Watch Gov. Newsom Address California In 2021 State Of The State

CALIFORNIA — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday evening will deliver his third State of the State address, which is likely to kick off a political campaign as he faces a formidable recall effort.

Newsom's approval ratings have dwindled over the course of a tumultuous year in California. Tuesday's speech is one he has spent weeks prepping — and it's likely the most critical speech of his career to date.

While the State of the State is normally given in the Capitol to a joint session of the Legislature, Newsom will face a virtual Golden State prime-time audience at 6 p.m. from an empty Dodger Stadium.

"Dodger Stadium represents California's spirit of service," Sahar Robertson, Newsom's spokesperson, said in a statement Monday. "Once filled with dedicated fans, it is now filled with dedicated health care providers, doing their part to vaccinate some of the most vulnerable Californians against COVID-19."

The number of the arena's empty seats — 56,000 — is nearly the same as the number of Californians who have died from the coronavirus over the past year.

The Democratic governor declared the state's first shelter-in-place order on March 19, 2020, to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. As that date draws near again, Newsom has been working to reopen California as vaccinations in the Golden State continue to rise.

Just hours before the governor's address, nine more counties moved from restrictive tiers, an achievement he is likely to discuss Tuesday, along with other reopening plans.

The state announced a 2.1 percent positivity rate over a seven-day period this week. "It's one of the lowest in the United States," Newsom said, speaking from a vaccination center on Monday as he discussed "getting back to whatever semblance of normalcy that we recall and remember."

Watch Newsom live as delivers his third State of the State from Los Angeles.

Newsom's 2021 State of the State address will begin at 6 p.m. and will be livestreamed on the governor's Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages.

LIVE NOW: Governor @GavinNewsom will reflect on California’s journey through the pandemic and towards a brighter future in his State of the State address from @Dodgers Stadium. https://t.co/9uMbRejpW2
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) March 10, 2021