. Stop complaining. Get your together. Honestly, I literally had to come to Jesus with myself. It was like, damn, I'm having my own intervention here. And. And that's when I started. Literally. I. You know, I. I started. You know, I took Sean Hannity's call, man. I. I said, all right, Sean, fine, stop calling me. I'll sit down with you. But it's got to be unedited. And let's do an hour, hour and a half. How much time you need, man? Let's go. End up, you know, doing a debate with Desantis, started to go out on the road, only to red states and, you know, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas. Like, where the hell is my party? You're right. We haven't been showing up in places like this, helping the Democratic Party pay off debt, you know, 10 grand. And they're like, thank you. I'm like, jesus, this bar is low. We got to get our together. And then, I'll be honest, after the chaos in LA and the fires, the National Guard, I'm like, you know what? Our social media needs to dial up. We need to put, you know, we got to put a mirror to the face, you know, this guy who's putting himself in, you know, as the Pope, and he's up there putting his picture on Mount Rushmore. I'm like. And people are like, this is not normal.

[Podcast Host 2]

It's a trauma.

[Gavin Newsom]

My seventh grader doesn't. He would not be allowed to do this. No, this can't be happening. And so wait, you know, I'm iterating, man. I'm just trying to iterate. I'm trying. I just. And I'm not. I'm not trying to be the guy. Guy on the white horse. I'm not trying to be the pipe. I'm not. I'm not. I have grace and humility, man. I've been on all sides of all this for years and years and years, getting my ass kicked, you know, members of my own party, the whole thing. All right, I'm not. But I'm just, you know, just trying to be accountable and trying to see what works. And, you know, and to the extent success leaves clues in some areas, you know, try to rep it, make it better, go to the next level, do it with your own unique expression. If it doesn't work. Say, wow, Newsom. You know, that was an idiot. Stupid. Do it. Yeah.

[Podcast Host 3]

So you're telling me the, the, the. It's. That's normal here. You're telling me the, the image I saw of you and, like, a camo tank top where you're jacked riding an eagle with, like, a tank.

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, that was the real me, you know. Okay, well, I mean. Oh, are we going there? Yeah, no, I'm just.

[Podcast Host 1]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, that'll be our. Yeah. But. Well, it's interesting you say that. Like, I think a lot of people need to understand that, like, there isn't a white horse coming. And that's partially why we started this, too, because it was like, we saw that, like, we're getting killed with men, and we're like, well, wait a minute, there's plenty of room for men on this side. In fact, we have all been liberal, progressive. I mean, Zach is a convert over the last few years, but.

[Youngest Podcast Host]

But, you know, stay on his record.

[Podcast Host 1]

Well, we, we forgave him for the other stuff.

[Podcast Host 2]

I didn't just survive.

[Gavin Newsom]

All right.

[Podcast Host 1]

I've been here for a while. But anyways. But, like, I, I think it's. What's been really interesting is seeing people jump. Like, like the different groups have been popping up and different new people are stepping forward, and that's been really exciting as well. But I think, you know, on top of that, just to pivot a little bit, you know, we. We talk about raising the alarms, you know, and that the crisis that we're in, but we also have to lead by example. Right. And I think one of the biggest questions or one of the biggest topics in the United States right now is prices and affordability. And Donald Trump said he was going to lower prices. He's not done one single thing. In fact, tariffs are just raise our taxes on the American public and making everything more expensive. But another one that he hasn't even come close to talking about is housing and the scarcity of housing in the United States across the country. I want to talk about this bill that you just signed into law, and I want you to sort of walk us through a little bit of it, because I think it's one. It's very important to call out all of the bullshit and the nonsense that Donald Trump's saying, but it's also very important to show the successes. So I'd love to hear a little bit about this bill that you signed, because it sounds like it's something that all states should be looking at in order to speed up the process and get more housing to help make it more affordable.

