Governor Gavin Newsom: California's Green Dream or a Dangerous Trade-Off?
Cathy Smith
Cathy Smith
When Gavin Newsom was elected Governor of California in 2018, he inherited the largest agricultural economy in the United States, with the potential to lead the state-and the country-into a new era of environmental sustainability. As a progressive, Newsom espoused bold promises of "green" innovation, aiming to revolutionize California into a beacon of climate-friendly technology. Yet, as his time in office has unfolded, the governor has become embroiled in a series of socio-economic debacles that have raised serious questions about his vision and leadership. From the loss of businesses and residents fleeing the state, to misguided "green" policies now seen as producing more harm than good, Newsom has squandered numerous opportunities to create a truly sustainable, self-sufficient California. This is a critical moment to ask: is Newsom a visionary leader, or has his unbridled ambition for higher office led him to trade one form of pollution for another?
The Opportunity Squandered: California's Agricultural Potential
Upon taking office, Newsom had a unique opportunity to transform California's vast agricultural resources into a sustainable biofuel industry. All in all, California's farms generate a staggering amount of organic waste-everything from crop residues and animal waste to food processing byproducts-that could have been tapped to produce various kinds of biofuels, such as ethanol, biodiesel, and biogas.
Long trumpeted as much more sustainable than fossil fuels, these biofuels could have seen California emerge as a leader with its great volumes of agricultural output. For a more ecologically sound energy future, the governor had the best chance to advocate for biofuel production, which would use those agricultural byproducts, wean people off fossil fuels, and head in the right direction for ecological sustainability.
Newsom should have incentivized crops solely to meet this growing biofuel market demand, such as jojoba and rapeseed to supply their oils, or invested more into further research regarding biofuels derived from algae. Even crops like sorghum and switchgrass could have been grown for their high biofuel yield potential. California generates around 50-60 million tons of biomass waste annually, including agricultural, forestry, and organic waste. Currently, about 15-20% of this biomass is utilized for biofuel production and energy generation, primarily through processes like anaerobic digestion and bioethanol production. The remaining 80% is largely underutilized, often ending up in landfills or being burned in the open. Efforts like SB 1383 and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) aim to increase the diversion of organic waste and promote biofuel production in the state.
Yet, instead of embracing such homegrown solutions, Newsom's administration has all but ignored the promise of biofuels while racing to promote electric vehicles and alternative energy forms-without considering the full environmental and cultural consequences of such a transition. To date, the governor's policies have largely bypassed biofuel's potential to fuel California's farm engines in favor of high-profile, high-cost "green" technologies with their own environmental drawbacks.
The question now is whether Newsom's embracing electric vehicles at the expense of biofuels a failure of vision or an intentional trade-off was, the result of which was to align him with corporate interests in the clean tech sector, where emphasis is on lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicle production.
The Exodus: Businesses and Residents Fleeing California
Accordingly, Governor Newsom's green ambitions have been accompanied by a spate of policies that have taken a heavy economic toll on businesses and residents alike. For years, California has been one of the most highly taxed states in the country, with a heavy regulatory environment and an affordability crisis that has compelled countless companies and individuals to flee. On Newsom's watch, that trend has accelerated, and many are starting to question whether his policies, designed to forge a green economy, will ultimately drive California into economic decline.
One of the major economic pressures under Newsom has been the cost of living, which has skyrocketed due to housing shortages, rising energy costs, and an overall increase in taxes aimed at funding green initiatives. In 2022, it was reported that California was losing population for the first time in decades. It's not only urban to rural, but it's also across state lines: residents have fled to states like Texas, Nevada, and Arizona in pursuit of lower taxes, more affordable housing, and a less onerous business climate.
To businesses, California's reputation as a hotbed of innovation has been marred by overreach in regulation and an ultra-restrictive business environment. Most especially, small and mid-sized businesses have felt the squeeze from environmental mandates, labor laws, and high taxes that have driven many to friendlier states. While large tech companies may continue to do well, the flight of startups and manufacturers from California's fertile soil threatens to undermine the state's once-great economic potential.
