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Orange County Supervisor Makes Surprise Appearance During Gov. Newsom Phone Q&A
Gov. Gavin Newsom chuckling as a reporter put an Orange County supervisor on the phone with him during his daily coronavirus press conference. (Via Gov. Newsom's Facebook page)
Gov. Gavin Newsom was clear this week that he wasn't exactly thrilled by the images of the crowded beaches in Orange County over the weekend.
Then yesterday, Orange County supervisors voted to adopt their own set of guidelines on when businesses can reopen. And Newport Beach leaders voted 5-2 to keep their beaches open, after saying they'd consider shutting down after seeing the crowds.
So it wasn't surprising at today's briefing with Newsom to hear Good Day L.A. journalist Hailey Winslow ask the governor a question about the issue. She told him, in fact, that she was in the middle of interviewing Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner.
"I can't help you with the interview," Newsom interjected, chuckling. But as he was responding, Winslow put Supervisor Wagner on the line.
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"The Orange County order satisfies Orange County — the sheriff will not come and ticket you — but the state orders and any local city orders remain in place," Wagner said to the governor.
Newsom responded, noting that conditions are different in various parts of California.
"I will say, about Orange County, it's important — the supervisor is well aware of this — Orange County is the fourth highest number of people, of all 58 counties, hospitalized in the state of California. I'm concerned about that," Newsom said.
The governor also expressed concern about neighboring L.A. and San Diego counties being No. 1 and 2 in hospitalizations.
READ MORE ABOUT TODAY'S BRIEFING
MORE ON ORANGE COUNTY BEACHES
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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