Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) issued an executive order Wednesday aimed at fighting the mental health crisis among young men and boys in California.
Newsom’s office said men aged 15–44 in California die by suicide at three to four times the rate of women, often via firearms. Nationwide, suicide landed in the top five leading causes of death for those of any gender aged 10 to 44 in 2022.
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“Too many young men and boys are suffering in silence — disconnected from community, opportunity, and even their own families,” Newsom said in a statement. “This action is about turning that around. It’s about showing every young man that he matters and there’s a path for him of purpose, dignity, work, and real connection.”
The order directs the California Health and Human Services Agency to develop a plan to address the suicide crisis and “to examine existing data on gender disparities to identify any gaps in service delivery and assess potential changes to address disparities.”
It also attempts to promote initiatives to help young men and boys with education and employment as well as address the “lack of male role models” to young men and boys. $20 million freshly awarded through the California Apprenticeship Council (CAC) Training Funds will go to apprenticeship training in the state.
Newsom’s efforts come after men under 50 swung to the Republican party in the 2024 election. A Pew Research survey found that men 18 to 49 shifted to Trump by 11 points, favoring him by a single point over former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Democrats like Newsom have been trying to get young men back in the fold since. One way has been to flock to outlets that young men favor, like podcasts. Young males favored podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience.
Newsom released an episode on his podcast, which has many male guests ranging from MAGA figures to Democrats, with Richard Reeves, the founder and president of the American Institute for Boys and Men.
“If you tune into the podcast, you may have noticed a theme — a theme that continues to emerge around men and boys,” Newsom said. “What is going on with our men and boys? Increasingly isolated, increasingly feeling disengaged, disconnected, depressed.”
The California governor is a potential 2028 presidential candidate and could be hoping he can turn the party’s fortunes around with men. Many accused the Democratic Party of not caring about young men.
A Democratic-funded review of young men showed they believe “neither party has our back.”
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Young men viewed “the Democratic Party as overly-scripted and cautious, while Republicans are seen as confident and unafraid to offend,” a Politico report on the review said.
“Democrats are seen as weak, whereas Republicans are seen as strong,” Ilyse Hogue, a co-founder of the Speaking with American Men project, said. “Young men also spoke of being invisible to the Democratic coalition, and so you’ve got this weak problem and then you’ve got this, ‘I don’t think they care about me’ problem, and I think the combination is kind of a killer.”