The state legislature and California Governor Gavin Newsom are divided over how the state should handle the next phase of the pandemic – and the debate comes amid a recall effort.
It was critical week in the state capitol, as legislators passed a COVID-19 relief bill, the governor allowed select youth sports to resume and the legislature reached an agreement on reopening schools.
But Newsom said the reopening bill does not go far enough, fast enough.
On KCBS Radio’s “The State of California,” Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis said that when it comes to school reopenings, the focus of the conversation is on teacher safety.
“And I know that everyone’s working around the clock to do it in a way where educators feel comfortable, and where parents can finally get their kids back in school in what has been an extraordinary difficult time,” she noted.
Kounalakis said the governor does not deserve to be recalled because he effectively navigated an unprecedented circumstance.
“We did not have a great partner in the Trump administration,” she said. “They were not organized at the federal level. They put a lot on the states to have to figure out for ourselves. It is night and day with the new administration, who is taking responsibility.”
Kounalakis told KCBS Radio that the heartbeat of the California economy was preserved during the most recent stay-at-home order, enough so to begin pivoting toward economic recovery now.
