In recent days, California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for schools to reopen fully in the fall and declared that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause won't disrupt the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in mid-June.
It's a delicate balance for the governor, as the recall looms in the background.
On KCBS Radio’s "The State of California,” Fresno State University Professor of public affairs Mark Keppler said the governor is walking a high-wire.
“He’s obviously trying to get people to focus on the good things that are happening, and giving people hope that we’re going to return to some kind of normalcy,” he said. “But he does run the risk of having his own mission accomplished moment. He’s in a race against the variants. He’s got to get people vaccinated.”
When it comes to the drought, Newsom has been more restrained, holding off on officially declaring a drought or calling for water rationing.
Keppler said the governor still has some leeway.
“He wants to find that balance,” he told KCBS Radio. “He doesn’t want to be viewed as an alarmist and being too heavy handed by declaring a drought emergency, nor does he want to be viewed as out of touch and asleep at the switch. It’s a delicate balance.”
Keppler said Newsom is looking to avoid unforced errors, giving recall proponents material for the campaign trail.