This is in contrast to Newsom's vision of making California the greenest state in the world. Instead of a thriving green economy, what California is witnessing is a hollowing out of the middle class and a shrinking business ecosystem. How can Newsom declare victory on climate change when his state is hemorrhaging the very people and companies that could be part of the solution?
Electric Vehicles: Are They A Big Disguised Carbon Footprint?
Among the key initiatives of Newsom's administration has been the push for electric vehicles. For a very long period, California has been at the forefront in championing clean energy, and Newsom has sought to accelerate the transition to EVs as part of his ambitious climate goals. But, as with many of his green initiatives, the devil is in the details-and this particular shift has some serious unintended consequences.
For one, electric vehicle production is not as clean as the governor would like you to believe. The mining of lithium, cobalt, and other rare earth metals used in EV batteries has environmental and ethical concerns of its own. Mining these materials is often accompanied by environmental degradation, human rights abuses, and exploitation of labor in countries with minimal environmental and labor protections. And while California's push for EVs is a step away from gasoline-powered cars, it's still a trade-off in terms of pollution: EVs require mining, and that process comes with its own carbon footprint.
Moreover, most of the time, EVs draw their electricity from power plants that burn fossil fuels, especially in regions where solar or wind energy infrastructure is not developed enough. In 2020, the California Energy Commission estimated that only 33% of the state's energy came from renewable sources. So, despite Newsom's insistence on the "green" benefits of electric vehicles, they may actually be contributing to greater pollution in the long run, especially when the electricity that powers them is derived from non-renewable sources.
In other words, Newsom is trading one form of pollution-internal combustion engines-for another-lithium mining, battery production, and the strain on an already overburdened power grid. Is this really "green" policy, or is it simply a "greenwashed" PR campaign that fails to consider the full life-cycle costs of electric vehicles?
Failures and Mistakes: A Long List of Missteps
While Newsom's environmental and economic policies have come under increasing scrutiny, his leadership on other issues has also been questioned. Perhaps the most contentious aspect of his governorship was his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which received widespread criticism for inconsistent messaging, lockdown measures, and the infamous dinner at the French Laundry-perhaps the symbol of Newsom's out-of-touch elitism.
On the housing front, Newsom vowed to tackle the severe housing crisis with increased building of more affordable homes. However, none of his plans has really come to fruition, and California still faces an acute shortage of housing, particularly in hot spots like the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Not keeping up with population growth, the rent is constantly high and forces many more people out of the state.
Then there is the growing crisis in homelessness, with the numbers said to be standing at tens of thousands living on the streets of major cities across the state. Newsom has also spent billions of taxpayer dollars for temporary housing solutions and mental health programs, but the problem remains. Most of his promises to solve the crisis have largely remained unfulfilled, with critics claiming that his approach was too bureaucratic and inefficient to make any real difference.
Ambition for Higher Office: A Governor's Priorities?
As Newsom's second term wears on, speculation about his political ambitions beyond California has mounted. The governor has made several trips to key battleground states, built his national profile, and has made clear a desire to be a leading voice in the Democratic Party. At times, his speeches have hinted at a larger ambition-perhaps a run for U.S. President.
But the question is really, does Newsom focus on his work to make Californian's future better or more on building a legacy which would take him to the nation? Most of his critics pointedly argue that his constant posing on the national stage strongly signals a governor who is distracted by his own unbridled ambition, more concerned with headlines rather than real governance.
It is possible to consider that his bold green policies are simply a way to draw attention and create a national platform. The state's aggressive stance on climate change, coupled with his focus on electric vehicles, may be more about political posturing than about tangible improvements to California's environment.
A Green Trade-Off: One Form of Pollution for Another
In the end, it will be the exchange that will define the leadership of Governor Gavin Newsom in the race to environmental greatness. Instead of really looking at sustainable, local solutions-like biofuels-the Governor has doubled down on electric vehicles and their supporting technology, trading one form of pollution-gasoline emissions-for another-lithium mining and battery production. What's worse, his green initiatives have fallen way short of addressing the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in California: from the high cost of housing to the mass exodus of both residents and businesses.
