Signing a bill authorizing supervised injection sites would almost certainly lead to accusations that he was sanctioning illegal drug use. Crime in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco is already a favored topic of conservative pundits. Nothing Newsom does stays solely in the realm of California politics, especially as he wages a crusade to raise his national profile. Worsening drug consumption challenges in these areas is not a risk we can take.”Ĭontext, as always, is extremely important here. These unintended consequences in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland cannot be taken lightly. Newsom: “It is possible that these sites would help improve the safety and health of our urban areas, but if done without a strong plan, they could work against this purpose. But he said in his veto message Monday that he’s concerned that Senate Bill 57 would’ve allowed an “unlimited number” of safe injection sites. Newsom had previously expressed openness to the idea. Jerry Brown did the same thing four years ago - vetoing a bill (introduced by then-Assemblymember Susan Eggman and co-authored by Wiener) that would’ve let San Francisco operate safe injection sites after a three-year pilot program. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) that would have allowed three cities to operate safe injection sites for illegal drugs, marking the second time a California governor has nixed the idea, which advocates say would have ultimately reduced overdoses and deaths.įormer Gov. Gavin Newsom yesterday vetoed a divisive and high-profile piece of legislation by Sen. Presented by SEIU United Healthcare Workers West