Mandates for thee, but not for Newsom

“Do as I say, not as I do” is a catchphrase for hypocrisy. There’s even a book about it, “Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy,” by conservative muckraker Peter Schweitzer.

One example among dozens: In 2002 Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the future House speaker, was given the Cesar Chavez Award from the United Farm Workers. This was despite the fact that she and her husband, Paul, owned a plush Napa Valley vineyard employing non-union farm workers.

And who could forget the countless liberal politicians, from Pelosi to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who were caught violating coronavirus restrictions they themselves promoted and imposed on millions of others?

Here’s a 2023 example should there be a new edition of the book.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed Senate Bill 54, by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley.

It mandated venture capital firms in the state must file with the state Civil Rights Department yearly, detailed diversity data on the “founding team,” meaning the original owners and major original contributors, such as researchers.

Categories include race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability status, LGBTQ+ identification, veteran or disabled veteran status, California residency and anyone who refused to respond to a questionnaire.

“This bill resonates deeply with my commitment to advance equity and provide for greater economic empowerment of historically underrepresented communities,” he said upon signing the bill.

But in a brazen act of hypocrisy Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 702, by state Sen. Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara. The bill would have required the governor’s office, beginning in 2006, to provide similar information on his appointees to state boards and commissions.

In his veto message, he said the reporting required by the bill is “optional and self-reported by candidates,” so it “would not necessarily accurately reflect the diversity of appointees.”

But it would have given us some information. It would also give insight into whether Newsom himself is capable of living up to the standards he is apparently comfortable imposing on others.

This also is troubling because the public sector ought to live by higher standards than the private sector because it uses the public’s money and the law to coerce results.

The private sector does not. Indeed, the SB 54 mandates on venture capital firms are an unnecessary burden that will drive such firms from the state.

Federal, state and local laws already ban discrimination, and are enforced by the Civil Rights Department and other entities.

Newsom knows this, of course, but he values virtue signaling above everything else. This was made clear by his veto of SB 702.