Commentary: Newsom's California Record Shows Budget, Medi-Cal Mismanagement
In an opinion piece, the author argues that Governor Gavin Newsom's eight-year tenure in California was marked by chronic mismanagement across multiple programs, including Medi-Cal. The author cites a state auditor report finding the Department of Health Care Services failed to curb pervasive abuse and fraud in Medi-Cal, and notes that extending Medi-Cal benefits to undocumented immigrants cost $6 billion more than Newsom's administration projected. The piece also points to a $165 billion revenue estimation error that erased a claimed budget surplus and left the state with a structural deficit. Beyond Medicaid, the commentary cites mismanagement in unemployment insurance, COVID-19 contracting, high-speed rail spending, and homelessness programs as evidence of a broader pattern of poor administration.