Governor Newsom cancels trip to UN climate conference

By ADAM BEAM and KATHLEEN RONAYNE | The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom connected Friday abruptly canceled his travel to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, forgoing a much-anticipated accidental to look connected an planetary signifier devoted to 1 of his signature issues.

Newsom, who has 4 children ages 5 to 12, won’t spell owed to “family obligations,” spokesperson Erin Mellon said without elaborating connected the reason.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a chap Democrat, volition pb California’s delegation successful Newsom’s place.

In an interrogation with The Associated Press, Kounalakis said she spoke to Newsom connected Thursday and had a consciousness she mightiness beryllium asked to spell to Scotland.

“The politician has a young household and we should each beryllium understanding, particularly those of america who person been there,” said Kounalakis, who has 2 teenage sons.

Newsom and his his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, had been planned to be the league with 15 authorities lawmakers and immoderate of the state’s apical biology regulators.

The determination to backmost retired of attending was a surprise, particularly since Newsom has made clime alteration policies a cardinal taxable of his administration.

Newsom has been enjoying his triumph from a convincing triumph successful a callback predetermination past period that solidified his governmental powerfulness successful the nation’s astir populous authorities arsenic helium completes his 3rd twelvemonth successful office.

The U.N. Conference would person fixed Newsom a accidental to stock the satellite signifier with planetary leaders successful a large mode for the archetypal clip and allowed him to item his ambitious clime agenda.

It includes a projected a prohibition connected the merchantability of each caller gas-powered cars successful California by 2035, a prohibition connected each lipid drilling by 2045 and outlawing the merchantability of caller gas-powered tract instrumentality by 2024 oregon whenever authorities regulators find that is feasible.

Instead, Mellon said Newsom “will beryllium participating virtually, focusing connected California’s landmark clime alteration policies.”

Kounalakis said California volition beryllium well-represented astatine the league contempt Newsom’s absence.

“The politician has a precise wide docket astir combatting clime alteration and clime resiliency,” she said. “We are a 22-member delegation with tremendous expertise and unneurotic we volition transportation the governor’s docket and connection and imaginativeness to Glasgow.”