San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is in the exploratory phase his campaign for governor in 2010. At the California delegation breakfast in Denver this morning, Newsom gave what might be an early version of his stump speech.
He spoke about the frustration of having to defend California to people from out of state, especially as regards the budget standoff.
"Things aren't going as well as they should in the state of California," he said. "We have gotten very good at identifying problems. We're very good at finger-pointing."
But, he said, not so good at problem-solving. And that's where his record as mayor came in -- solving budget deficits, cutting carbon emissions while growing the economy, etc. If Newsom does decide to run, expect to hear a lot more along these lines.
The most interesting portion of the speech, however, was when Newsom called out an unnamed "superstar" of the Democratic Party who had criticized teachers unions at a panel the two were both on earlier in the week.
"What is that solving?" he asked. "What is that doing to educate children?"
Though Newsom did not name the perpetrator, he did share a panel earlier in the week with Newark Mayor Cory Booker. According to the Washington Post, Booker used the occasion to talk about his frustration with teachers unions, on issues such as merit pay.
"Cory is one of the best and the brightest," Newsom said later, arguing that he wasn't referring to anyone in particular. "It's naive to have the first line of attack be to go after the unions and teachers. I hate hearing Democrats say that. Unions could shut down reform if they want to. Why would you demonize people who are responsible for reform?"
With so many union leaders in the audience, Newsom seemed to be working to win labor endorsements for a gubernatorial run. Perhaps to that end, he drew a contrast between the "takeover" approach to school reform and partnering with schools, which he said was his preferred method in San Francisco. That could be interpreted as a reference to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who tried unsuccessfully to take over the L.A. Unified School District and who could be a rival for the governorship in 2010.
Villaraigosa, who also spoke at the breakfast, said he had not heard the comment because he was visiting with the New York delegation during Newsom's speech.
"Gavin and I are friends," he said.
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