California Nation podcast: Can Gov. Newsom regain control of the state’s coronavirus crisis?
Click the player above to hear three former gubernatorial advisors weigh in on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus response.
In his second year as California governor, Gavin Newsom finds himself dealing with an unprecedented crisis: the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite early success in bending the curve, coronavirus infections, and COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, are now surging in California.
What happened? What did Newsom get right, what did Newsom get wrong and what should he do moving forward? This week on California Nation I talk to three people who have advised previous governors through crises. My guests are:
▪ Elizabeth Ashford, former advisor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Jerry Brown
▪ Steven Maviglio, former press secretary to Gov. Gray Davis
▪ Joe Rodota, former cabinet secretary to Gov. Pete Wilson
“There was a zig zag in policy,” says Maviglio, who served as Gov. Davis’ spokesman during the energy crisis in 2000.
Joe Rodota, a former advisor to Gov. Wilson, describes Newsom’s response as “all over the map.”
“You’ve got him spending cycles on regulating hair salons while prisoners are being transferred who have the virus,” Rodota says, noting an outbreak in California prisons like San Quentin. “The nail salon problem is not something I would ever have brought to the attention of a governor. The prisons, however …”
Newsom drew praise for his decision to issue the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order in March. But his subsequent decision to quickly reopen the state before it was safe to do so has drawn criticism – and resulted in a deadly spike in infections and hospitalizations.
“You’re going to have very upset people all the time, reaching out, contacting, raising … all kinds of drama,” said Ashford, who advised both Gov. Schwarzenegger and Gov. Brown. “But you have to stay focused on the essential services and the essential things.”
Click the player at the top of the page to hear this episode of California Nation, and don’t forget to subscribe:
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "California Nation podcast: Can Gov. Newsom regain control of the state’s coronavirus crisis?."