Newsom-DeSantis debate: Hope for substance, brace for spectacle

Good morning. It’s Thursday, Nov. 30. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• Hoping for substance, bracing for spectacle in the Newsom-DeSantis debate
• Rolling Hills Estates residents worry about winter rains
• 16 tech gifts for the gadget-obsessed people in your life
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper

Hope for substance, brace for spectacle

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are set to meet at 6 p.m. PST for a televised 90-minute debate on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show.

And there’s plenty to debate — about policy, about partisanship, but especially about the debate itself.

As some have noted, the event, announced in September, is a bit weird. Newsom and DeSantis aren’t running against each other in 2024, though they have obvious ambitions for higher office that could come to a head in 2028. DeSantis is running for president, but anyone who’s not Trump is trailing well behind in national polls for the Republican nomination (though polls nearly a year before the election should be taken with a bag of salt).

And there’s been some notable media attention, including in Los Angeles Times coverage, on California and Florida as two opposing ideological fortresses. So when the figureheads of those two fortresses meet to discuss why they feel their brand of governing is better than their rival’s, it’s big news — and probably good TV.

In a press release, Fox News said the debate will “examine the vastly different approaches the two governors have and offer insights into their political philosophies as well as ambitions for the nation.” Newsom and DeSantis will debate without an in-studio audience, discussing a range of issues including the economy, immigration, crime and inflation.

But can the debate avoid becoming a preordained mudfest and reach a good faith discussion on the issues people in California, Florida and beyond care about?

Christina Bellantoni, a professor at USC Annenberg School of Journalism, hopes voters will “be able to hear an articulated difference in party philosophy.” But expectations are low.

Bellantoni, who was previously an assistant managing editor for politics at The Times, views the debate as a clear win for Fox News’ and other media outlets’ ratings. It also benefits both governors’ national profiles. As for viewers — the people that could vote one of these men into higher office one day — it could prove more meaningful because it hits closer to home.

“A lot of people really are invested in their state versus the party — they’re California proud or they’re Florida proud,” she said. “There is a sense that people are deeply rooted in what they like about their state.”

Bellantoni told me the debate has more potential to be substantive than what could be found among the sea of podiums in recent Republican candidate debates. The matchup also serves as a sort of proxy for a Biden-Trump debate, she noted. She hopes they’ll stick to policy discussion and avoid steering into identity politics, which “can get really gross really fast.”

“These are not just political talking points — it’s not just a cage match,” she explained. “You really are talking about how much money people are paying for taxes. Whether the roads have potholes or not. If you’re allowed to have an abortion. These are big, substantive things that these governors are in charge of.”

“I would hope that the substance of this conversation doesn’t get lost in the spectacle,” Bellantoni added.

This sort of event is also not without precedent. As my colleague Mark Z. Barabak wrote earlier this year, the matchup recalls the May 1967 debate between Ronald Reagan and Robert F. Kennedy, another opposing pair with big ambitions.

So, whether you plan to tune in for the entertainment value or a thoughtful debate on issues you care about — or maybe a little of both — The Times will be covering the debate and offering context on the back-and-forth between DeSantis and Newsom.

You can check out our California vs. Florida cheat sheet to learn more about both governors and their policies ahead of the debate.

Today’s top stories

Homes on Peartree Lane in Rolling Hills Estates continue to slide downhill months after the hillside below gave way.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Rolling Hills Estates landslide

• Rolling Hills Estates aims to shore up the slope that failed in July and destroyed eight homes. But as winter approaches, residents fear heavy rain and renewed disaster.
• In pricey Palos Verdes, the ocean view is great — until your house slides into a canyon.
• Here’s how the land underneath luxury homes shifted this summer.

Henry Kissinger has died

• The architect of U.S. foreign policy at the apex of the Cold War and a towering intellectual force died at 100. He was one of the most influential and controversial foreign policy figures in U.S. history.
• As he did in life, Kissinger’s death divided opinion around the world.
• Anthony Bourdain’s scathing remarks on Kissinger resurface and go viral again.

Mental health

• School policies may be making teen suicide harder to combat.
• Suicides in the U.S. hit a historic high in 2022, driven by an increase among older adults.
• He died training for L.A. teen crisis hotline. His parents want all to know the number
• If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call 9-8-8. Text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line. Find more resources here.

Immigration

• Millions of immigrants — those here legally as well as unauthorized migrants — find their lives constrained by the complex, sometimes irrational, twists of U.S. immigration law.
• Are immigrants better off in Texas or California? It’s complicated.
• California doctors analyzed medical emergencies at immigration detention facilities. Here’s what they found.

War in the Middle East

• As the Palestinian militant group Hamas frees more hostages amid a temporary truce with Israel, a harrowing glimpse of captivity in war-torn Gaza emerges.
• Palestinians face beatings, fires and drones from Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Courts and crime

• Forty-nine years after his death, Michael Ray Schlicht has been identified as a victim of Randy Steven Kraft, California’s notorious “Scorecard Killer,” authorities said.
• L.A. County says hate crimes surged in 2022, with nearly 75% of them violent.
• A frenzied tabloid case ends quietly: A plea deal and probation for former O.C. surgeon Grant Robicheaux.

More big stories

• Rain, wind and chilly weather are hitting Southern California. How long will it last?
• Irvine proposed banning single-use plastics. After industry lobbying, city leaders backed off.
• Adjunct film professors at USC move to unionize: “Enough is enough.”
• Atheist Adventures offers nonbelievers in Los Angeles and beyond the opportunity to experience wonder and awe in the most inspiring places in the West.
  

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

Commentary and opinions

• Opinion: OpenAI’s drama marks a new and scary era in artificial intelligence.
• Jackie Calmes: George Santos deserves the congressional kick that’s coming, but Bob Menendez? Not yet.
• Opinion: Can Hollywood’s new SAG-AFTRA contract hold AI at bay?

Today’s great reads

(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

California vs. Florida: Why are people moving from one state to the other? Cross-country moves between progressive California and conservative Florida have taken an outsize role in the rivalry between Govs. Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom.

Other great reads

• How Cirque du Soleil helped build modern Las Vegas.
• From hashtags to hospitality: Are L.A.’s influencer-backed restaurants worth the hype?
• Apayauq Reitan is the first out transgender woman to complete the legendary Iditarod sled dog race across Alaska. Watch her story of resilience and purpose in an adventure that celebrates her Iñupiaq roots.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Ana Maria Martinez as Catrina and Daniela Mack as Frida Kahlo in Los Angeles Opera’s 2023 production of “The Last Dream of Frida and Diego.”

(Cory Weaver / LA Opera)

Going out

• 🎤 🎭 Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera reunite on Day of the Dead at L.A. Opera’s latest production of “El último sueño de Frida y Diego.”
• 🎾 How to get into pickleball if you’ve got no one to play with.
• 🎮 16 tech gifts for the gadget-obsessed people in your life.

Staying in

• 📺 Lifetime has fewer Christmas movies this year but more “mature” holiday programming.
• 🍪 Here’s a recipe for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... from our archives

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Forty-one years ago, Michael Jackson released “Thriller,” which became the best-selling album in the world and won a record-setting eight Grammy Awards. For the album’s 26th anniversary, The Times published 25 “Thriller” facts, namely that the album’s phenomenal success led to a breaking down of traditional racial barriers on FM radio at the time.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Laura Blasey, assistant editor

Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.