When Gavin Newsom fixed a friend’s homelessness problem, it revealed who he is | Opinion
California is full of mysteries — like the right moment to say “hella” or which Sacramento bar pours the best white linen. But the one riddle I can’t crack? Why so many Californians still swoon for Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom lacks an apparent sense of duty when approaching the office of the California governor. Beyond the political theater of it all, the job that he has held for eight years is about public service. It requires the governor to think about the entire state of California, not a select few.
From his awkward videos … to his barely attempting to play the video game Fortnite during a Twitch stream, his public appearances come across as disingenuous.
Astonishingly, a 2025 survey by the Public Policy Institute of California rated Newsom with a 54% approval rating. Sure, that might have to do with the persona he created by using social media to give President Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine. He seems to get a pass for being an elitist guy who helps his friends.
We recently learned that his staff pressed Oakland officials in 2024 to clear an encampment — not just anywhere, but specifically near the home of his podcast buddy and NFL legend Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch, a larger-than-life personality from UC Berkeley to NFL stardom, is undeniably a household name. But he’s still just one Californian among millions grappling with the realities of homelessness. Sure, maybe things got messy near his block. But Newsom’s job isn’t to send in the cavalry because a friend is inconvenienced. No one’s problem — no matter how famous — should take precedence over the rest of us.
This is who you want for president?
Despite his statements to the contrary, homelessness has gotten worse under Newsom’s watch. In Sacramento, homeless encampments are too often dumped in poor communities where people without political power have no voice.
But Lynch is rich, and he does a podcast with Newsom. Problem solved.
California deserves a governor who works for all of us, not just the ones with a podcast and a famous face.
This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 3:15 PM with the headline "When Gavin Newsom fixed a friend’s homelessness problem, it revealed who he is | Opinion."