While fly-fishing in a Montana river alongside a television news anchor, California Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged that some of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions went too far, saying in retrospect he regrets several decisions.
The pandemic admission came as the term-limited Democrat continues to draw attention as a possible 2028 presidential contender. Newsom told CNN’s Jake Tapper, however, that he would not enter the race if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to run.
During the wide-ranging interview, Newsom conceded that some of California’s most aggressive pandemic policies are difficult to justify with the benefit of hindsight.
“The idea that we closed beaches was insane in hindsight,” Newsom said. He added that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had also initially closed beaches as leaders across the country struggled to understand the virus and respond to its spread.
Newsom also admitted that California’s biggest school systems remained closed for in-person instruction for too long, singling out the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“Obviously, the schools took too long,” Newsom said. “A lot of districts were open, but the big ones weren’t. L.A. refused, and I regret that.”
As governor, Newsom played a central role in California’s COVID response. In March 2020, he issued the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order, then relied on emergency authority to impose broad limits on businesses and daily life.
His administration later managed the state’s reopening through a tiered system based on local coronavirus conditions. Many restrictions remained in effect statewide until California fully reopened in June 2021.
California’s suspension of in-person classes continued through much of the 2020–21 academic year. State health rules barred campuses in counties with higher infection rates from reopening, although local school districts maintained significant authority over when and how to resume classroom instruction.
Distance learning became one of the most contentious elements of California’s pandemic policy, especially for low-income families, students with disabilities and other groups that Newsom’s administration acknowledged were disproportionately affected by remote education.
State data shows that student performance in math and reading dropped sharply during the pandemic and has not yet completely rebounded.
Newsom also revisited the controversy surrounding his November 2020 dinner at the French Laundry, the Michelin-starred Napa Valley restaurant. He attended a birthday gathering for a lobbyist friend while publicly urging Californians to avoid socializing with people outside their households.
“Just a boneheaded decision, just a stupid decision,” Newsom said of the gathering.
The governor’s pandemic restrictions later helped drive a Republican-backed campaign to remove him from office. Newsom ultimately defeated the recall effort by a wide margin in September 2021.
“I got recalled. I mean, I almost lost,” Newsom said. “You know, talk about humility. Come on.”
Anne Dunsmore, the former head of Rescue California, which helped spearhead the 2021 recall campaign against Newsom, said the governor’s pandemic regrets failed to address the staggering fiscal consequences of his decisions.
“As a human, I’m glad to see that he’s recognizing major mistakes and a serious lack of judgment in how he handled COVID,” Dunsmore said.
But she argued that Newsom had yet to reckon with the billions lost to unemployment fraud and what she described as lasting damage to California’s finances.
“What isn’t being talked about, and what he has still refused to do, is admit that those bad decisions resulted in a fiscal nightmare for the state,” Dunsmore said. “He will never say, ‘I wasted billions on ATM cards,’ or whatever that mess was.”
California’s unemployment system was overwhelmed during the pandemic, paying out tens of billions of dollars in fraudulent or otherwise improper claims — many through state-issued debit cards.
“He wasted billions of dollars on fraudulent enterprises and continued to increase budgets instead of looking at whether his shops were being run effectively,” Dunsmore said. “He has left us in a financial wasteland.”
Matt Klink, a Los Angeles-based political consultant, accused Newsom of attempting to soften his pandemic record with another presidential election approaching.
“Many Democrat governors, Newsom and [former New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo, in particular, who implemented radical COVID restrictions, are trying to equivocate and justify their draconian measures,” Klink said.
He pointed to restrictions on beaches and churches that coincided with liquor stores remaining open and large public protests continuing across California.
“Democrats realize that the latest news out of Washington, D.C. and the disclosures from Anthony Fauci’s diary shattered the many COVID myths that Democrats, the [Joe] Biden Administration and government pressure applied to social media companies spread,” Klink said.
“Newsom was so absolute in his statements during COVID — ‘two weeks to bend the curve’ and other harmful measures. He is trying to skirt accountability and rewrite history for a possible 2028 presidential campaign,” Klink added.
Newsom portrayed his admissions as part of a broader effort to confront past mistakes, saying political leaders must “own those excesses” and continue “trying to be better and do better.”
George Andrews, communications director for the California State Assembly Republican Caucus, scoffed at Newsom finally coming around to concerns that millions of people in the state raised years earlier.
“Californians were telling Newsom these restrictions went too far while he was imposing them,” Andrews said. “Now that 2028 is on the horizon, he seems to agree. Better late than never. Welcome to the party, governor.”
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