Gavin Newsom strikes me as someone who prioritizes his career above all else, willing to make the wrong choices if they serve his ambitions. While his core beliefs may be positive, they seem secondary to his pursuit of power. He's even willing to make unpopular decisions if he thinks they might affect his future presidential prospects. A recent example is his veto of SB 1047, the AI safety bill. His reasoning for rejecting it is classic political double-talk, simultaneously arguing that it could stifle innovation—despite being carefully designed to avoid that—and that it doesn't go far enough to protect people. Yet, he offers no alternative or improvements.
What’s particularly telling is that SB 1047 was popular among both the general public and AI technologists, with polls showing approval ratings around 70–80%. However, it was unpopular among AI company CEOs, who are likely to control significant funding for his upcoming presidential campaign. The same pattern can be seen in his handling of the therapeutic psychedelics bill: he claimed we need better laws to ensure safe and effective use, but again, provided no path forward.
I believe he’s fundamentally averse to doing anything that could be criticized later, especially when it comes to decisions that might jeopardize his future political aspirations. His strategy seems to be to occupy positions of power while doing as little as possible, so there’s nothing for opponents to use against him in a future presidential race. I heard him called a "stuffed jacket" years ago—someone who looks the part but avoids shaking up the status quo—and that description still seems apt.
His recent handling of homelessness ahead of the Chinese premier’s visit fits this pattern as well. Instead of addressing the root issues, he took heavy-handed action to sweep the problem out of sight, purely to avoid embarrassment during a high-profile international visit. This reflects his broader approach: do what protects his image, not what’s right.