Governor Newsom publicly admits regrets over California’s COVID policies

In a recent interview with Jake Tapper, Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged that his handling of the COVID-19 crisis involved mistakes he now regrets. He called the decision to close California’s beaches “insane” and admitted that several large school districts remained shut far longer than necessary. Newsom offered apologies to students for missed in-person learning, to parents who were forced into dual roles of caregiver and employee, and to physicians affected by a law that threatened discipline for providing information the state deemed misinformation.

He also criticized the influence of powerful public-employee unions on pandemic policy. The governor framed the apology as a step toward humility and suggested it might bolster his bid for the presidency.