Letters to the Editor: Gov. Gavin Newsom is a role model for how not to fight COVID-19

To the editor: It’s kind of hard to do as you are told when the person telling you does not even do as he says. (“Newsom, legislators face anger over party and Hawaii trip,” Nov. 18)

A perfect bad example is Gov. Gavin Newsom directing Californians to refrain from gathering while he attends a birthday dinner for a lobbyist at an exclusive Napa Valley restaurant, and a handful of legislators follow him by heading off to Hawaii for an expenses-paid event.

How can it surprise anyone that COVID-19 cases are rising when our own elected leaders do not appear to comprehend the basic principles of leading?

John Wade, Newbury Park

..

To the editor: What the hell, Gov. Newsom?

I’ve defended you against the right-wing constituents who have wrongly called you a tyrant. You’re not a perfect governor, but your COVID-19 response has been pretty great (which isn’t hard to do compared with the federal government’s job).

It’s really embarrassing for me, as a defender of yours, to see you go to a party for a lobbyist just as COVID-19 cases are surging nationally. Please follow your own guidelines.

Carson Rodke, Garden Grove

..

To the editor: Newsom does not owe Californians an apology. He owes us his resignation, and not merely for flouting his own coronavirus recommendations.

Rather, his attending a dinner party proves he does not believe COVID-19 is spread in restaurants. Evidently, he does not believe his own rules will help prevent the spread of the virus.

His lack of honesty requires his resignation.

Austin Rand, Northridge

..

To the editor: A handful of California legislators are meeting in Maui at a lovely hotel presumably to discuss COVID-19 between drinks, pool dips and golf. They have a tough job, and a lot of us need a paid-for vacation too.

I urge all the attendees to do the right thing when they return and resign. The perception of impropriety and sheer stupidity amid a calamitous pandemic are overwhelming. If not, voters should replace them.

Maybe the governor should have gone with them. I hear he likes a good meal.

Paul Young, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Newsom has been castigated for being out of touch with ordinary Californians because he is a wealthy businessman. Similarly, some people denigrate Vice President-elect Kamala Harris because she believes she can relate to ordinary Americans even though she has a multimillion-dollar home in Brentwood.

These politicians came from humble beginnings but worked their way up to national leadership. Yes, they had help, but their upbringings will always be a part of them. A successful businessperson who was once a poor child does not forget what it was like to struggle.

We should focus on Harris’ or Newsom’s politics, not their wealth. What matters is if they are making choices that will benefit everyone.

Shari O’Connell, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: While the rest of us contemplate Thanksgiving dinner in our garages and backyards, these lawmakers go on a trip to Maui.

I remember an old song: “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”

Harriet Ottaviano, Hillsboro, Ore.