Gavin Newsom torn to shreds over his report on California’s population: ‘He’s blatantly lying’
A new report reveals California lost over 50,000 residents in the past year, contradicting Governor Gavin Newsom's claim on HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher' that the state's population is growing. State officials attribute the decline primarily to a drop in legal international migration, which they blame on federal immigration policy changes. Critics, including Republican officials, accuse Newsom of misleading the public and failing to address underlying issues like housing costs and affordability.
- ▪California lost more than 50,000 residents last year, according to the state’s Department of Finance.
- ▪Legal international migration to California dropped by over 50% from 2024 to 2025, falling from 248,400 to 126,400 people.
- ▪Four of California’s ten largest cities, including Los Angeles, saw population declines in the past year.
- ▪State officials stated that without federal immigration restrictions, California would have gained 66,000 residents.
- ▪Critics argue that high housing costs and poor living conditions in California are driving residents away, not federal immigration enforcement.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Politics Gavin Newsom torn to shreds over his report on California’s population: ‘He’s blatantly lying’ By Josh Koehn Published May 2, 2026, 11:07 p.m. ET A grim new report found California lost more than 50,000 residents last year, leaving Gov. Gavin Newsom and state officials talking out of both sides of their mouths on which direction the state is headed. On Friday, the state’s Department of Finance issued a defensive press release blaming a “full year of restrictive federal policy changes” on legal international migration, which slashed California’s population growth by more than half. The agency dismissed the loss of tens of thousands of people as a “slight” population drop that represented less than one-seventh of 1%.
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