Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Despite Last-Minute Changes, Senate Bill Deals Big Blow to Renewable Energy

17 hours ago

Trump-Backed Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Passes US Senate

19 hours ago

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Says CNN May Be Prosecuted Over Report on Migration App

19 hours ago

Israeli Officials to Hold Ceasefire Talks in Washington Amid Military Escalation in Gaza

20 hours ago

Trump Escalates Feud With Musk, Threatens Tesla, SpaceX Support

20 hours ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

1 day ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

2 days ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

2 days ago
Walters: Vaccine Rollout Could Make or Break Newsom
dan_walters
By Dan Walters, CalMatters Commentary
Published 5 years ago on
December 20, 2020

Share

Nearly halfway through his first term, Gavin Newsom faces a critical period that could make or break his governorship.

After climbing the political ladder to the governor’s office, Newsom intended to make his mark with “big hairy audicious goals,” such as ending homelessness and creating a single-payer health care program.

Dan Walters

Opinion

However, scarcely a year after inauguration, and without making much progress on anything hairy or audacious, Newsom was forced to pivot into managing a response to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s not the role he sought, but it’s the one that likely will define his governorship.

To date, his managerial record has been spotty at best and chaotic at worst. Since issuing his first emergency order in March, Newsom has taken the state’s 40 million residents on a rollercoaster ride.

He initially imposed restrictions that shut down much of the economy and threw hundreds of thousands, even millions, out of work, then relaxed them two months later only to crack down again in July, and ease up a few weeks later. Finally, this month, he clamped down again as the state’s infection and death rates soared and hospitals were nearly overwhelmed with patients.

Newsom insists that his actions are based in science, but some decrees on what was shut down and what was allowed to remain open defied simple logic and seemed to be dictated by which sectors were deemed expendable and which would cause a political backlash.

Newsom Apologized After the San Francisco Chronicle Revealed the Dinner

Through it all, Newsom made regular appearances on internet webcasts to explain, or so he said, what was happening, but they were mostly repetitive talkathons filled with jargon and jumbles of numbers, rather than straightforward messages to a confused and frightened public.

Worst of all, as Newsom was beseeching Californians to wear their masks and avoid infection-spreading gatherings, he was caught on camera having an intimate dinner, sans masks, with some Capitol lobbyists at a very expensive restaurant in Napa.

Newsom apologized after the San Francisco Chronicle revealed the dinner, but the damage was done. He was exposed as a hypocrite who exempted himself and his cronies from the personal restrictions he wanted everyone else to follow.

Newsom now has a chance to redeem himself, at least partially, as long-awaited coronavirus vaccines begin to be administered. Once again he’s begging Californians to obey the personal behavior guidelines he had violated.

“This is the beginning of the end,” Newsom tweeted. “We can do this. Wear a mask. Stay home as much as possible. Let’s crush this curve and get to the finish line.”

The vaccine rollout will be critical not only to Californians and their battered economy, but to Newsom’s tarnished image. If it goes smoothly, he’ll bask in the glow of success. But if there are major glitches — if inoculation becomes another managerial catastrophe like the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Employment Development Department — it will be hung around his neck.

Looking for Another Angel With Deep Pockets

A recall movement lurks in the background and seems to be benefiting from the restaurant incident. The state Republican Party and other conservative groups say they are more than halfway toward the 1.5 million signatures needed to put a recall on the ballot with three months to go in their 160-day window.

Eighteen years ago, those who wanted to recall then-Gov. Gray Davis were roughly in the same boat until Darrell Issa, a wealthy Republican congressman, contributed enough money to place the recall on the ballot, culminating in Davis’ ouster and the election of action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Those who want to short-circuit Newsom’s career are looking for another angel with deep pockets and if they are successful, Newsom’s management of COVID-19 could face a direct referendum next year.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

[activecampaign form=19]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

DON'T MISS

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

DON'T MISS

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

DON'T MISS

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

DON'T MISS

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

DON'T MISS

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

UP NEXT

Israel Faces Genocide Accusations Amid Gaza Food Aid Killings

UP NEXT

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

UP NEXT

Much of LA’s Community of Immigrants Is Hiding, Leaving a Hole in the Fabric of the City

UP NEXT

Things Netanyahu Might Say if Injected With Truth Serum

UP NEXT

California Politicians Ignore Ag’s Troubles, but Boost Movie Business

UP NEXT

Trump’s Courageous and Correct Decision to Bomb Iran

UP NEXT

How the Attacks on Iran Are Part of a Much Bigger Global Struggle

UP NEXT

Groceries Are Now a Luxury. So Is Breathing.

UP NEXT

California Politicians Agree on School Money, but Poor Test Scores Need Attention

UP NEXT

Sen. Alex Padilla: This Is How an Administration Acts When It’s Afraid

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

12 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

12 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

12 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

12 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

13 hours ago

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

14 hours ago

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

14 hours ago

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

14 hours ago

Jury Reaches Verdict on Some Counts at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Trafficking Trial

14 hours ago

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

14 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration released about 150 National Guard troops on Tuesday in the first pullback since it dispatched a milit...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

An Israeli military convoy manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
11 hours ago

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

Abel Joel Garcia Zarate, 39, of Biola, was arrested Sunday, June, 30, 2025, in Madera County on suspicion of starting a wildfire just hours after crews responded to a separate blaze sparked by farm equipment. (Madera County SO)
12 hours ago

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

12 hours ago

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERSStringerFile Photo
12 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

12 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

Lara Trump looks on during Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump's rally, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. (Reuters File)
12 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 13, 2025. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend