What to expect at DeSantis-Newsom debate

If you don’t already know, political wonks in California, Florida and maybe a few states in between, will be glued to their screens Thursday night to watch Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Ron Desantis square off in a highly-anticipated Blue vs. Red State debate that’s been brewing since the summer.

Whether you’re genuinely rooting for one of these governors, partaking in some morbid curiosity or have to tune in because of work obligations (ahem), the 90-minute spectacle is likely to churn out some good TV — albeit how much actual substance it’ll have is unclear.

That’s because both Newsom and DeSantis are not above name-calling and needling one another, besides actually talking about their state’s most glaring issues — crime, education and more.

But if substance is what you seek, CalMatters has a new explainer on Thursday’s debate. Give it a look and learn more about the vastly different approaches both governors take on policy, as well as to find the answers to questions such as:

• Cost of living: When it comes to spending on the basics (housing, utilities, food, gas and the like) are Floridians paying less than Californians?
• Economy: What are the unemployment rates for both states and what variables may impact those numbers in the near future?
• COVID-19: What were the results in the governors’ opposing policies to the pandemic?
• Education: Amid culture wars over book bans, diversity and the LGBTQ+ community, which state spends more per student?

Other media outlets have compared the two on a wide range of topics, including how they differ on health care, such as abortion and drug addiction, from California Healthline; and a deep dive about their attitudes on free speech (and even their short-lived baseball “careers”) from the Los Angeles Times.

There’s also no dearth of political analysis as to what could result from the face-off. Even if no winner is declared at the end of the night, Thursday’s event will provide good fodder to fire up both party’s bases. The timing is especially notable for DeSantis since he’s campaigning to be the next GOP presidential nominee. While Newsom remains loyal to President Joe Biden, he’s still a potential presidential candidate in 2028, and does not shy away from opportunities to raise his national and international profile.

For more about issues likely to come up during the debate, be sure to check out our explainer.

Speaking of Newsom, he was busy Tuesday. In an unusual step, he announced he’ll sponsor a bill next year to increase penalties for illegal trafficking of “tranq” — the animal tranquilizer xylazine. It would become a controlled substance, but still be available to veterinarians. The governor said it’s part of his push to reduce drug overdose deaths.

• Newsom, in a statement: “Although California is not yet seeing tranq at the same rates as other parts of the country, this legislation will help the state stay ahead and curb dealers and traffickers, while we work to provide treatment and resources for those struggling with addiction and substance abuse.”

Also Tuesday, the governor named Tomiquia Moss as secretary of the state’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Since 2019, she has been CEO of the Bay Area nonprofit All Home.

If California’s quest for clean energy could be laid out in a large mosaic, writes CalMatters environmental reporter Julie Cart, then wave energy — converting the motion of waves and tides into electricity — would be a small but potentially mighty tile.

The idea that California could perhaps one day harness the energy of the open ocean has been around for decades. In 2008, the state’s Energy Commission and the Ocean Protection Council published a report that said more research was needed to better assess its potential. And when Newsom was San Francisco mayor and later lieutenant governor, he backed two wave energy projects that ultimately went nowhere.

Capturing enough wave energy to supply commercial power for the grid is a tall order — if it can be done at all. In addition to the state prioritizing other burgeoning forms of clean energy, ocean-based projects are incredibly expensive and dangerous.

Some research, however, suggests that the potential for marine energy could be significant. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated that with just existing technology, the total wave and tide energy resources are equivalent to 57% of total domestic energy production in 2019. Marine power also could charge oceangoing vessels, research devices and equipment, and federal researchers foresee them being used to power desalination plants. 

But that future is a long way off. There have been a few demonstration projects that have taken place off the West Coast, and Newsom signed a new law in October to instruct state agencies to submit a report to the Legislature by January 2025 about the potential technology. Still, as one marine energy program manager from the U.S. Department of Energy told Julie: “Of all the energies out there, marine energy has been the slowest to develop. We are kind of where land-based wind was 20 or 30 years ago.”

Read more about the potential, and hurdles, for wave energy in Julie’s story.

Until earlier this month, about 3,000 California pharmacies offered flavoring services for children’s prescription medicine — a useful practice for parents with kids who may struggle to take their amoxicillin or flu syrups. But due to a shift in regulatory standards and a 2019 California law, that number is now down to about 50.

As CalMatters health reporting intern Shreya Agrawal explains, four years ago, Newsom signed a law that required pharmacists to adopt regulations outlined by the United States Pharmacopeia — a nonprofit agency that sets federal standards for how drugs are prepared. This includes drug compounding, where pharmacists combine, mix or alter ingredients of medicine to meet the needs of individual patients.

Though the California Board of Pharmacy explicitly said in 2010 that drug compounding does not include “the addition of flavoring agent(s) to enhance palatability,” new guidance from the United States Pharmacopeia states that it does.

Despite a bipartisan legislative effort to exclude flavoring from being classified as drug compounding, a surprise veto from Newsom in October means the pharmacy board will move forward to prepare rules adopting the federal guidance. And thousands of pharmacies are suspending the practice of flavoring medicine in the meantime.

That’s left some parents worried about how their kids will have to deal with unflavored medicine, especially since respiratory diseases and infections are more widespread during the winter.

• Brenda Alvarez, a mother of four and Anaheim resident: “It’s harder for them to get the medication, especially when they’re sick, because the taste is just really bad.” 

While flavoring won’t be banned altogether, providing the service will come with stricter rules over hygiene and more documentation. Complying could drive up costs. As one Sacramento pharmacy owner, Sonya Frausto, told Shreya: “I don’t have the capital to reinvest in new hoods or new types of ventilation systems based on what (the board’s) requirements are.”

Read more about the situation in Shreya’s story.

There’s one fewer Democrat trying to become California’s next U.S. senator: Tech exec Lexi Reese announced Tuesday she’s dropping out of the race.

But she had plenty to say on the way out. 

She called for term limits, arguing that Congress has too many career politicians and lawyers who have missed the boat on major issues such as climate change, economic inequality and gun violence.

• Reese, in her announcement: “I do not foresee better outcomes without more diverse and experienced folks tackling these issues from different angles. Socioeconomic, race, gender perspectives make a huge impact in the way our government works — so does diversity of skill-set.”  

She also urged Democrats to stop focusing on former President Donald Trump, while also taking seriously that many Americans agree with Trump that the system is rigged against them.

• Reese: “Trumpians take this insight and channel it into anger, hate, fear. What if Democrats took it and channeled it into real action — real, operational rigor devoted to inclusive prosperity? We could grow our economy right alongside people’s personal security.”

She blamed lack of money for her exit, saying that $2 million (including more than $500,000 of her own) isn’t enough for an outsider to run a statewide race, much less compete with the campaign cash available to three sitting members of Congress: Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.

Reality check: Reese was stuck at 1% in recent polls, well behind those three Democrats, as well as Republicans Steve Garvey, Eric Early and James Bradley. 

Though she never gained traction among voters, Reese vows that Californians haven’t heard the last from her. She says she’ll continue sharing big and bold ideas to make the world “a safer place for our kids.”