Time after time, Governor Gavin Newsom seems to find himself on the ropes. But whether it’s one of President Donald Trump’s tweets, a Trump supporter saying or doing something stupid, or the COVID-19 pandemic structure of press conferences, Newsom has been able to glide past the controversies without much accountability.
Beyond the sour taste left over from the Governor’s French Laundry fiasco, new challenges and questions keep dogging this Governor.
- Out-of-state prisoners secured millions of dollars in scamming pandemic unemployment benefits. This comes on the heels of reports that in-state prisoners in CA and other states scammed an estimated $4 billion in California relief funds.
- California’s coveted businesses leaving the state.
- Refusing to provide the data behind his shutdown orders or why some businesses are allowed to remain open, when other are shutdown.
This past week, Gov. Newsom was on the ropes again regarding vaccine distributions. Newsom promised a streamlined COVID-19 vaccine distribution system, but only 35% of vaccine doses that have arrived in California have been administered. What happened to the rest of the vaccine? Were they wasted?
The following day, there was a dramatic dramatic siege of the U.S. Capitol by far-right Trump supporters. That siege bought Gov. Newsom a few extras days to get his vaccine distribution proposal in place.
The love affair with the media maybe over for Gov. Newsom, as reporters continue to question Newsom on why he cannot stick to his promises. But he’s successfully dodged and been vague in his responses – if he responds at all.
Will his legacy be that of a Teflon governor? Let’s hope not. We Californians want accountability for those (including President Trump) behind the ugly and shameful mob invasion of our nation’s capital. But let’s not ease the pressure off our own Governor, whose leadership and accountability were deservedly being scrutinized before the cameras and questions turned to the East Coast.
