Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) continued his rhetorical war with red states Monday, blasting Texas and Florida for purportedly banning books while defending his state as a bastion for parental rights.
The governor of the most populous state in the country singled out his favorite foil, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), during remarks at a Sacramento area school Monday but noted that such “bans” were not limited to the Sunshine State.
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“Libraries quite literally are being shut down where librarians are being threatened by criminal action for expressing themselves or providing resources, activities, providing books for students that seek them,” Newsom said. He specifically referenced Houston Independent School District, which has been taken over by the Texas state government because of poor academic performance.
“If you think I exaggerate, just Google what’s happening in Houston, Texas. The school district was taken over, and they’re shutting down the libraries and turning them into de facto detention facilities,” Newsom said. “You cannot make this up.”
The Houston school district has closed several school libraries and repurposed them, primarily for computer use and, in some cases, disciplinary spaces, according to the New York Times.
In Florida, Newsom said, schools are trying to eliminate Shakespeare because it’s “too sexually charged.” The reference was likely to reports from Hillsborough County Public Schools, where new curriculum standards indicated only excerpts of the famed English playwright’s works would be read.
DeSantis has defended initiatives in Florida to restrict certain content from children, namely books containing pornographic imagery.
Newsom also touted his state as a bastion for parents, arguing no state outdoes California on “local control and parental engagement.” Outside groups, he said, have agitated and misled parents into thinking that schools are “sexualizing” children.
“I’m deeply empathetic because I watched some of these poor parents, and they’ve been so misled by these organized groups,” he said, noting that he supported the rights of parents to speak out.
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“I just hope they exercise their rights that are well established in the state of California. … These things are points of pride. They should be celebrating them and modeling them for the rest of the country. Moms for Liberty may want to take a look at [that],” he added, referring to the conservative parental rights organization, before noting that the group “want[s] to get rid of mental health professionals.”
The comments are the latest in a war of words between Newsom and red state governors, especially DeSantis, whom he has challenged to a debate moderated by Fox News’s Sean Hannity. DeSantis, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, has agreed to the debate, but the specific rules and parameters have yet to be agreed to.
