by Ella Arnold

“We’re not waiting for permission or for someone to save the day-we have to take action now.”
-Gavin Newsom

San Francisco Mayor and California Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom is a man who stands up for what he believes in. His willingness to take bold political risks and his unwavering personal integrity have led him to constantly be ahead of the curve on many important social and economic issues, from marriage equality and universal health care tohomelessness and education. But the environment is truly the sole issue where Mayor Newsom’s unrelenting desire to create revolutionary reform by staying true to his personal convictions is most apparent.

Mayor Newsom’s political record proves that he is a fierce and passionate advocate for the environment. In 2006, while most of this country’s leaders were engaged in a contentious debate over whether or not climate change is real, Mayor Newsom had already authored the Urban Environmental Accords, closed a fossil-fuel burning power plant, created the country’s largest alternative fuel fleet of buses and cars and passed numerous laws to help San Francisco’s residents and businesses be more environmentally conscious. From solar panels and mandatory composting and recycling to authoring the strongestmunicipal green building standards in the United States for new construction and major renovations, Mayor Newsom has turned San Francisco into one of the greenest cities in the world and has established himself as one of the greenest mayors in the country.

When it comes to the environment, Mayor Newsom makes an effort to practice at home what he preaches in public. He owned a Saturn EV1 electric car in the 1990’s, recently purchased a Tesla Roadster and his official mayoral SUV is a hybrid. His winery, CADE, located in Napa, recently received Gold LEED certification, making it the first winery in the state to achieve this status. Though Mayor Newsom openly admits that “it’s not enough that [he has] an electric car”, it is clear that he, like many Californians, is dedicated to living a greener and more sustainable life.

As California’s Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, Mayor Newsom wants to raise California’s environmental consciousness. He wants to get our floundering economy back on track by growing California’s clean energy economy. He wants to end California’s addiction to fossil fuels by transitioning to clean energy sources. He plans to combat climate change and pollution by supporting AB 32 and prioritizing research and education toward green energy and environmental innovation. And he plans to conserve California’s vast natural resources by opposing the expansion of offshore drilling, promoting sustainability and protecting California’s land, coast and waterways. Mayor Newsom recognizes the symbiotic relationship between California’s economy, educational system and the environment and as lieutenant governor, he will work hard to restore the strength and ensure the longevity of each of these areas.

Mayor Newsom’s personal and political commitment to the environment has not only earned him the respect of his colleagues and constituents in San Francisco. As a candidate for lieutenant governor, he has been endorsed by some of the most revered environmental leaders and organizations in the country. California State Senator and co-author of AB 32 Fran Pavley, has saidthat Mayor Newsom is a “bold, innovative leader who has proven that job creation and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive” and that Mayor Newsom is “exactly what Sacramento needs for California to continue to be a beacon of environmental leadership around the world.” Mayor Newsom has also been enthusiastically endorsed by two of this country’s leading environmental organizations, The Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters.

Robert F. Kennedy once said that, "the future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of bold projects and new ideas. Rather, it will belong to those who can blend passion, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the great enterprises and ideals of American society." Mayor Gavin Newsom’s penchant to take bold, seemingly impossible dreams and turn them into reality has garnered him international attention and solidified his reputation as one of this country’s great environmental leaders. He has proven time and time again that he possesses a deep personal passion for environmental issues, the reason and ingenuity that is necessary to get things accomplished in a volatile political arena and above all, the immense courage required to take on the environmental challenges facing the state of California today.

By Ella Arnold

As a student who is currently enrolled in a California State University, I have witnessed the devastating effects that the higher education crisis is having on this state. My student fees have increased with the coming of each new semester. My professors have had to completely redesign their courses so that they can teach as many students as the fire code will allow in a classroom at a time. My fellow students and I are "crashing" any open classes left and right, trying to get enough units to reach full-time status so that we can qualify for financial aid and health insurance.

My fellow students and I are idealistic and optimistic. We believe in hope and change. And we want a candidate for lieutenant governor who will make higher education reform the top priority in their campaign. As the situation stands Gavin Newsom is the only candidate in the race for lieutenant governor who is looking out for California’s students by proposing unique solutions to the problems that have plagued California’s once world-class education system for decades.

Mayor Newsom’s fresh perspective on education reform is resonating with California’s students. And as a result, Students for Gavin Newsom (SFGN) has established chapters at numerous California colleges and high schools up and down the state, making it the arguably the largest grassroots student movement ever organized in the state of California.

We are living in an era where a bachelor's degree is no longer preferred-but required-in order to land most jobs. So not only is this higher education crisis threatening the economic well being of California's students now but it will threaten the economy of this entire state and this whole country in the future, if something is not done to solve it.

There are several solutions to help combat the state's higher education crisis. One of the most obvious is adopting an oil severance tax-which would tax the oil as it is pumped from the ground. California is the only state in the country that does not have this tax and it is costing us dearly. Another solution is to repeal the requirement that the state legislature must have a two-thirds majority in order to raise taxes or pass a budget. We are all familiar with the culture of partisanship and greed that plagues the politicians in Sacramento. It is high time that we make these politicians work for us, their constituents, rather than working against their colleagues in the halls of the State Capitol Building.

Students are too often accused of being politically apathetic and blissfully ignorant of what is going on in the world around us. But as anyone who has recently stepped foot on a college campus knows, times have changed. We want a candidate for lieutenant governor who recognizes that higher education reform is the answer to the problems that California has been dealing with for far too long.

There are no small or easy ways to solve California's higher education problems. The time has come for audacious, sweeping higher education reform. The time has come for candidates who embrace the big and the bold and are unafraid of taking risks. The time has come for Gavin Newsom to shake up Sacramento.