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, I love that. And let me just acknowledge, you know, let's set the table, you just said. And I'll just, you know, I'll put a tablecloth on the table, you just said. And that is, this is a guy who said he was going to us wealthier and healthier and now we're poor and sicker, period, full stop. And you see that reflected all the data, including the data that didn't come out last Friday because of the government shutdown, which we can get to in a moment. But the issue that defines more issues in more ways is the issue of housing. And it's the issue that defines so much of the stress and struggles of Californians. And I'm among them. I'm not just the governor, I'm a guy who grew up here, fifth generation California. And I think about my kids and I think about those 30 year old kids out there, many watching us right now, listening to us, that are the first generation in US history that are not doing better than their parents. This is code red. This is a crisis. There's a crisis of affordability. And I think if I look back at, you know, I was talking about last man standing and being out there for Biden and others, the mistake we made, the mistake I made when I was going out there is, is, you know, what Bill Clinton said better than anyone, you know, I feel your pain. And we didn't start with that. We started, you know, with world beating GDP growth and, you know, lowest unemployment for blacks and women's lowest unemployment in 60 years, 16.6 million jobs at the time. Now it's down to 15.4, but it's still seven times more than the last three Republican administrations combined. All that. And people are like, that's in the aggregate, man, my kids can't afford rent, let alone housing, and they got three roommates. And what the hell is the party doing about that? And so Kamala tried to address some of that in terms of her messaging, but, you know, with 107 days and not enough time to really, you know, distill the essence of what that vision was outside of a policy here or two, it is the issue that we need to address. And so back to this notion, society becomes how we behave. All this has happened on my watch, your watch, our watch, and I've watched over the years, great bills to streamline and address the time value of money on housing, make it more affordable, make it more predictable, address the issue of zoning laws and NIMBYism not in my backyard, which is the original sin here. The imbalance of supply, Demand. It's Econ 101 after all. I've seen all those efforts thwarted from the last governor to the first four years I was in office. A lot of good things happened, but not a lot of great things were happening in this space. And my mind started to shift a couple years ago where we said, you know, first of all, I had a sell by date. You know, not just my recall, which was sobering, but also as it relates to my second term, I'm like, I got to get my shit together and I got to use more tools in my toolbox. And so this year it started with the budget. And I did something unprecedented in California. No one's ever attached housing policy to the budget. And it was high risk, high stakes, and I put a stake in the ground and we went for it. And we, you know, it was sort of a holy grail of seeker reform. The world we invented now competing against us where there's so much abuse, you know, sort of this, you know, sort of, you know, you know, abundance mindset that, that we asserted, but we weren't necessarily advancing as it relates to lawfare and process and we weren't producing. And so we were able to get to two significant and profoundly consequential bills done because of the relationship of those bills to the vote for the entire budget. And then we picked up with that momentum to the bill. And I'll close, forgive the long windedness, but it deserves, I think, a little bit more nuance. We followed up with outstanding leadership in our state Senate, Scott Wiener and others. BUFFY Wicks so our leaders in housing with this notion of density, density around transit corridors, upzoning, where we can connect the jobs, housing linkage, we can address costs, we can address permitting, we can address inspections. And it was sort of the next phase of this multi phase process. And I'll tell you, we just passed the most significant and consequential housing laws in our state in decades. I think by objective measures that's the case that I really do think are models for other parts of the country to address this affordability crisis. But the problem is that's just changing the rules and the laws. Now we have to see the fruits of these efforts in terms of actual housing starts and production.

[Podcast Host 3]

Governor, I think that's such a good topic and I've looked at all the data around California because it's such a microcosm of the country, but I think it's something that people don't understand outside of California. I've been there a whole bunch of times now over the past five or 10 years, and I've just really come to appreciate the state you have prosperity at and wealth at scale, but that also brings challenges and problems at scale. That's something that the rest of the country doesn't know how to even talk about or think about. Something I've noticed that you do though, is instead of apologizing for coming from California or apologizing for what you guys are doing over there, you have, you have tried to flip it. How do you, how do you finish that conversation so that we can show the country that California is actually a case study in progressive policies and how they can solve big problems and not something that we need to, you know, fix or clean up or apologize for?

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, I don't like the question. I love it. And.

[Podcast Host 1]

Oh, don't butter him up, Governor, please. We're never going to hear the end of it.

[Gavin Newsom]

