SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Building on the theme of California exceptionalism that defined his campaign, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will depict the state as a guardian of progressive values and a counterweight to President Donald Trump in his inaugural address Monday, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks.
"What we do today is even more consequential, because of what's happening in our country," read the excerpts obtained by The Times. "People's lives, freedom, security, the water we drink, the air we breathe _ they all hang in the balance. The country is watching us. The world is waiting on us. The future depends on us. And we will seize this moment."
The speech casts California's political stakes in a decidedly national scope, promising an agenda that will unify and be an example to the rest of the country. It contrasts the governing goals of Newsom, a Democrat, with that of Trump, the incoming governor's perennial foil.
"We will offer an alternative to the corruption and incompetence in the White House," the excerpts say. "Our government will be progressive, principled, and always on the side of the people."
Newsom campaigned on an ambitious and wide-ranging platform, promising sweeping solutions on housing, healthcare, education and other issues that rank among Californians' top concerns. In the weeks after his election, he struck a more muted tone, taking pains to emphasize his fiscal caution and need for patience in achieving those goals.
The inaugural excerpts indicate a return to lofty pledges. While Newsom will vow to "prepare for uncertain times ahead" by building budgetary reserves and paying down debt, the prepared remarks quickly turn to a vow to be "bold."
Newsom has already floated several proposals for his first budget that carry significant price tags, including a nearly $2-billion plan to boost early childhood development for low-income families and a dramatic expansion of paid family leave from six weeks to six months.
When asked for a preview of his inauguration speech during a news conference Sunday evening, Newsom predicted pundits would criticize his address as "short on specifics."
"Well, of course, I'm at an inaugural," Newsom said. "But I'll be very detailed in the budget, a few days later. And then we will architect, in much more nuance and detail, in state of the state. I really see this as three opportunities ... to communicate over the next few weeks our agenda, our vision for the state."
(Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.)
