Watch the full interview: Gavin Newsom on recall, challengers and the high stakes for California
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Opinion: Gavin Newsom Recall Vote
Read The Sacramento Bee’s editorials and recommendations on the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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Recalling Gavin Newsom has major consequences for California. Voters must reject it
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Vote ‘no’ on the recall, and fill out the entire California ballot. Here’s why that’s important
Watch the full interview: Gavin Newsom on recall, challengers and the high stakes for California
Gavin Newsom discusses recall election issues with California opinion editors
When we met virtually with California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the late afternoon on July 29, we didn’t expect him to be defiant, sometimes angry, as well as thoroughly fascinating and intense from beginning to end.
But Newsom was all that and much more over 60 minutes of tough questions posed to him by opinion writers and editors from the California newspapers within the McClatchy Company: The Sacramento Bee, The Modesto Bee, The Fresno Bee, and The San Luis Obispo Tribune.
The governor sometimes pounded the table as he spoke. He challenged the premise of more than one question posed to him. He spoke of policy decisions that he predicted would be viewed favorably by history even if voters “kicked” him out in this recall.
Newsom’s knowledge of issues that were urgent to California was impressive. He saw a darker, more dangerous meaning to this recall that he feels could have national implications. And yes, he ruefully acknowledged his mistakes that helped lead us to here — where Californians will vote up or down on whether Newsom should remain in office.
If nothing else, this interview puts the state of California at this moment in time into compelling context.
Watch and you will know what this recall is about. By the time this interview was done, when we thanked Newsom for his time, the recall came into clear focus for me, and I wondered if future historians would one day look upon this video as important documentation of a fascinating leader at a fraught moment in state history.
—Marcos Bretón, California Opinion Editor
Read more from The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board:
Vote no on the recall, and remember to fill out the entire California ballot. Here’s why
Recalling Newsom has major consequences for California. Voters must turn out and reject it
This story was originally published August 5, 2021 at 5:10 AM with the headline "Watch the full interview: Gavin Newsom on recall, challengers and the high stakes for California."
