Where Is Gavin Newsom, California's Governor?

Two weeks ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced helium would beryllium starring a delegation to the U.N. clime alteration acme successful Scotland. Four days later, his bureau abruptly announced helium had changed his mind.

“Family obligations” was each his bureau would say, refusing to publically elaborate successful a determination that, times being what they are, unleashed a barrage of conspiracy theories. Was the politician having a atrocious absorption to the Covid-19 booster changeable helium had conscionable gotten? Were immoderate of his children — helium has 4 ages 12 and nether — infected again with the coronavirus? No and no, Capitol sources said.

Allies of the politician noted that astir parents would recognize wherefore a mates with 4 tiny children mightiness not privation to instrumentality an extended travel to Glasgow implicit Halloween. California environmentalists besides suggested that helium mightiness not beryllium truthful incorrect to skip the yearly clime conference, which galore of them presumption arsenic a jet-fuel-wasting spectacle.

In theory, California conservatives should besides person welcomed the decision. When it appeared the politician mightiness beryllium summit-bound, Kevin Kiley, a Republican assemblyman who challenged the politician successful the September callback election, wrote successful a blog post that “in the lack of our jet-setting governor,” helium was requesting a peculiar league connected the port crisis, holding oversight hearings connected pandemic unemployment fraud, holding municipality hallway events connected the governor’s vaccine mandate for schoolchildren and calling for hearings connected mask mandates successful simple schoolhouse classrooms.

“If we don’t combat for California,” Kiley said, “no 1 will.”

In immoderate case, the politician — who was to person arrived astatine the acme connected Nov. 1 and taken a Nov. 4 instrumentality formation — stayed home, moving astatine his Capitol office, according to his spokeswoman, Erin Mellon. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, the erstwhile U.S. ambassador to Hungary, led the California delegation instead. Newsom released pictures of his household (dressed arsenic pirates) astatine Halloween, announced immoderate appointments and sent retired immoderate predetermination nighttime encouragement to chap Democrats.

Nevertheless, arsenic days passed with nary nationalist appearances, chatter persisted.

“I don’t cognize wherever Gavin Newsom is and won’t speculate,” Kiley tweeted connected Sunday. “But it’s beauteous unusual for the Governor to vanish for 11 days without explanation.”

“Where’s Gavin?” demanded Charlie Kirk, the caput of the right-wing activistic radical Turning Point U.S.A.

“It’s comic however definite folks can’t grip truth,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, changeable backmost successful a tweet that was subsequently deleted. “When idiosyncratic cancels something, possibly they’re conscionable successful the bureau working; possibly successful their escaped clip they’re astatine location with their family, astatine their kids’ sports matches, oregon eating retired with their wife. Please halt hating and get a life.”

By Monday, “Gavin Newsom” was trending connected Twitter. Unsubstantiated conjecture included Bell’s palsy, decease and that helium “and Kamala Harris are successful an undisclosed concealed location.” Meanwhile, Vogue posted a photograph spread from the lavish San Francisco wedding connected Saturday of the heiress Ivy Getty, a household person of Newsom, officiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Guests successful the inheritance of astatine slightest 1 photograph included the governor.

During a telephone with reporters, California senators astatine the Glasgow clime acme became progressively frustrated with questions astir the governor’s lack — once, doubly and past a 3rd time. Robert Hertzberg, a Democratic legislator from Van Nuys, said the delegation got a heads-up that “a household issue” would support Newsom from joining them successful Scotland. He added that helium didn’t cognize which events the politician would tune into virtually this week.

“There is cipher successful California who wanted to beryllium astatine this league much than Gavin Newsom,” Hertzberg said connected Monday. “But we’re each quality beings, man, we’re each quality beings — thing intelligibly — he’s with his family. I don’t deliberation it’s due to further excavation into it. I instrumentality him astatine look value. Whatever it is, it is. And sometimes you request to enactment home.”

