Commentary: Governor’s order to close Orange County beaches reflects his autocratic approach to leadership
The American and French revolutions were the final blows against the ancient idea that we should all be governed by a king, unaccountable and unchecked by a legislature or a court.
Yet the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a new class of monarch, state governors who govern by diktat. In California, we have a governor who rules virtually singlehandedly and whose whims and impulses instantly become policy, with no democratic process of review and debate to help shape the outcome.
Over the last several months, Gov. Gavin Newsom has changed over 200 laws by decree, ruling the state as a one-man show, with a moribund Legislature sitting idly on the sidelines.
Newsom’s autocratic tendencies predate the pandemic, however, and were on display from the beginning of his term. He began bypassing the people and the Legislature and issuing executive orders on literally his first day in office.
Then, barely two months into his term, he completely ignored decades of debate and legislation — and the expressed will of the voters in several initiatives over the years — and commuted the death sentences of hundreds of the worst criminals imaginable. Because he wanted to.
Email david.carrillo@latimes.com to sign up for the newsletter featuring the latest news involving Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, Fountain Valley and other parts of Orange County.
Later last year, he unilaterally redirected almost a half-billion dollars in voter-approved gas-tax funds from long-overdue road improvements to some pet rail projects that will take a mere handful of cars off the roads — if they are ever completed. Because he wanted to.
This year the governor assumed emergency powers in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the autocratic dictates started coming thick and fast, some necessary but many not.
Three weeks ago, the governor blew a gasket over misleading telephoto photographs in the media that made it appear beachgoers in Orange County were shoulder-to-shoulder for miles on end. In reality, as aerial shots with no distortion clearly showed, people were in small family groups, quite far apart.
As a further aggravation, Orange County was also in the news that week as a center of opposition to Newsom’s more draconian measures. So, having no policy reason but faced with opposition and “bad optics,” Newsom ordered the beaches closed — not statewide, but just in Orange County, to make his point.
Because he wanted to, and for no other reason.
I think the governor fancies himself something of an “enlightened despot,” ruling benevolently from on high. Seen from the ground, however, it looks anything but enlightened, with decisions based on a whim or personal pique while the legitimate concerns of the people are completely ignored.
Without a Legislature willing to stand up to this governor, he will likely use his unchecked “power” during the next crisis and the next and so on. That is why I’m running to represent the 74th Assembly District — because I believe in checks and balances, two-party democracy, being responsive to the people, fiscal responsibility, and forging effective long-term solutions to our problems through debate and democratic processes.
California’s unemployment rate is near 24%, according to one measure. By some estimates a third of businesses that have been forced to shut down will never open their doors again. We face massive budget deficits that will only be solved by real reform of how Sacramento conducts its business.
Truly, this is not a partisan issue. In fact, I have not mentioned anyone’s party affiliation here. Rather, this issue is one that is fundamental to democracy and should concern every citizen. I welcome the help of all who love our democracy and our state. Together we can restore balance, responsiveness and responsibility to California’s government.
The writer, a Republican, is a Newport Beach councilwoman and candidate for state Assembly.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
