Now that a massive political earthquake is threatening to topple the career of California’s liberal governor, CBS This Morning has again rediscovered the recall effort against Gavin Newsom. On Wednesday, reporter Carter Evans conceded that many think the Democrat is “destroying” the state. But the journalist also skipped mentioning the main event that sparked the massive recall: Newsom enjoying himself at a swanky, mask-free party with pals.
In an interview for the morning show, Evans actually asked some decent questions, ones that the angry residents of California might appreciate. He demanded, “I met some business owners who are supporting the recall effort against you because they feel like the decisions you've made destroyed their livelihoods.”
He also noted, “California has been slower than other states in the nation to reopen schools and reopen businesses. What do you say to parents and business owners who feel like you let them down?”
Evans failed, however, to tell viewers why more than two million Californians have signed a recall petition. In November of 2020, Newsom went to a birthday party at the ritzy restaurant the French Laundry. No one, including the governor, wore a mask. This sparked an incredible backlash in the locked down state.
On March 17, CBS This Morning offered another segment on the recall, which will likely become official by the end of April. Evans fretted that this recall is being hijacked solely to get a Republican in office in a fairly Democratic state.”
The CBS segment was sponsored by Panera Bread and Febreze. Click on the links if you want these corporations to encourage CBS to continue to cover the California recall.
A transcript of the segment can be found below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS This Morning
4/7/2021
7:06 AM ETANTHONY MASON: California plans to lift nearly all its Covid restrictions on June 15th, although masks would still be required. Carter Evans talked with the state's embattled governor, Gavin Newsom, who's facing a recall fight over his handling of the crisis.
CARTER EVANS: Looking back at your pandemic response, is there anything you would have done different?
GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM: I think everybody can look back because we're all not experts, we're geniuses in hindsight. The one word of the last year is humility. All of us I think humbled.
EVANS: With California governor Gavin Newsom facing a looming recall and harsh criticism over a pandemic response that included some of the most restrictive rules in the country, his job could now depend on how quickly his state recovers.
NEWSOM: This economy is reopening. Schools are back in business. And I think California's uniquely positioned to come roaring back.
EVANS: California has been slower than other states in the nation to reopen schools and reopen businesses. What do you say to parents and business owners who feel like you let them down?
NEWSOM: Well, 9,000 of our 11,000 schools have either reopened for in-person instructions or have set a date to reopen for in-person instruction —
EVANS: They've been out of school for more than a year now at this point. Other states have been back for months.
NEWSOM: Yeah, so we put out a blueprint in December, $6.6 billion to address learning loss. And we're looking to extend the school year, extend the school day.
EVANS: We also have the third highest unemployment rate in the nation now.
NEWSOM: It's continuing to drop significantly. The reason our unemployment is stubbornly high is because the impact of the hospitality and leisure industry has been disproportionate. What will return and what is returning is the opportunity for these businesses to reopen.
EVANS: Still, more than two million Californians have signed a petition to force a recall. County officials have until April 29th to determine if enough of those signatures are valid to trigger a special election. It looks like you're going to face a recall election in a few months. I met some business owners who are supporting the recall effort against you because they feel like the decisions you've made destroyed their livelihoods.
NEWSOM: We put $2.5 building in small business grants. California's the first state to do a stay-at-home order. We have among the lowest death rates of the major states in the country. We think we're better positioned than most other states to come roaring back. We're providing record amount of relief and support for small businesses.
EVANS: Has the recall effort influenced your decisions and pandemic response?
NEWSOM: Absolutely not. In fact, quite the contrary. We're focused on the data, disease prevalence. Focused on what's actually happening on the ground.
EVANS: Newsom also says that California met its goal of administering four million doses to people in the hardest hit zip codes. When you look at Hispanics in California, there are roughly 40 percent of the population, roughly half of the Covid cases, half of the deaths. Yet, they're about 22 percent of the vaccinations.
NEWSOM: That's why five weeks ago we announced that 40 percent of all the new first doses are going under the equity metric. It's stubborn. The equity metric continues to be a challenge. Good enough never is.
EVANS: Now, the governor says he expects 30 million doses to be administered by the end of this month, and that puts California on track to vaccinate almost everyone who's eligible. Now the governor also talked about the increase in the number of migrants crossing the border and how California's preparing. If you want to head to CBS This Morning" on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook that’s where you find it.
