While Gavin Newsom was in China, Eleni Kounalakis was acting governor. What’d she do?

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ELENI KOUNALAKIS’ BIG WEEK IN THE BIG CHAIR

Last week was a big one for California’s governor.

We’re speaking, of course, of acting Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who spent the week in the big chair. Oh, and we suppose that Gavin Newsom guy did some stuff, too.

But seriously, last week offered Kounalakis one of the biggest opportunities yet to serve as California’s chief executive, and it comes as she is campaigning to do just that on a full-time basis in 2026.

So what does that actually look like?

Aleksandra Reetz, Kounalakis’ deputy chief of staff, told The Sacramento Bee that the lieutenant governor’s office works closely with the office of the governor when the latter is out of state.

“As Acting Governor, the LG continues to fulfill her regular duties and steps in to execute the duties of the Governor as needed, whether that’s signing a bill, issuing a proclamation, or responding to an emergency,” Reetz said in an email.

Last week, Kounalakis attended a number of events, including speaking at the California Chamber of Commerce, a housing event in Oakland and an NAACP event in San Francisco, though all of those events were on the books before Newsom’s trip to China was announced.

She also signed a proclamation declaring Oct. 25 as Larry Itliong Day, commemorating the Filipino-American activist and union organizer.

It’s worth noting that while Kounalakis officially serves as acting governor when Newsom leaves the state, Newsom remains in operational control. He is, after all, just a cellphone call away.

ELDER DROPS OUT OF RACE, ENDORSES TRUMP

He failed to become California’s governor. Now, it looks like he won’t be president, either.

Conservative radio host Larry Elder, who headlined 2021’s failed recall election against Newsom, last week announced that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsing GOP frontrunner and former President Donald Trump instead.

“The breakdown of the family structure and the absence of positive father figures in the lives of many children have far-reaching consequences for our society, including the crime wave we are currently seeing in America today. I hope that my campaign has helped shine a light on these critical issues and sparked important conversations about how we can solve them,” Elder said in a statement.

Elder said in a statement that Trump’s leadership “has been instrumental in advancing conservative, America-first principles and policies that have benefited our great nation.”

Elder then made a baseless allegation of election interference and thanked his volunteers, supporters and donors.

For many, Elder dropping out of the race may come as less of a shock than learning he was in the race to begin with.

Elder failed to garner enough polling numbers to make the stage at any of the GOP presidential primary debates. A Federal Elections Commission report, courtesy of Ballotpedia, shows that Elder raised a little over $1.4 million in his bid for the presidency, well below other, more prominent Republican candidates in the race.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“This event is a wake-up call to the powerful and mind-altering effects of these drugs, and the potential consequences when they are not managed appropriately. As California considers legalizing psychedelics, we must proceed cautiously.”

- Beth Parker of the California Coalition for Psychedelic Safety and Education, in a statement following news that an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot attempted to shutdown an airplane mid-flight after consuming psychedelic mushrooms.

Best of The Bee:

▪ Sacramento City Councilman Sean Loloee will not seek re-election to his North Sacramento seat, via Theresa Clift.

▪ A nonpartisan coalition of voting rights advocates has asked the California Secretary of State’s office to monitor upcoming elections in Shasta County because of concerns about safety and the spread of misinformation, via Jenavieve Hatch.

▪ California needs to reduce planet-warming gases — and quickly — if it is going to meet its ambitious climate targets and stave off the worst effects of global warming. But the amount of carbon pollution released into the atmosphere by the state’s residents actually increased last year, via Ari Plachta.

▪ The National Republican Congressional Committee is circulating a seven-year-old radio interview of a Democratic congressional candidate to depict her as a supporter of the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas, via Andrew Sheeler.

▪ Phil Isenberg, who served as a Sacramento city councilman, mayor, state assemblyman and mentor to a generation of local leaders, died Thursday after a brief illness. He was 84, via Ryan Lillis.