Newsom said he's the opposite of President Trump when it comes to climate change. A letter by 40 groups says he's abandoning key policies.
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the Clinton Global Initiative 2025 Annual Meeting in New York on Sept. 24, 2025. Photo by Efren Landaos, Sipa USA via AP Images Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering statewide issues that affect all Californians.
Sign up fora commentary forum aiming to broaden our understanding of the state and spotlight Californians directly impacted by policy or its absence. Learn more Gavin Newsom jetted off to New York this week to portray himself as the alternative to Donald Trump on climate policy. During a speech to the United Nations during Climate Week NYC on Tuesday, Trump declared anew that concerns about climate change areNewsom’s appearance at a New York Times-sponsored forum “You don’t have to believe in science. Believe in your own damn eyes,” Newsom said, while portraying California as a global leader in reducing pollution and shifting to a carbon-free economy.His assertions drew pushback from Trump’s energy secretary, Chris Wright, who noted California has saddled its consumers with high energy bills. “If you’re blue-collar, you’re working class, that hurts your quality of life,” said Wright, who spoke at the forum after Newsom. The exchanges inadvertently framed Newsom’s efforts, as he gears up for a likely White House run in 2028, to maintain the image of a progressive politician, while appealing to voters outside his very blue state. As Newsom was touting himself as a climate change warrior in New York, back home in California a coalition of more than 40 environmental groups was“As Governor Newsom touts his climate record on the national and international stage, we must not let him forget that it takes more than words to be a climate leader,” Nicole Ghio, executive director of Food & Water Watch California, said in a statement accompanying the letter. “He must stop caving to Big Oil interests and instead act to hold Big Oil accountable and advocate for the safety of our unique and beautiful environment and our vibrant communities. As President Trump slashes environmental protections and walks in lockstep with Big Oil, we need a leader — now more than ever — who will stand up for Californians and our climate.”The letter listed pro-environment steps Newsom had taken during his administration, then ticked off ways he has recently shifted position, such as legislation to streamline approval of new oil and gas wells. There’s no question Newsom — who had spent months excoriating refiners for gouging consumers on gasoline prices, even calling a special legislative session to impose new regulations —Those closures would sharply curtail supplies of fuel not only for California motorists but for those in Nevada and Arizona, while threatening the ability of airlines and military installations to obtain fuel and probably increasing prices that are already The environmental coalition letter zeroes in on that aspect of the situation: “Your administration took the unprecedented step of searching for a buyer for the Valero refinery in Benicia, which is slated for closure in 2026, using the resources and reputation of the state government to tip the scales in favor of fossil fuels when market forces make operations unprofitable. Reporting on potential $100M+ bailouts for the refinery are deeply concerning, as that would set an unacceptable precedent for supporting failing industries on public dollars.” So it goes. The conflict between environmental protection and living costs is just one of many issues that Newsom must manage as he attempts to shift his image from California progressive toWe are independent and nonpartisan.We probe and reveal the actions and inactions of powerful people and institutions, and the consequences that follow.Dan Walters is one of most decorated and widely syndicated columnists in California history, authoring a column four times a week that offers his view and analysis of the state’s political, economic,...We love that you want to share our stories with your readers. Hundreds of publications republish our work on a regular basis.Credit our authors at the top of the article and any other byline areas of your publication. In the byline, we prefer “By Author Name, CalMatters.” If you’re republishing guest commentary (Do not edit the article, including the headline,For example, “yesterday” can be changed to “last week,” and “Alameda County” to “Alameda County, California” or “here.”Photos and illustrations by CalMatters staff or shown as “for CalMatters” may only be republished alongside the stories in which they originally appeared. For any other uses, please contact us for approval atDo not sell our stories, and do not sell ads specifically against our stories.Sharing a CalMatters story on social media?Have other questions or special requests? Or do you have a great story to share about the impact of one of our stories on your audience? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at Newsom’s climate warrior image is backsliding, environmental groups say By Dan Walters, CalMattersThis commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gavin Newsom jetted off to New York this week to portray himself as the alternative to Donald Trump on climate policy. During a speech to the United Nations during Climate Week NYC on Tuesday, Trump declared anew that concerns about climate change are “the greatest con job ever perpetrated in the world,” chiding other nations for efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. That set the stage for Newsom’s appearance at a New York Times-sponsored forum Wednesday, where he labeled Trump’s assertions “an abomination” and “doubling down on stupid." “You don’t have to believe in science. Believe in your own damn eyes,” Newsom said, while portraying California as a global leader in reducing pollution and shifting to a carbon-free economy. “There’s no Elon Musk, there’s no Tesla, without California’s regulatory framework,” Newsom said. His assertions drew pushback from Trump’s energy secretary, Chris Wright, who noted California has saddled its consumers with high energy bills. “If you’re blue-collar, you’re working class, that hurts your quality of life,” said Wright, who spoke at the forum after Newsom. The exchanges inadvertently framed Newsom’s efforts, as he gears up for a likely White House run in 2028, to maintain the image of a progressive politician, while appealing to voters outside his very blue state. As Newsom was touting himself as a climate change warrior in New York, back home in California a coalition of more than 40 environmental groups was chastising him in a sharply worded letter for, they said, backsliding on the issue. “As Governor Newsom touts his climate record on the national and international stage, we must not let him forget that it takes more than words to be a climate leader,” Nicole Ghio, executive director of Food & Water Watch California, said in a statement accompanying the letter. “He must stop caving to Big Oil interests and instead act to hold Big Oil accountable and advocate for the safety of our unique and beautiful environment and our vibrant communities. As President Trump slashes environmental protections and walks in lockstep with Big Oil, we need a leader — now more than ever — who will stand up for Californians and our climate.” The letter listed pro-environment steps Newsom had taken during his administration, then ticked off ways he has recently shifted position, such as legislation to streamline approval of new oil and gas wells. There’s no question Newsom — who had spent months excoriating refiners for gouging consumers on gasoline prices, even calling a special legislative session to impose new regulations — changed his tune after two refineries announced plans to shut down. Those closures would sharply curtail supplies of fuel not only for California motorists but for those in Nevada and Arizona, while threatening the ability of airlines and military installations to obtain fuel and probably increasing prices that are already among the nation’s highest. The environmental coalition letter zeroes in on that aspect of the situation: “Your administration took the unprecedented step of searching for a buyer for the Valero refinery in Benicia, which is slated for closure in 2026, using the resources and reputation of the state government to tip the scales in favor of fossil fuels when market forces make operations unprofitable. Reporting on potential $100M+ bailouts for the refinery are deeply concerning, as that would set an unacceptable precedent for supporting failing industries on public dollars.” So it goes. The conflict between environmental protection and living costs is just one of many issues that Newsom must manage as he attempts to shift his image from California progressive to mainstream moderate in hopes of grabbing the political brass ring. This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
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