After the passing of long-serving U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Gavin Newsom picked a replacement to serve until the next election. His choice of Laphonza Butler – president of the Emily’s List political action committee, which helps elect female abortion-rights supporters to Congress – hasn’t been as well received as the governor had expected. It was a poor choice for a variety of reasons.
Butler isn’t even a resident of California. She had previously lived here, but only changed her voting registration over the weekend. “I applaud Governor Newsom for recognizing there are now so many Californians who have moved to other states that they deserve their own senator,” said U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, in a snarky post on X.
Perhaps wisely, Newsom said he didn’t want to interfere in the Democratic primary by choosing one of the announced candidates. News reports focused on the Butler “makes history” storyline given that she is the only Black woman now serving in the Senate and California’s first LGBQT senator. But identity-politics box-checking is not the reason her choice is so problematic.
As a recent column on these pages noted, the appointment is Newsom’s latest kowtow to public-sector unions. Butler previously served as president of SEIU 2015, which represents long-term care workers. Her tenure was filled with controversy. Members of other unions complained they were quietly shifted to the newly formed union. Workers who had opted out of membership complained that Butler’s union began deducting dues without their consent.
After Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was found guilty of seven felonies including bribery and fraud from his time as a county supervisor, Butler wrote a letter to the judge calling for leniency based, in part, on his support for union workers. That raises questions about her judgment.
The selection also goes to show Newsom’s willingness to reward big money Democratic fundraisers with, of all things, a U.S. Senate seat. The role of a senator is an important one, yet with this choice, Newsom shows how little he thinks of the institution that is the U.S. Senate.
It’s a not a surprise that Newsom would pick a progressive, even though it’s a disappointment given that Feinstein was known for her willingness to work across the aisle. Still, it would have been nice had he picked someone who lives in California – and who has a less-controversial record.
—The Editorial Board, Southern California News Group