While Newsom's intentions may have been good, the results speak for themselves: California remains one of the most expensive states to live in, businesses are leaving, and residents are fleeing in droves. Instead of ushering in an era of green innovation, Newsom's policies appear to be trading one set of environmental problems for another, with little to show for it in terms of tangible benefits for the people of California.
Whether driven by ambition, ideology, or political calculation, the outcome is the same: Governor Gavin Newsom has failed to live up to the expectations of bold, transformative leadership. Rather than harnessing the full potential of California's agricultural wealth and moving forward with a truly sustainable biofuel economy, Newsom has focused on a flashy and arguably misguided push for electric vehicles-further entrenching the state in a cycle of pollution and economic decay.
The opportunity was obvious: a California literally covered with farms and fields could have transformed farm waste into a biofuel empire, creating new jobs, taking out the trash, and pioneering carbon-neutral fuel production. Instead, Newsom reached for a politically safer but environmentally flawed solution: electric vehicles. But as mining lithium and manufacturing batteries creates new environmental and social costs, California's so-called "green" revolution has increasingly been seen as a trade of one pollution problem for another.
Exodus: Bleeding Economy
The consequences of Newsom's green policies have echoed even outside of the environment. The California housing crisis, growing cost of living, and increasingly inhospitable business climate have driven citizens and businesses out of California in record numbers. This has only become worse since Newsom's tenure began. California, once the glittering jewel of opportunity and ingenuity, is now seeing its middle class shrink while high-net-worth individuals and corporations look for friendlier climes elsewhere.
It was the failure of the governor to address the state's affordability crisis, compounded by his insistence on pushing through policies catering to elite interests, such as green tech companies and renewable energy giants, while ignoring the basic needs of the everyday Californian. For many, the high taxes, housing costs, and job-killing regulations outweighed promises of an environmentally cleaner future.
But this "green" agenda has come at the expense of California's working class, who are increasingly feeling the squeeze of trying to live in a state where wages don't keep pace with the cost of living. As more and more leave for greener pastures that they can afford, the state risks not just losing population but also losing some of its competitive advantages in the global economy. Many of the Californians leaving the state are College Educated individuals with great job skills who still cannot thrive in California's suffocating environment - a Brain Drain. The smartest people in the state are moving their residences and businesses elsewhere.
Lithium: The New Dirty Secret of California's Green Revolution
As Newsom works to advance his plans for electric vehicles, the real costs of the state's transition into the green are coming into sharper focus. As much as anyone might talk about reducing California's carbon footprint, Newsom's reliance on lithium-ion battery technology is creating new environmental burdens that many, including the governor himself, are not fully acknowledging.
Lithium extraction-mostly in areas like the Salton Sea-is a critical part of the EV production process. But lithium mining carries with it a set of environmental and human costs, much in the way oil drilling does. Extraction involves vast amounts of water-a commodity already scarce within drought-stricken California-and often results in toxic runoff capable of polluting the surrounding ecosystem. There's the social cost of mining: think reports of exploitation and unsafe working conditions in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is where much of these key minerals are found.
In that sense, Newsom's electric vehicle initiative is representative of the overall problems in his environmental approach: trading one form of pollution for another under the guise of being "green." It is by focusing so intently on electric cars and the infrastructure needed to support them that Newsom has chosen to overlook full environmental and ethical implications of mining lithium and producing batteries. His policies may reduce some types of pollution, but they are far from a solution to the larger environmental crisis California faces.
Gavin Newsom's National Ambition: Is He Focused on California or His Political Future?
Throughout his governorship, Newsom's eye has been on the national stage. His speeches, trips to other states, and pointed critiques of the Trump administration have fueled speculation that he is positioning himself for a higher office, maybe even a run for U.S. president. His actions-most notably, high-profile interventions on national climate policy and frequent appearances in key swing states-have led many to surmise that Newsom would be more interested in cultivating a national profile than focusing on the day-to-day governance of California.
