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Gavin Newsom’s $1 billion mask deal with BYD China is crumbling. As is the Governor’s credibility.
FEDS CONTRADICT NEWSOM ON CERTIFICATION OF MASKS reads the front page headline in today’s Sacramento Bee.
After the N-95 masks predictably failed a safety test from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Gov. Newsom claimed it was just a delay. So the agency clarified: “certification of the masks was denied, not delayed, contradicting comments Gov. Gavin Newsom made last week.”
An on-site assessment found the masks “not acceptable,” the agency reported, adding that a review of “the design, manufacturing and quality inspection of the device was concerning.”
For a month Gov. Newsom dismissed my concerns about BYD China, which has “a history of supplying allegedly faulty products” and “ties to the Chinese military and Communist Party.” He kept the contract secret, refusing the LA Times’ public records request on the basis of “attorney-client privilege.” He also kept legislators in the dark, first announcing the deal on the Rachel Maddow Show in hopes of a breakthrough moment in the national media.
And this wasn’t the first secret mask deal. The Governor failed to disclose he had wired $457 million to “Blue Flame,” a company started by a political strategist just two days earlier. A CalMatters investigation uncovered that the state had to claw back the money when bankers flagged the transaction as “suspicious.”
I’m joining Senator Jim Nielsen to request a formal audit of these botched PPE deals. When we’re dealing with billions of dollars and the safety of health workers, honesty and transparency shouldn’t be too much to ask.
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