Democrats seeking California governor strut their stuff for powerful union leaders

Given California’s daunting — even existential — array of social, economic and fiscal crises, it’s remarkable that anyone would volunteer to become its governor.

However, Gavin Newsom will vacate the office 19 months hence, with most of those crises still in place, and at least seven Democratic politicians yearn to succeed him.

Former state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Rep. Katie Porter...