Most workers in California get two weeks of paid leave per year, maybe three.
Through mid-March in 2026, Gavin Newsom, aka the Runaway Gov, has already hit the road for at least two weeks –– to promote himself, natch.
He’s jetted to Europe twice in a bid to appear presidential, and embarked on three legs of a national book tour through early-voting presidential primary states such as South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
Subtle.
The gov would do well to tend to his day job in Sacramento, in lieu of so much self-serving travel.
Consider the contrast between Newsom and President Trump, who told reporters at the White House on Monday that he’d postpone a late-March summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“We’ve got a war going on. I think it’s important that I be here.”
The governor has no war on his hands, of course. But consider a sampling of state crises under Newsom & Co.:
Chronic high rates of homelessness. Abysmal affordability. Stubborn housing, water, energy and road-capacity shortages.
Dismal public education outcomes. Overtaxation — including an absurd proposed billionaire tax. Woeful underperformance by state government.
Rampant fraud. Widespread crime. Union and other special-interest capture of Sacramento.
And more.
Yet somehow, hawking his memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, takes priority.
He’s a Gov in a Hurry to run for Prez, after all.
According to Newsom’s staff, the governor’s travel is at least borderline useful for California.
It’s hard to see how, though.
What do state residents gain from his book tour, exactly? Or from his overseas jaunts, in which he trashed the US president on foreign soil and forged a climate partnership with the UK that almost no one asked for?
His “travel includes official state business, meetings advancing California’s economic and job-creating climate partnerships, political and personal activity conducted in his personal capacity,” a Newsom spokesman said.
So to break that down: Newsom travels for “official state business” (vague), “meetings advancing … partnerships” (huh?), and “political and personal activity (bingo).”
Wealthy donors appear to pay for at least some of his “political and personal” excursions; per The California Post, the California State Protocol Foundation has raised $6.2 million for the gov’s political wanderlust.
It’s reasonable to ask what these contributors are getting –– or what they expect to get –– in return.
Of course, even when he’s home, Newsom’s often busy with podcasts, Trump trolling, and photo ops, rather than much discernible constructive work.
Gavin Newsom is a perpetual self-promotion machine.
Through today, he’s on pace to spend 9.5 weeks away from Sacramento this year –– a solid 2.2 months out of pocket.
Try asking your boss for the same, and good luck.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
