In Governor Newsom’s inauguration speech he stated that he would be aggressive with his budget while at the same time practicing fiscal conservatism to ensure that the budget surplus is not drained. He talked about bold plans to invest in affordable housing as well as healthcare, but still preached fiscal conservatism.

In the past week, it appears as if Governor Newsom has kept to that pledge with two executive moves that appear to be fiscally conservative and/or responsible.

First, Newsom stated that he would be pulling California National Guard troops from the border to better allocate resources to more pressing issues in California, like wildfires. Even though California right now is experiencing historic rain fall and there is absolutely no imminent threat of wildfires anywhere in the state.

Second, Newsom stated in his State of the State speech that he would be putting Governor Moonbeam’s High Speed Rail project “far on the backburner.” His reasoning is that there is no logical way to build a high speed rail from San Diego to Sacramento, let alone from LA to San Francisco and that the cost is too prohibitive to keep going. However (and here’s the rub) since they would look into plans to build a High Speed Rail through the Central Valley from Bakersfield to Merced, it wouldn’t be a total loss.

Now at first blush, many conservatives or moderates may look at this past week and say “Wow I can’t believe Governor Newsom is actually exercising restraint when it comes to our budget.” But don’t be so quick to lap praise on our new Governor.

While they may appear as responsible moves on his part as Governor, it is easy to see through for his motives.

It’s no secret that Newsom is no fan of President Trump and his crusade to bring border security to America. His move to remove California National Guard troops is nothing more than a thinly veiled power play with President Trump. While Governor Moonbeam may have acquiesced and sent troops to the border, Newsom was not going to have any of that. To further try and argue that it was to “fight wildfires” is so blatantly false that it’s insulting to Californians. It was not to conserve resources but to poke President Trump in the eye. It’s not like President Trump can’t just assert his authority to nationalize and send them back, but the message is loud and clear, don’t interfere in my state.

Further, Newsom’s decision to scrap the High Speed Rail from LA to SF seems commendable, but his alternative again gives away his intention again. If Newsom were to simply give up the project, he would have to return the $3.5 billion that was granted the state back to the federal government. This isn’t nefarious, he came out and said it. By continuing with another High Speed Rail project, California can keep the money and not send it back to President Trump to be spent on other projects (like a wall perhaps?)

While it is true that Newsom has shown some fiscal restraint, it doesn’t take much to see right through it as more political calculus. But regardless of his moves to try and play big on a national stage against President Trump, Newsom will have to be a careful steward of the state’s finances going forward.

It has been reported by a piece in American Thinker that California missed the budget in January by $1.8 billion due to a $2.5 billion crash in personal income tax collections. Even though the state has missed its budget in December and January, Newsom is still plowing ahead with his ambitious budget that includes $5.2 billion for his “Cradle to Career” program and $100 million for refugees fleeing Central American violence. To put it bluntly, California has a spending problem right now, and Newsom plowing ahead with deficit spending is not going to help ensure that $20 billion surplus is around for too long.

One thing is certain, Newsom does not make any move without any sort of political benefit. Sometimes it is overtly obvious as to what he is up to, and sometimes it will be more nefarious. Therefore, it’s even more important than ever to keep a watchful eye on Governor Newsom to see whether he is making moves to help Californians, or to simply help himself.