Editor, Ceres Courier,

I lived in San Francisco for 10 years during Gavin Newsom’s tenure as mayor. Under his disastrous leadership, the quality of life in the city declined. Quality of life also declined state-wide when Newsom was lieutenant governor. In 2015, I moved back to Washington.

With the tragic wildfire devastation in Southern California, Newsom’s career may at long last be over. However, if his publicity team can convince Californians and Washington that climate change, not politics, caused the wildfires, he might survive to run for president in 2028. Of course, for Newsom to successfully sell climate change as the cause of the fires, he must explain his failure to have addressed it. 

Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass desperately need an estimated $200 billion bailout from the U.S. Treasury. Should U.S. taxpayers pay for this failure of leadership? If Congress sends the money to Sacramento, there will be no end to the requests. California must fund its own political failures. Alternatively, President-elect Donald Trump could appoint a “California czar” to supervise Newsom’s management and prevent another colossal and fatal wildfire. 

James Patterson

LETTERS POLICY: Letters will be considered for publication but must be signed and include an address and phone number. Letters should be 250 words or less and be void of libel. Send to The Ceres Courier, 138 S. Center Street, Turlock CA 95380 or emailed to jeffb@cerescourier.com.