California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing pointed criticism from members of his own party — and across the aisle — after failing to appear in Stockton following a horrific mass shooting that claimed the lives of three children and a young man during a birthday party over the weekend.
The Stockton shooting, which erupted Saturday evening, left four dead — including two 8-year-old girls, a 14-year-old boy, and a 21-year-old man — and injured at least 17 others, according to updates from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and CBS News. The tragedy has shaken the Central Valley community, leaving families grieving and residents fearful of further violence. But what has drawn increasing attention is not just the scope of the devastation — it’s the governor’s silence and absence.
At a Wednesday gubernatorial forum, multiple Democratic contenders for governor voiced their disappointment in Newsom’s decision not to visit the grieving city. Ian Calderon, former Assembly Majority Leader and a current Democratic candidate, didn’t hold back.
“I believe the governor, he should have gone down to Stockton,” Calderon said, recalling his direct conversation with Stockton’s mayor. “This is an area in the Central Valley that already feels like their flyover country. Nobody cares about us. You fly over us. You only come here when you’re campaigning.”
It was a sentiment echoed by former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, another Democratic candidate who took a thinly veiled swipe at Newsom’s leadership style.
“I always showed up,” Villaraigosa said. “When I was a council member, I went to every single homicide in my district… I think it’s important to show up. And I’m not criticizing anyone. I don’t know where he was at. But I could tell you for me, you show up.”
Betty Yee, former state controller and a third Democrat in the race, agreed bluntly that yes, she would have gone to Stockton had she been governor. For her, the role of a leader in a moment like this is not just ceremonial — it’s essential.
But the sharpest rebuke came from Republican candidate Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, who challenged not just Newsom’s absence, but what he characterized as a pattern of political self-interest.
“Why isn’t the leader of the state there saying that this absolutely must stop and that the perpetrators will be held accountable?” Bianco asked. “This selfishness of our elected officials... it says a lot.”
While the community mourned, Newsom’s office did not respond to requests for comment — even as criticism mounted from both sides. According to some reports, Newsom may have been out of state for a speaking engagement or vacation at the time of the tragedy, though this has not been confirmed publicly.
The silence is deafening.
It’s not that a governor’s presence solves the aftermath of a mass shooting. But in moments like these — when children have been gunned down at a birthday party, and families are shattered — leadership is presence. It’s symbolic, yes, but symbolism is powerful. It’s what shows a grieving city that they’re not forgotten by Sacramento.
Instead, the people of Stockton — a city already battling generational poverty, violence, and underinvestment — were left wondering why, once again, their pain didn’t seem to warrant the attention of the state’s top official.