Focus more on California and less on Florida, governor

Perhaps no one in California history is as skilled as Gov. Gavin Newsom at capturing the political spotlight.

If only he was as good at governing in Sacramento. It’s something for voters to remember as the governor boosts his national profile for a possible run at the presidency in the years ahead.

The governor made national news again Thursday when he called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would embed gun restrictions popular in California and other states nationwide. In a tweet and a campaign-style video, Newsom proposed a 28th Amendment that would raise the minimum age to purchase any gun to 21, install universal background checks on all gun transfers, impose a “reasonable” waiting period for gun buyers to pick up their weapon, and ban the civilian purchase of assault weapons.

It was all a part of his ongoing campaign to point out the differences between his progressive approach to governing California and red states’ conservative style of governing — and, in particular, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. As if there was any doubt about the contrast in their politics.

This wasn’t the first time that Newsom has attacked red states on gun control He’s also used his platform to point out his differences with DeSantis on immigration, education, abortion, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, contraceptive rights and more. The California governor went so far as to buy ads urging Florida residents to “join the fight” against DeSantis.

Newsom happens to be on the right side of every one of those issues. The nation needs stricter gun control laws, and the governor’s proposal is worthy of support. But he knows better than anyone that the idea of enacting a 28th Amendment is as likely as Newsom switching political parties.

As San Jose State University political scientist emeritus Larry Gerston points out, there have been roughly 11,000 attempts to amend the Constitution since 1789. Only 27 have succeeded. To become law, the proposed amendment would need to pass both the House of Representatives and Senate by a two-thirds majority vote or be proposed by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Then it would need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states — 38 out of 50.

The time spent garnering the national spotlight wouldn’t be an issue if Newsom was taking care of business in his home state.

But lawmakers in Sacramento are still fighting over how to deal with California’s $32.1 billion budget deficit. The governor also has work to do on the state’s pressing issues of affordable housing, homelessness, water, education and health care.

Focusing on those problems is both Newsom’s job and the best way to raise his national profile.