On a delightfully wet Monday, nobody is recognizing the governor as she enjoys a scorching tea at a espresso store in downtown Sacramento.
That’s as a result of as we speak, California’s performing governor is Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has traveled to New York Metropolis for Local weather Week, which implies Kounalakis is in control of the state for 4 days in his absence.
The lieutenant governorship could also be elusive to the common voter, however there's good motive to concentrate to Kounalakis: Each Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Gov. Grey Davis served as lieutenant governor earlier than being elected to the highest spot.
I sat down with Kounalakis, a Democrat who beforehand served as U.S. ambassador to Hungary below President Obama, to speak about her reelection marketing campaign, her relationship with Newsom and her gubernatorial aspirations.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
So what’s it prefer to be governor proper now?
I consider [Newsom] has a whole lot of payments on his desk, however he has loads of time to signal them when he will get again. So it isn’t as if there’s something that must be completed in that house. I’m positive he would recognize it if I didn’t go dip my pen in ink and begin signing away.
Throughout COVID, for 2½ years, he barely left the state. He actually needed to be right here more often than not. So in some methods, it’s form of a brand new expertise.
When he couldn't lead the delegation to Glasgow, Scotland, and requested me to step in, inside 24 hours of the decision, I used to be on a aircraft. I participated in the entire panel discussions and all of the occasions that he was scheduled to take part in. And folks requested me, “How may you put together that?” The very fact is, we’re working collectively on a regular basis, on the portfolio of combating local weather change, and in my capability as a consultant for worldwide affairs, so it took little or no preparation to have the ability to step in and do this work.
It’s attention-grabbing, you already know, the California Structure does present that when the governor is out of state, all of the powers fall to the lieutenant governor. However the governor and I've a really constructive working relationship. I'd argue it’s one of the crucial constructive in generations.
As lieutenant governor, Newsom himself lamented the position as not having a lot energy, and having a lackluster relationship with then-Gov. Jerry Brown. What makes your relationship work?
I can’t touch upon the previous in any element, however we work collectively very effectively. No. 1, we each respect that these are two separate constitutional places of work. Folks voted for me individually from the governor, and I've an obligation to the citizens to prioritize and advance the insurance policies that I used to be elected on.
On the identical time, the governor and I agree on a complete host of issues. So to have the ability to collaborate and advance the pursuits of Californians in any of the methods the place we agree, I believe it’s incumbent upon each of us to try this. And we've got, I believe, with nice success.
The governor and I've identified one another. I’ve been a constituent of his for nearly 20 years as a result of I lived in San Francisco, and he was elected mayor. After which I used to be his appointee to a San Francisco metropolis fee. So it goes again a great distance. I respect him, I respect the challenges that he has. And I believe that has actually been the inspiration for our relationship. I at all times knew that Gavin Newsom can be governor of the state of California however not in 1,000,000 years may I've ever imagined that I'd be his lieutenant.
As lieutenant governor you sit on a slew of boards associated to the state’s faculties, land use, water and financial improvement. What do you view as essentially the most influential or essential position you've got now?
I believe I’m the primary lieutenant governor since Leo McCarthy [1983-1995] who has truly had a legislative agenda. We've got a complete record each cycle of payments that we both sponsor, co-sponsor or assist. We've got a course of for figuring out what we’re going to get behind and the way early we’re going to get , and it’s developed. The primary yr was a few payments, after which more and more an increasing number of that match into this house. Issues which might be actually central to my day-to-day work are environmental points, larger training, fairness and points associated to ladies.
Earlier than I used to be elected, I used to be advised that the lieutenant governor’s workplace is a bully pulpit. What we’ve tried to do is restore the performance of the workplace, which we've got. And now to attempt to strategically select the sorts of points that we are able to use the bully pulpit to have the ability to assist.
Will you run for governor? And when?
I’m performing governor of California proper now. The expertise that I get on this job is the form of expertise that does put together you to be governor.
We've got by no means had a lady governor of the state of California. If I don’t attempt to manage a marketing campaign to be the primary, who will?
I’m on the poll in November. I hope I shall be reelected. And I hope that I'll proceed to indicate the folks of California that if they need a lady governor, that 4 years from now, that I’m a great candidate for that.
California politics lightning spherical
— Newsom signed a invoice making California the seventh state within the U.S. that doesn't enable employers to discriminate towards staff who smoke weed “off the job and away from the office.”
— Tom Girardigave tens of millions to Democratic politicians. Was the cash stolen from purchasers?
— Within the nonpartisan race for California superintendent of public instruction, it’s all politics.
— Takeaways from the L.A. mayoral debate between U.S. Rep. Karen Bass and actual property developer Rick Caruso.
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