# Newsom admits California's Covid crackdowns went too far

> The governor concedes regret over beach closures and school shutdowns as he eyes a 2028 presidential run.
- Title: Newsom admits California's Covid crackdowns went too far
- Summary: The governor concedes regret over beach closures and school shutdowns as he eyes a 2028 presidential run. California's governor now admits that closing…
- Keywords: gavin newsom, california, covid-19, pandemic restrictions, beach closures, school closures, los angeles unified school district, 2028 presidential campaign, kamala harris, jake tapper, cnn, french laundry
- Source: California Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/15/us-news/gavin-newsom-reveals-covid-regret-as-he-teases-2028-presidential-bid
- Published: 2026-09-16T00:31:17+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: gavin newsom, california, covid-19, pandemic restrictions, beach closures, school closures, los angeles unified school district, 2028 presidential campaign, kamala harris, jake tapper, cnn, french laundry
## Newsom admits Covid regrets
California's governor told CNN he regrets how far some pandemic restrictions went. He made the admission while fishing in Montana with Jake Tapper.
## Won't run if Harris does
Newsom said he'll stay out of the 2028 presidential race if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to run.
## Beach closures were insane
Newsom called closing California beaches during Covid 'insane in hindsight,' though he noted Florida's Ron DeSantis initially did the same.

> The idea that we closed beaches was insane in hindsight
## LA schools stayed closed too long
The governor specifically regrets that Los Angeles Unified School District refused to reopen when other districts did.

> Obviously, the schools taking too long. A lot of districts were open, but the big ones weren't. LA refused, and I regret that.
## California led the nation's lockdowns
Newsom issued America's first statewide stay-at-home order in March 2020. Most restrictions remained until June 2021.
## Remote learning hurt vulnerable kids most
Distance learning disproportionately harmed low-income students and those with disabilities. Math and reading scores plummeted and haven't fully recovered.
## French Laundry dinner was stupid
Newsom called his November 2020 dinner at an exclusive Napa restaurant a 'boneheaded decision' while he urged Californians to stay home.

> Just boneheaded decision, just stupid decision
## Recall effort nearly succeeded
His restrictions fueled a Republican recall campaign in 2021. Newsom said he 'almost lost' and learned humility from the experience.

> I got recalled. I mean, I almost lost. You know, talk about humility. Come on.
## Billions lost to unemployment fraud
Critics say Newsom hasn't addressed the tens of billions paid out in fraudulent unemployment claims through state-issued debit cards during the pandemic.
## Rewriting history for 2028
Political consultants accuse Newsom of trying to soften his pandemic record ahead of a presidential run. Republicans say Californians complained about restrictions at the time.

> Californians were telling Newsom these restrictions went too far while he was imposing them
## Key takeaway

California's governor now admits that closing beaches was 'insane' and keeping LA schools closed too long was a mistake he regrets.