Gavin Newsom is often mentioned by Democrats as a possible presidential candidate - maybe even this year - but if he's going to take a shot at a seat behind the Resolute Desk, he'd be well advised to figure out how to answer direct questions. Or, at least, not look like he is so painfully and obviously dodging.

The Golden State's budget deficit is at least $45 billion, a shortfall so large it prompted Newsom to propose painful spending cuts impacting immigrants, kindergarteners and low-income parents seeking child care in a state often lauded for having the world's fifth-largest economy. 

California spent $24 billion tackling homelessness over five years but didn't track if the money was helping the state's growing number of unhoused people, a damning report says.

At a press conference announcing his plans, he was asked by Angela Hart of KFF Health News if he felt his administration did enough to ensure the money was well spent and if he was worried the appetite for spending was lessening based on the homelessness program.

The usually confident Democrat hemmed and hawed for two minutes, to which Hart responded: 'I'm sorry governor, I didn't hear responses to either of those questions.' 

The "usually confident" Democrat? Well, if they say so.

It's good to see a reporter holding a politician somewhat to account, but she didn't hold the Governor's feet to the fire.

The governor said throughout his initial answer that the problem was dealing with local governments but Newsom was clearly chastened by Hart's retort.

Newsom finally leveled, saying the audit 'did not surprise me' and he agreed with most of its findings and said that the state has made unprecedented investments and tried to increase accountability from local governments for that spending.

'As it relates to the public mood... more is not always better, the public want to see results,' he added.

Hart finally thanked him for his answer, calling it 'thorough' before asking Newsom about cuts to healthcare spending and climate change.

If Gavin Newsom had any self-awareness, he'd understand that some problems can't be solved by throwing taxpayer dollars at them.

See Related: Newsom's Revised Budget Is a Joke; He's Laughing All the Way to Rome to Pontificate on Climate Change 

Newsom-Appointed Regulators Vote to Change California Electric Bills, Rewarding People Who Use More Power

Newsom has been throwing taxpayer money at California's "unhoused" for years now, and last year, the number of homeless increased by six percent. The state now has a third of the country's homeless population. 

Everything Newsom and California have tried doing has made this problem worse. Dumping loads of taxpayer dollars at the issue isn't working. California's municipal governments are pursuing similar idiotic policies, and they are not working, either.

See Related: San Francisco Spends Millions on Free Alcohol for Homeless Individuals, Igniting Controversy

Here's what California Democrats don't understand: What you subsidize, you get more of; what you tax or regulate, you get less of. Taxing the homeless won't accomplish anything, since they clearly don't care about any regulations concerning such things as, say, sanitation, zoning, or private property rights. But the one thing California's state government, and most of their municipal governments, are failing at is one of the core responsibilities of government at any level - keeping basic public order.

And Gavin Newsom probably sits up at night wondering why the productive residents are leaving California. Or, at least he would if he was capable of understanding the implications of that flight.