‘Science was on the ballot.’ Gavin Newsom says recall proved voters back his COVID approach
A day after his landslide victory over the recall, Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to his win and the state’s low COVID-19 rates as vindication of his pandemic approach.
“Science was on the ballot,” Newsom told reporters during a Wednesday visit to an Oakland school. “Our approach to this pandemic, vaccinations, were on the ballot last night.”
Votes are still being tallied, but opponents of the recall amassed such a commanding lead in early returns that the Associated Press called the race less than an hour after polls closed. As of Wednesday afternoon, the “no” side had about 64% of the vote.
In the last seven days, California has recorded the lowest per capita case rate in the country, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Newsom used his appearance at the school to also highlight that his approach to school safety seems to be working, too. His much-criticized policy requiring children to wear masks in classrooms, he noted, was the first such statewide order in the country.
Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis forbid schools from imposing mask mandates, has six times more children hospitalized with COVID-19 than California, Newsom said.
“It’s been proven, at scale, in states like Florida, Texas, Mississippi,” Newsom said. “You see what happens when you are not led by science and vaccines in any of the pandemic but you’re led by ideology and politics. They went off a COVID cliff.”
Newsom has issued requirements that health care workers be vaccinated against COVID and that teachers and state workers either get vaccinated or be tested weekly. He said he doesn’t currently plan to issue a statewide requirement for people to show proof of vaccination to attend indoor or large outdoor events, as Los Angeles County has done. He also declined to predict whether he would require school children to get vaccinated once coronavirus vaccines are approved for their age group.
“We believe in localism, we want to support local health decisions,” he said. “One thing you learn when you become governor California, when you’re governing state that’s larger than 21 state populations combined, you have to have sort of a dynamic mindset in terms of local decision-making based on local conditions.”
The overwhelming rejection of the recall by California voters gave fuel to Democrats who say the process needs changing because it let a small number of voters force an unjustified special election.
Introducing Newsom in Oakland, state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, said the recall strengthened him politically and “vaccinated the governor against Republican temper tantrums.”
After chatting and playing basketball with children on the playground, Newsom took a humble tone in his remarks, saying the election was a reminder that he faces a deadline to accomplish what he has set out to in the governor’s office. He said the results have energized him, but also given him a “deep sense of responsibility.”
“For me, coming out of this recall, I want to turn the page and express respect and a deep sense of responsibility not just to those that voted no on this recall, but those who voted yes,” Newsom said. “They matter. I care, and I want them to know I’m going to do my best to have their backs.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 3:40 PM with the headline "‘Science was on the ballot.’ Gavin Newsom says recall proved voters back his COVID approach."