Had the official response to COVID-19 been error-free, it still would be having devastating, life-altering effects on California. However, management â mostly by Gov. Gavin Newsom â has been erratic at best and bumbling at worst, thus magnifying the pandemicâs impact on 40 million Californians and quite likely costing human lives. The Employment Development Departmentâs mangled delivery of unemployment insurance benefits is one spectacular example â handing out billions of dollars to fraudsters while amassing a huge backlog of legitimate claims. Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Last week, Newsom indirectly acknowledged his administrationâs equally bollixed management of lifesaving vaccines by turning it over to two big health care organizations, Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente.