We, the Editorial Board at Talon Marks newspaper, are proud to endorse Gavin Newsom to continue being the Governor of the state of California.

Democratic candidate Newsom is the best option for California because he believes in science, climate change, supports minimum wage and stands up for the LGBTQ+ community.

A vote No on the Recall is a vote for Newsom and also a vote for science. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic he enacted mask mandates to reduce the spread of the virus, which saved hundreds of Californians.

While our hospitals were full of people sick of COVID, Newsom kept pushing for supplies and ventilators to keep the hospitals open to treat people. Newsom handled the pandemic better than other states, which had to turn people away at their hospitals because of a lack of resources.

Thousands of Californians died during the pandemic, but without Newsom’s leadership and willingness to make difficult decisions, the loss of life would be catastrophic.

The only reason this recall is happening is because Republicans are angry about the way Newsom locked down the state at the start of the pandemic.

They are upset with the mask mandate and want to be able to go back to “normal,” however, COVID is still very much a threat as hundreds of Californians die every day from the virus.

They are unwilling to adjust to the pandemic and want to pretend COVID is not a threat. California needs to adapt if we can ever return to “normal.”

While some businesses did close during the pandemic, Newsom had the courage to make the difficult decision. He listened to scientists’ and experts’ advice while handling the pandemic; while Republicans would choose to ignore science and bend to the will of donors and lobbyists.

Some opposing candidates have publicly claimed that they do not believe in the science behind the COVID vaccine and want to stop the mask mandate in the state, while we are now dealing with the Delta Variant of COVID-19 in California.

Newsom has put forth great economic relief in the form of golden state stimulus checks, and set goals for the future of ending climate change.

Although Newsom can improve on areas such as homelessness, lower health care costs and wildfires prevention, he’s the best option because he does not talk down on women and is pro-choice.

Newsom signed a bill on 2019 expanding access on contraceptive methods like abortion, aid to curb mortality rates amongst maternal Black women and believes it’s a protected right to be able to access abortion.

Governor Newsom also signed an executive order, which states that all vehicles sold in California will be zero-emission by 2035. By reducing emissions and fossil fuels in the country’s largest state, the environment will benefit and improve.

He launched “Project Roomkey,” in the early month of the pandemic to turn hotels into temporary housing for homeless people in California.

The truth is, you don’t have to like Newsom to vote for him, but voting for a Republican is dangerous for California. Republican candidates are fighting against women’s rights, climate change activism and raising the minimum wage.

Most candidates on the ballot for the recall fail to check the most basic boxes when it comes to believing in the rights of people. Republicans fail to connect with Californians and do not represent their values.

Voting no on the recall of Governor Newsom will prevent California from drowning in regret.