A sterling speech by a challenged governor

The most outstanding thing about Gov. Gavin Newsom's final State of the State address last week was that he actually gave it.

- GEORGE SKELTON

Godofredo A. VASQUEZ Associated Press GOV. Gavin Newsom arrives to give his State of the State speech, his first in years, Thursday in Sacramento.

SACRAMENTO

Every California governor since Earl Warren back in World War II had annually paraded into the ornate 1800s-decor Assembly chamber to address a joint session of the Legislature in what was always the most festive occasion of the year in the state Capitol.

The house was packed with giddy lawmakers on their best behavior, state elected officials, Supreme Court justices, reporters, movers and shakers.

Newsom reluctantly followed custom his first two years as governor, but then brushed it all off for five-mainly because of a lifelong struggle with dyslexia, which makes it very difficult for him to read a speech off teleprompters.

"He hates giving speeches," a top aide once told me. "It's anxiety-producing for him." The governor had a good excuse in 2021: Tight seating in the crowded Assembly chamber would have risked spreading the COVID-19 virus. Instead, he strangely opted for center field in empty Dodger Stadium.

The next year, he delivered his speech before lawmakers in a sterile state auditorium, where he could practice his delivery for days beforehand in private. The year after that, he skipped the address entirely. In 2024, he went on a four-city road trip to promote his legislative agenda.

And late last year, he merely sent a written message to the Legislature.

The question arose whether Newson was capable of delivering a traditional State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress if he ever achieved his presidential ambition.