No, man. You know, I said this when I was taking a shot back. Not, not the opening shot, but responding to Joe Rogan and these guys, they got California derangement syndrome. That's crazy. They do. Yeah. Just obsessed. Yeah. You know, with focusing on what's wrong and not what's right. It's. Look, I represent a state larger than 20, the populations of 21 state populations combined. It's a majority minority state. We practice pluralism or universal state. 27% of this state is foreign born. Why do I say that? It's because of that. That we're the fourth largest economy in the world. $4.1 trillion of economic outputs. Eat your heart out. Florida and Texas. And by the way, we're number one in manufacturing. Everyone says, well, you need to really. We're 41% larger manufacturing footprint than Texas. We're a donor state. $83.1 billion versus a taker state of Texas at $71.1 billion. You look across the sector, there's not a major part of the US economy where California isn't the dominant. Not one. You simply can't find one. Right. I mean, one third of the vegetables in this country. You talk about farmers and ranchers, you talk about the heartland, that's California. Talk about rural America, that's California. You're talking about deep respect for the folks out there. Three quarters of the fruits and nuts. The United States, my state, home state, California. It's a, it's our state of mind, our quality of imagination. Dreamers, doers, entrepreneurs, innovators, future happening Here first America's coming attraction. More scientists, researchers, more Nobel laureates. Did you see the new list that just came out dominating on all the new Nobel laureates. America 5 trump 0 on that. UC, CSUS, Caltech, Stanford. 18% of the global R and D. Global R and D is in California. Only two jurisdictions in the world, Germany, Germany and China. 20 and 21%. California's 18%. I'm sorry, there's this thing called AI. It's where is, where's a, where is artificial. It's California, guys. 32 of the top 50 market cap companies. We are flooding the zone dominating in that space including Elon Musk's AI company. Include Elon Musk's neural link company including his green company where his billions were conceived. California because of our regulatory policies. But I'll end on this. It's not just about growth. It's about a state that recognizes us do more and better on inclusion. And that's why you know, I took a lot of shit but I'm really proud. First state to provide $20 minimum wage for fast food workers. You know, I was very proud. First state in America to $25 minimum wage for health care workers. You know, I'm proud of that. The largest EITC 200,000 new subsidized child care slots. A brand new grade so no one has to preschool for four year olds. Fully implemented. Fully implemented after school and summer school. Nine hours of enrichment community schools model. It's leading the nation. You saw it. Every student, every cohort, every category. Two years back to back Student achievement growth one of the highest in the country. We're really proud of that. We just announced that again last week because of some of these reforms. I'm proud of our progressive policies on the environment. We're the only game left in town but man, we are the tent pole of the U. S economy and so when they're attacking California, they're attacking this. What makes I think the, this country so special and so unique?

[Podcast Host 1]

I, I can't couldn't agree more. And my, my wife's family is from California. So like I've, we, we are very aware of the power there and I'm just glad and the, and all of the success and what a wonderful place it is to live. And obviously you have, you have challenges as well as being a big state but overall it's like if you look at, if you compare California to say Florida, like I would pick California 10 times out of 10. No, no question.

[Gavin Newsom]

The night circle of hell.

[Youngest Podcast Host]

That certainly seems to Be the way that the Republicans portray it.

[Podcast Host 2]

Yes.

[Gavin Newsom]

You know, it's amazing. You look at deaths of despair, you look at life expectancy, you look at wage and productivity, you look at the gun death rate, you look at the murder rates. All red states compared to blue states. You look at taker states versus donor states, overwhelming majority are blue states. The economic output in this country are blue metros dominantly. I mean, it's just, it's. It's inconceivable that we allow the Democratic Party, as Democrats, we've allowed the Republican party to shapeshift this. What the hell's wrong with us? How in the hell are they winning this messenger war? What bullshit. I'll give you affordability. Yes, we own that. And yeah, the byproduct of that has been a homeless crisis for 30 years in this state. Hell, when I first became mayor, we had a record number of homeless out on the streets and sidewalks was 188,000 in 2004 and 5. It's hardly a new phenomenon, but it's interesting. It's now a dominant phenomenon all across the country. 18.13% increase in homelessness across the country. You saw most red states leading in that growth. California was just 3% last year. I'm not satisfied with that. But we're lower than 40 other states. Our unsheltered population, we were lower than 44 states. We're finally making progress. Finally making progress. But that's a preview of things to come across the country. Homelessness and housing. It's hardly unique to California. So when everyone's acting holier than thou, they may want to start to reflect on their own performance, their own realities in their own states. Forgive me.

[Podcast Host 2]

So I got a question for you too. As the former Republican, I hope I do have a. Because I can think like a Republican. So I'm going to ask you because a Republican would hear all that, even a swing voter Republican, somebody independent leaning, right, they'd hear all that and go, that all sounds great, but I care about gas prices and I care about taxes. How do you capture that person? Cuz that is a huge group of people who like, they hear that. That all sounds really nice and they believe pieces of it, but those are those stumbling blocks that they just.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yeah, they should be disgusted about. The tax rates in red states. You're 100.

[Podcast Host 2]

I agree with you.

[Gavin Newsom]

