Could Newsoms fun and games backfire?
The images coming out of Gov. Gavin Newsoms recent public events have been, to say the least, surreal  and could pose a political liability for the governor, who must balance buoying Californians spirits with acknowledging the ongoing harm of the pandemic as he fends off an almost-certain recall election. On Wednesday, Newsom rode a roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain to promote the latest prize in the states vaccine lottery: 50,000 free tickets to the amusement park. On Tuesday, he drew $15 million worth of prizes to mark Californias grand reopening while surrounded by Minions, Smurfs and Transformers at Universal Studios Hollywood  and then made an appearance on the Late Late Show with James Corden. Three times in two weeks, hes acted as a game show host, juggling lottery balls in front of a Wheel of Fortune setup. The carnivalesque atmosphere of Newsoms recent appearances  which prompted some reporters to question if they were on drugs  could invite comparisons to the antics of gubernatorial recall candidate John Cox, who launched his campaign with a 1,000-pound Kodiak bear in tow. It could also come off as tone-deaf to the hundreds of thousands of Californians who lost loved ones to the virus, are on the brink of eviction, cant find work or are still waiting for their unemployment benefits. Newsoms critics have already seized on a comment he made on James Cordens show Tuesday night while talking about the vaccine lottery. Newsom: Oprah Winfrey, eat your heart out. Million for you, a million for you. Imagine being in politics giving away money  its about as good as it gets.  Oprah Winfrey, eat your heart out. Million for you, a million for you. Imagine being in politics giving away money  its about as good as it gets. A video clip shared by Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk and GOP recall candidate Kevin Faulconer: This same invest in himself attitude is costing taxpayers billions and leaving everyday Californians in the dust.  Newsom tried to strike a more sober tone on Wednesday, when he toured a gym in Bakersfield and launched a new advisory council on physical and mental health co-chaired by his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Newsom: Every morning I wake up, I look at the number of cases, deaths, hospitalizations, ICU numbers. I look at the number of tests and I look at the number of people who have been vaccinated, and I do it by county.  A Message from our Sponsor  The coronavirus bottom line: As of Wednesday, California had 3,698,626 confirmed cases (+0.02% from previous day) and 62,534 deaths (+0.03% from previous day), according to a CalMatters tracker. California has administered 39,928,211 vaccine doses, and 55.9% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated. Plus: CalMatters regularly updates this pandemic timeline tracking the states daily actions. Were also tracking the states coronavirus hospitalizations by county and lawsuits against COVID-19 restrictions. A Message from our Sponsor  Other stories you should know  1. PG&Es Oakland K substation silhouetted at sunset in the hills of Oakland on Oct. 9, 2019. Photo by Jane Tyska, Bay Area News Group  Another thorn in Newsoms side: the specter of rolling blackouts. With a massive heat wave rolling across California and the West, the operator of Californias electric grid on Wednesday issued a Flex Alert urging residents to conserve power between 5 and 10 p.m. today. Though the California Independent System Operator maintains it is better prepared to handle the strain than it was last year, when it triggered the states first outages in nearly two decades, it also warned it could again order utilities to begin rotating power outages if conservation doesnt ease enough of the burden. To make matters worse, Californias ever-worsening drought could prompt the deactivation of a major hydroelectric power plant for the first time in history. 2. A pandemic-affected education  Brian Cruz, a College Comeback participant, at Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District in San Jacinto on June 13, 2021. Photo by Nalani Hernandez-Melo for CalMatters  It will likely take years to measure the full impact of the pandemic on Californias educational system, but the toll is evident in the number of K-12 students clamoring for limited summer school spots and the number of high school graduates who arent going to college. Armed with $4.6 billion in state funds, districts are expanding their summer school offerings even as they emphasize that one- to two-month programs cant make up for 15 months of online learning  or meet demand, CalMatters Joe Hong reports. Oakland Unifieds summer school program has a waitlist 510 kids deep, while the queue stretches to nearly 1,300 kids in San Diego Countys Poway Unified. Meanwhile, California saw steep declines in college enrollment rates for students straight out of high school in both fall 2020 and spring 2021  with community colleges most heavily affected. But College Comeback, a new program in Riverside County, is aiming to help those students get back on the higher-education path by connecting them with counselors who can help them apply for financial aid, fill out college applications and understand complex webs of paperwork, CalMatters Charlotte West and Angel Fabre report. Ariel Jennings, who enrolled in UC Riverside after working with College Comeback: Im a first generation (student), so the process was kind of hard, and I really needed the extra help that I got.  3. Marco Villanueva preps meals as part of the Hospitality Training Academy at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 14, 2021. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters  With a high unemployment rate and thousands of jobs going unfilled, Newsom and lawmakers are proposing funneling millions of dollars into job training programs. Californias own data shows that attempts to train workers for green jobs after the Great Recession fell short in helping them find work and improving wages. And its still too early to determine the success of a program called High Road Training Partnerships, in which the state partners with companies, unions and community groups to train workers for jobs they need to fill. Nevertheless, Newsom wants to pour $115 million into High Road, of which lawmakers so far have approved $25 million, CalMatters Sameea Kamal reports. But there is anecdotal evidence of the programs successes. Alhagie Dampha, who moved to Los Angeles County from Gambia, secured a union job as a cook after going through High Road training. The union, in turn, gave him legal help in applying for citizenship  which he attained in January. Dampha: Words cant express how blessed and lucky I am.  Support CalMatters  We are dedicated to explaining how state government impacts our lives. Your support helps us produce journalism that makes a difference. Thank you! A Message from our Sponsor  CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: The state Legislature just passed a self-serving sham budget. An equitable economic recovery: California must take bold, collective action informed by working people who have long been shut out of our economy, argue Michael Tubbs, Newsoms adviser for economic mobility and opportunity, and Don Howard, president and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation. Reader reaction: I sincerely regret paying unemployment insurance premiums, because I havent been able to access my benefits, writes San Jose resident Igor Yevelev. A Message from our Sponsor  Other things worth your time  San Jose becomes largest city in California to mandate video taping of gun sales. // Mercury News  Los Angeles moves to ban selling flavored tobacco, but exempts some hookah sales. // Los Angeles Times  California high speed rails latest threat: Los Angeles wants to spend money locally. // San Francisco Chronicle  How a California union turned the Wests biggest red state blue. // The Nation  State judiciary paid out $1.9 million since 2018 to settle sex harassment claims. // San Diego Union-Tribune  Sacramento seeks restraining order on city council employee. // Sacramento Bee  Meet the local dad working on the school board recall who confronted a petition thief in a viral video. // San Francisco Chronicle  The bogus backlash against Californias progressive prosecutors. // Washington Post Opinion  In farewell, Superintendent Beutner calls Los Angeles schools a model for the nation. // Los Angeles Times  Why training California bilingual teachers just got harder. // EdSource  California bar and restaurant operators evicted after defying COVID-19 mandates. // Mercury News  Cheapest CalPERS health insurance plan will cost 23% more next year, projections show. // Sacramento Bee  California lawmakers secure $80 million in budget for Jewish causes. // The Jerusalem Post  MacKenzie Scott donates millions to California groups. // Los Angeles Times  See you tomorrow. Email emily@calmatters.org. Follow me on Twitter: @emily_hoeven  Subscribe to CalMatters newsletters here. Follow CalMatters on Facebook and Twitter. CalMatters is now available in Spanish on Twitter, Facebook and RSS.