With the failures in his green energy policies mounting, one has to question if Newsom's environmental initiatives were ever about benefiting California or about boosting his political ambitions. His time in office has been marked by ambitious, high-profile climate goals, but less attention has been paid to the fundamental economic and social issues of Californians.
It has been an agenda of greening, especially electric vehicles, in ways that seem designed to secure political capital for the governor as a leader of some sort in the fight against climate change. But at what cost? The governor may be scoring points with national environmental groups, yet in California, he's alienating the people who have to bear the brunt of his policies in unaffordable housing, rising taxes, and a dwindling job market.
A Green Vision Gone Wrong
In conclusion, Gavin Newsom's governorship over California has been nothing but one failure after another that serves to highlight the deep disconnect his green vision has with the challenges his constituents are facing. With the agricultural wealth of the state to fuel a biofuel-driven economy, Newsom might have done something really unique and national in nature: leading toward a more sustainable economy. Instead, he focused on the electric vehicles-a well-intended initiative but one that creates new environmental and social problems while failing to respond to the most basic needs of the state's residents.
While Newsom highlights his successes on the environment, the reality is that he has traded one form of pollution for another. From the environmental consequences of lithium mining to the continued erosion of California's economic vitality, Newsom's green policies have raised serious questions about his priorities and vision for the state. Perhaps his ambition for higher office drives many of these decisions, but one thing is for sure: California's residents are left to pay the price.
But in the end, perhaps Newsom's biggest failure will not be in his climate policies per se but in not being able to balance those with the everyday needs of the people he was elected to serve. California's once-robust economy and thriving middle class are being slowly undermined by policies that prioritize short-term political gain over long-term, sustainable solutions. The reins of the state's agricultural and environmental future may have been given to Governor Newsom, yet he has, regretfully, squandered that opportunity by trading real progress in exchange for green soundbites.
The Salton Sea area, a region already grappling with significant environmental challenges, faces further risks from the proposed lithium extraction process and the disposal of lithium-ion auto batteries. The area is already heavily contaminated with a range of pollutants, including lead, cadmium, heavy metals, and cobalt from agricultural runoff, as well as chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides. Additionally, salts and dust storms exacerbate air and soil contamination, creating a dangerous cocktail of toxins that threaten the local ecosystem and public health.
Adding lithium extraction to the mix could significantly worsen the situation. While the Salton Sea is seen as a potential source for lithium, the process of extracting it from geothermal brines involves chemicals that can be highly toxic. Arsenic, mercury, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), by-products of lithium extraction, pose additional dangers. These pollutants are known to have serious health effects, including neurological damage, respiratory issues, and increased cancer risk. When airborne, these pollutants can travel great distances, spreading across Southern California, affecting vulnerable populations, especially low-income communities already dealing with the toxic legacy of pollution.
In addition to the pollutants generated by lithium mining, radium and uranium are often present in geothermal brines, further complicating the environmental risks. These radioactive elements, which can be harmful even in small amounts, may leak into the environment if not carefully managed. The region is already contaminated with radon from underground sources, and uranium mining bi-products could add to the radiation exposure risk, particularly when contaminants migrate through groundwater or the air.The extraction and disposal of lithium-ion auto batteries also raise significant concerns. Batteries contain not only lithium but also a cocktail of heavy metals and chemicals that can leach into the environment if not disposed of properly. Improper handling of battery waste can result in the release of substances like nickel, manganese, and other toxic materials into the soil and water, which can further degrade the region's fragile ecosystems.
This combination of existing pollution and potential new contaminants poses a serious environmental and health risk to the Salton Sea Valley and surrounding communities. The introduction of lithium mining and battery disposal into an already overburdened system could make it even more difficult to rehabilitate the area and protect public health.The disposal of worn-out lithium EV batteries poses a grave threat to global freshwater supplies. By replacing gas cars with dead EV batteries in landfills, toxic materials leach into aquifers below, potentially polluting water for hundreds or even thousands of years. This system tradeoff allows EV owners to indulge their egos by claiming they're "saving the planet," while ignoring the long-term environmental consequences of battery waste.