I mean, they're screwing middle class and working folks in red states. Your taxes are higher in Texas and Florida. If you're working folks, the bottom 20% pay higher taxes in the top 1%. Just think about that value proposition for a second. Seriously, just think about that. Who the hell are you for? Who's the high tax state when you tax your lowest wage workers working full time? My mother working two and a half damn jobs. You tax her more than Elon Musk was being taxed when he said I had to leave the state because he wanted to avoid any taxes whatsoever. Gets more of his life is real hard. They're regressive taxes. Yes, regressive tax states. We're a progressive tax state. And so I no one's naive about the top 1%, but no one's naive about the opportunities that present themselves here in terms of getting in the top 1%. And so, you know, I don't begrudge other people's success, but don't sit here and tell me that I'm a high tax state and Texas is not and Florida is not. They screw people with regressive taxes and that's something you should be outraged as a Republican or working folks out there manufacturing out there, working your in your hands every single day and they're taxing you more than states like California. So on that issue I couldn't agree more. And then look on the broader issues of gas tax, I'll acknowledge going back 25, no, excuse me, to 1967 when Ronald Reagan was sitting right where I'm sitting here in this seat as governor, they created the California Air Resources Board. And the air quality in California made it almost unlivable. The smog in LA legendary in the 60s and 70s. And Ronald Reagan, the business community came to him and said we can't take it Mr. Governor, we need to do something about the air and the water we're drinking in this state. And he began, interesting. The modern environmental movement started here. We started to regulate tailpipe emissions, addressing the issue of what kind of gas we're putting in the car, looking at energy efficiency, looking at appliances. And it allowed us to have nation leading environmental rules and regulations again that led to Elon Musk being the wealthiest person in the world. Okay. I mean the regulations did, let's not forget that it was the market signals that we created the industries that we helped create in this space. And yes, as a consequence, a byproduct of that was the low carbon fuel standards, was the work we're trying to do as it relates to changing the mix of our fuels to create new industries, new opportunities and to detoxify our air and clean our water. And so that is a legitimate byproduct goes back decades in California as it relates to gas prices. But it's also a fact. And I'll close on this. Forgive the long winded. You get me going, guys. I love this policy. But it's also a fact that we crushed last month. We just announced last quarter 30% of all new vehicles are alternative fuel vehicles. We're dominating this space and China is going to kick our ass if we don't wake up to what's going on. And it's not just about electric vehicles. It's about technology, Stack, it's about autonomy, it's about mobility and it's about dominating the future. And these guys have doubled down on stupid. They're putting their head in the sand trying to recreate the 19th century and they're trying to dig their way out of this stuff. Meanwhile, places like China are leaping into the future and are going to dominate the supply chains and dominate consumer choice in this space. And that's why we're not going to give it up here in California because we believe that's the future.

[Podcast Host 3]

Keep going on FOX and say that.

[Podcast Host 1]

Well, I love it. So, so Governor, you've been very gracious with your time. I have the two most important questions in this entire session that we're going to ask you now. And one people might have missed but one, can you do that Bill Clinton impersonation again? Because that was actually very spot on. I was like, wait a minute.

[Gavin Newsom]

One of the coolest things closed my eyes. One of the coolest things for me was being there for the 20th anniversary of CGI and getting the call from the president saying, would you, I want to open up the conference with the conversation with you. And I'm like, I was pinching myself because I was there 20 years ago, like sitting back, my hands all sweaty, nervous, taking notes. Snuck in the back of that first session when he kicked it off 20 years ago. And I was writing down community, opportunity, responsibility. And you know, I was, you know, I was, it was just, you know, I was obsessed with, with, you know, I love success. Democrats, Republicans, I'll reach out to people I disagree with. But, but Clinton was so successful getting our party back into power and success leaves clues. And I remember as a young guy, you know, really admiring what he was able to accomplish in that administration. And so for me, it was cool sitting there and I almost started, you know, when, when he was leaning over and he's, you know, I've got as much gray as he does now, so I'm not going to talk about, you know, a little but it was just. I. I was so close on stage to doing a little Clinton in reverse a little bit. I was always. I almost felt like I was starting to slow down as I was, you know, beginning to talk. You know, I was like, you know, he's kind of.

[Podcast Host 1]

You gotta love McConaughey in there, too, I think.

[Podcast Host 3]

Yeah, that's Southern charm.

[Podcast Host 1]

All right, well, Governor, this is. Now, this will be the most important question. And this is. Luke is our. Is our youngest co host.

[Gavin Newsom]

He's our gamer.

[Podcast Host 1]

So maybe you'll know where this is going. But, Luke, I wanna. I want you to ask the governor this one.

[Youngest Podcast Host]

You know, you said earlier, Governor, that you've been given a lot of. And as the. The youngest person on the panel, I feel obligated to give you a little more. Was there not room in the budget for a Fortnite coach? Clearly, you're a hell of an order.

[Gavin Newsom]

Wow. You. Yeah, I heard that. Yes, exactly. He was so embarrassed, man. Apparently, that stuff's still on YouTube. And he was like. He re. Watched it. He's like this. Oh, man. Was walking around in a circle. You know what? It is hard.

[Youngest Podcast Host]

It's a hard game.

[Gavin Newsom]

I can't edit it.

[Podcast Host 1]

Well, on that note, Governor, thank you very much. We are. We are very appreciative of your time him. And we're also very appreciative of you standing up and fighting and showing the way forward. And we're there with you, and we hope that we can have you back on again sometime soon. But Governor Newsom, thank you very much for joining us today.

[Gavin Newsom]

It's been a lot of fun. Thanks for having me, guys. Appreciate you.

[Podcast Host 1]

All right, take care.

[Gavin Newsom]

Of.