Newsom’s State of the State: Hollow promises and cherry picked successes

SACRAMENTO (January 8, 2026) – Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) comments on Governor Newsom’s 2025 State of the State address before the state legislature in Sacramento today.

Today Governor Newsom, and presumed-to-be 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, gave his State of the State address in Sacramento. “During the nearly 1.5 hour-long speech, Governor Newsom discussed a number of topics, and issues facing both California and America as a nation. However, rather than to take this opportunity to actually address the challenges and issues facing everyday Californians, the speech amounted to nothing more than a compilation of hollow promises, cherry-picked successes, barbed jabs at the federal administration and a doubling down of misguided policies” said Assemblymember Dixon.

“The speech largely omitted the challenges facing everyday Californians. That of affordability and the increased cost of living, that California gas prices are the highest in the nation, the crippling effect that overly burdensome regulations have on small businesses and the economy, the failure of meaningful public safety policies, or the chronic underfunding of wildfire prevention – to name but a few.”

In particular, the Governor’s position on the cost of housing in the state, which he called California’s “Original Sin” was telling. The Governor stated that this year he was “proud to sign 61 housing reform bills, clearing away regulatory thickets”, that during his time in office California had “enshrined the most consequential housing reforms in our state’s history” and promised to work with the “legislature to focus on the cost of construction”.

“However, once again, this simply does not reflect the reality of the housing market and housing shortage in California. Housing is less affordable than ever” said Assemblymember Dixon. According to the state Legislative Analyst Office, in 2025, house prices in California remained significantly higher than the rest of the US, with mid-tier homes now “more than twice as expensive as the typical mid-tier US home”.

The LAO also found that “for a first-time home buyer, a bottom-tier home in California is now about 30 percent more expensive than a mid-tier home in the rest of the U.S.”

In another instance of cherry picking topics, there was a notable absence of any meaningful discussion by Newsom of High-Speed Rail (HSR). Although, this is unsurprising given that the cost of the project has now ballooned from $33 billion to $100 billion. When California voters approved the High-Speed Rail project in 2008, they embraced a vision of innovation: a cutting-edge rail system connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco by 2020. This project was sold as a transformative solution to reduce traffic, cut emissions and create jobs. Seventeen years later, the project has delivered nothing but broken promises, wasted taxpayer dollars and mounting frustration. “The failure of High-Speed Rail isn’t just about delays and cost overruns—it’s a glaring example of government mismanagement and misplaced priorities. While we funnel billions into this project, Californians are facing pressing challenges in their daily lives that demand immediate attention” said Assemblymember Dixon.

“Ultimately, the Governor’s State of the State address this morning was nothing more than a polished presidential campaign speech in order to sell the future presidential candidate to middle America. He should talk to the fire-victim residents of Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon waiting for permits to rebuild their homes one year later and see how life in California is working for them” said Assemblymember Dixon.

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