Governor Gavin Newsom this week appointed Alex Padilla to replace Kamala Harris’ Senate seat, making him the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate.
Though the appointment marked a victory for the state's Latino population, it also sparked criticism from others, particularly from Black women who believed Kamala Harris’ seat should have been filled by another Black woman.
“The fact that Newsom is going to have two, and possibly three, positions to fill is hugely important and basically unheard of,” said Jaime Regalado, political science professor emeritus and former director of the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State Los Angeles. “So if any governor had a pick to fill a vacancy, starting with the U.S. Senate and going down to the Attorney General’s office and now Secretary of State, they would be delighted but they’d be faced with a similar proposition that they’re going to anger a lot of people, a lot of constituent groups of the party.”
Regalado added that, no matter who Gov. Newsom picked, there would have been some form of agitation among some group of people.
But he said that, as the governor faces more challenges, whether it be coronavirus response or backlash from his appearance at the French Laundry in Napa, he is now facing more opposition than when he began his term.
“I think he’s in a no-win situation in that sense. He’s bound to anger a whole lot of people,” he said. “But I think he still has bedrock Democrats with him. So if the recall does make the ballot, I think he’s still safe unless something else happens or he bungles tremendously in the next few months.”
However, when it comes to coronavirus response, Regalado said Gov. Newsom is certainly seeing positive results, even as cases still surge.
“I think he’ll see more bedrock support, especially as vaccinations become more plentiful,” Regalado said.
