A Young Woman’s Search for a Governor

UC Davis Students Had Hopes Pinned on Newsom.

So as the elections for California governor draw near, I have begun to put some serious thought into how I will vote. Although I am not the most political person, I want to make a smart and well-informed choice.  I began to educate myself by talking with friends and reading articles about the potential candidates.

SF Mayor Gavin Newsom speaks with UC Davis students.

Like most U.C. Davis students,  I believe the most important issues are education and the U.C. fee increases.  In the beginning of the gubernatorial race, I began to hear more and more about Gavin Newsom.  As I researched him and his campaign promises, it became clear that he was a man of not only the people, but the young people and looking to fix the problems that concern most students.  As Newsom said in a Huffington Post article, “All across the state, we are choking off opportunity for hundreds of thousands of young Californians to build a better life for themselves and a better future for California, and it’s our fault. We’ve allowed our system of governance to de-fund and de-prioritize higher education, putting our state’s economic future in jeopardy.”  This seemed like the man for me, but alas, this good thing came to an end.

With Newsom’s withdrawal from the race for California governor, I have begun my research anew.  Once again, I have turned to my fellow Davis students for opinions and advice.  Jeremia Kimelman, a fourth year Political Science major who worked on the Newsom campaign, when asked about where he thinks the U.C. Davis student vote is going to go said, “Only Newsom was talking about the U.C. fee increases.  If no one else talks about it, they won’t vote.”  Clearly the loss of Newsom and his intention to halt fee increases has had an effect on the student voters.  Kimelman went on to say, “No Republican candidate will [address this issue].  They are not pro-government involvement. Two are huge businessmen and do not have favorable views of intervening.”  Michael Hoefling, a U.C. Davis alumni, when asked about his feelings on how the student population is going to vote said, “Increasing student fees is never a popular issue for students, so reducing student costs will always win votes.”

With Newsom out of the picture, many of the people I talked to brought up Jerry Brown as a possible candidate.  It is true that California needs someone who knows how the job is done, and as a former governor, Brown could do right by us.  Although Brown does not address the issue of U.C. fee increases in his campaign, there is hope.  Justin Patrizio, a fourth year Philosophy major who also was a student volunteer on the Newsom campaign, shed some light on my doubts about the other candidates’ motivations to stop the fee hikes saying, “Funding education is the right choice. It might even happen on accident.”  Turns out that currently Newsom’s plan to tax oil companies to fund the U.C. system is being comsidered by the Legislature.  While one of the better-known candidates, Brown is not the only other option.  Candidates Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner and Tom Campbell, all with excellent resumes in public service, are also in the running to be our great state’s new governor.

As the elections draw closer and closer, I hope to see another candidate address the issues most important to us U.C. students.  If we are to be the future of this state, we need to receive the best educations possible.  With costs rising at what feels like an alarming rate, we need a dynamic and innovative governor that can keep education affordable and speak to our generation.