‘I am the most qualified person on this ticket’ + CalChamber names a new CEO
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
MEET JACKIE MCGOWAN, CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR
She might not be a household name in California, but in the Capitol, Jacqueline McGowan’s name is known, particularly among those versed in the politics of cannabis.
McGowan has worked as a lobbyist and cannabis policy advocate for seven years, and prior to that she spent 18 years on Wall Street, according to her campaign website.
And now, she’s running for governor.
“I am the most qualified person on this ticket,” she said.
In an interview with The Bee, McGowan said that she initially decided to run for governor because of how California’s government has treated the cannabis industry, but that she has since expanded both her horizons and her platform.
“Since then, I’ve had to evolve from a one-issue platform to a multi-issue platform,” she said.
That platform includes decriminalizing psilocybin, bolstering eviction protection laws for tenants and following Nevada in legalizing sex work.
For the latter, McGowan says there are both moral (“Why are we punishing women for trying to feed their families with the oldest known profession?”) and economic (“I’m looking at emerging markets to lift the economy back up.”) reasons to allow sex workers to operate in a regulated, and well-taxed, environment.
And she hasn’t forgotten the cannabis industry.
On day one, McGowan said she was sign a trio of executive orders, eliminating the cannabis cultivation tax, reducing the cannabis excise tax to 10% and declaring cannabis an agricultural product.
In fact, McGowan said she would rely on executive orders as governor, rather than relying on the Democratic super-majority-controlled Legislature.
“I would be passing executive orders to bypass the corruption that exists at that level,” she said.
Though McGowan has been somewhat agnostic about whether Gov. Gavin Newsom should be removed from office (saying on her website “I am not going to urge you to vote yes on Question 1 on the recall ballot.”), she didn’t hesitate to critique the governor’s job handling of the recall effort.
She said that Newsom and the California Democratic Party’s efforts to label the recall as “the Republican recall” was a waste of money. She said that Newsom should have met with recall supporters and personally heard their concerns.
“He is not reaching out to the people that are that upset with him,” she said.
As for the recall election, no matter how it shakes out on Sept. 14 (the last day for ballots to be turned in), she’s a politician now. If she doesn’t win the office of governor, she plans to run for another office in the near future.
“Regardless of how this shakes out, I am forever changed,” she said. “...A pickle cannot go back to being a cucumber.”
CALCHAMBER HAS A NEW CEO
Via Jeong Park...
The California Chamber of Commerce is promiting from within for its next president and CEO, with the organization’s Board of Directors appointing Executive Vice President Jennifer Barrera to the position.
Barrera will start in her new role in 2022 after the current president and CEO Allan Zaremberg retires at the end of 2021. Zaremberg has been the president and CEO of the state’s main business advocacy organization for 23 years.
“Jennifer is respected by CalChamber members for her leadership and advocacy on business issues,” Zaremberg said in the organization’s announcement of Barrera’s appointment. “California employers will be well served as she assumes the role of CalChamber President and CEO.”
Barrera joined CalChamber in 2010 after working at a statewide law firm Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger where she represented employers in labor issues. She became the organization’s senior vice president in 2018 after years of heading its advocacy on labor, employment, and taxation issues. She became executive vice president in 2019.
In its announcement, CalChamber said Barrera is “well known” for successfully pushing back against what the organization deems as “job killer” bills as well as working with employers on issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I look forward to continuing the important work of CalChamber that will ensure California’s economic success, protect our jobs climate, promote international trade and provide the very best compliance resources available for employers,” Barrera said in the announcement.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Congratulations (Jennifer Barrera) for being selected as the new CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce. Really happy for you, but pls stop killing my bills. Thanks.”
- Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, via Twitter.
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