IT’S TOO BAD WE CAN’T FIRE MORE GOVERNORS

FACING A RECALL election sparked partly by his heavy-handed pandemic restrictions on what Californians can do in their beloved outdoors, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in March chose a symbolically appropriate if politically tone-deaf venue for his annual State of the State address: an empty Dodger Stadium.

Like the beaches Newsom ordered closed the previous Fourth of July—months after researchers had become confident that outdoor settings were contributing little to the spread of COVID-19—the place Angelenos call Chavez Ravine looked unnatural without the hum of humanity. The plasticine preening from an ostensibly humbled governor didn’t help either.

“Instead of fans in stands, we see nurses in [personal protective equipment], saving lives one injection at a time,” Newsom said, bragging about the made mistakes. But we own them, learn from them, and never stop trying.”