Governor Gavin Newsom abruptly canceled his plans on Friday to speak at an international climate conference in Scotland next week, citing family concerns.
Newsom, who has four kids aged 5 to 12, won’t go because of ‘family obligations,’, spokeswoman Erin Mellon said, without giving any detail on the reasons.
At the head of the California delegation is Democrat Eleni Kounalakis.
“The governor has a young family, and we should all be understanding, especially those of us who have been there,” said Kounalakis, who has two teenage children.
Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom were scheduled to participate in the 15-member U.N. conference together with some of the state’s top environmental regulators.
The decision to withdraw from the event was a surprise, especially as Newsom has made climate policy a central issue of his administrations.
Newsom enjoys his victory on the back of a compelling re-election victory last month that consolidates political power in the country’s most populous state as he completes his third year in office.
The UN conference would have afforded Newsom an opportunity to fully share the world stage with world leaders for the first time, allowing him to underline his ambitious climate agenda.