By the extremity of the day, the governor’s bureau had issued a statement: “Last week Governor Newsom worked successful the Capitol with unit connected urgent issues including Covid-19 vaccines for kids, boosters, ports, the forthcoming authorities fund and California’s continued economical recovery. He volition person nationalist events this week related to the system and vaccines.”

In an interview, Mellon said that the politician attended the Getty wedding ceremonial but not the reception; that the wedding was not the household work that kept him successful California; that helium ever had been scheduled to instrumentality earlier the weekend; that helium had been successful his office, live and well, each time connected Monday; and that she had spent an hr and a fractional with him.

No matter. As day turned to evening successful California, tweeters were inactive tweeting.

“Where is Gavin Newsom?” Kirk, the blimpish activist, demanded — again.

For more:

• Can Glasgow deliver connected a planetary clime deal?

• Former President Barack Obama, successful clime code focused connected youth, has words for Republicans, too.

The remainder of the news

• Supreme Court case: The U.S. Supreme Court is wrestling with a suit against the F.B.I. for spying connected Muslims successful Southern California.

• Wildfires: A New Yorker newsman embedded with firefighters battling the Dixie fire, 1 of the largest blazes successful California history. Read more.

  Plus, millions person moved to agrarian California to find cheaper lodging successful caller decades. Yet this migration is partially wherefore caller wildfires person caused truthful overmuch destruction, The Wall Street Journal reports.

• A “magic recipe” for reducing homelessness: Hotels that emptied during Covid are providing a caller mode to code California’s lodging crisis, Politico reports.

• Powell’s Books: Portland’s landmark store survived Amazon. Can it reinvent itself aft the pandemic?

• Capitol rioter seeks asylum: Evan Neumann, a 48-year-old antheral from Mill Valley wanted for six crimes associated with the Jan. 6 insurrection, is seeking asylum successful Belarus, BuzzFeed News reports.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

• Redistricting successful San Diego: Initial maps for California’s electoral districts that are based connected the latest census amusement imaginable shifts to the presumption quo successful San Diego, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

• Pushback to Covid-19 vaccines rules: On Monday, the time Los Angeles began enforcing its strict vaccination verification rules for businesses, thousands gathered successful protestation extracurricular City Hall, The Los Angeles Times reports.

• Embryos swapped: A mates is suing the California Center for Reproductive Health, based successful Los Angeles, aft a mix-up astatine the fertility session caused 2 women to transportation and present each other’s babies, The Associated Press reports.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

• Repopulating endangered lizards: The Fresno Chaffee Zoo, successful concern with authorities organizations, is moving to hatch caller blunt-nosed leopard lizards, ABC 30 reports.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

• Covid-19 death: A 46-year-old constabulary serviceman successful San Francisco died of the coronavirus, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. The antheral had reportedly not been vaccinated against the virus.

• Sacramento homelessness: Researchers estimation that the stateless colonisation successful Sacramento County has doubled since 2019, The Sacramento Bee reports.

What we’re eating

Instant cookware tomato-braised chickpeas with tahini.

Where we’re traveling

Today’s question extremity comes from Jessica Northrup, a scholar who lives successful San Diego. Jessica recommends Borrego Springs connected the outskirts of San Diego County:

“It’s astir apt not a spot radical would deliberation to spell if they are traveling to San Diego. A item includes elephantine bronze carnal sculptures that look from the soil passim the area. There’s besides a beauteous angiosperm bloom that blankets the godforsaken successful the spring, terrific hikes done Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, bighorn sheep and jack rabbit sightings each time agelong — and the godforsaken sunsets can’t beryllium beat. This spot is amazing!”

Tell america astir your favourite places to sojourn successful California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We’ll beryllium sharing much successful upcoming editions of the newsletter.

And earlier you go, immoderate bully news

Once a week astatine twilight, dozens of radical stitchery connected Venice Beach to creation distant the accent of their engaged lives.

Before the pandemic, the events were held indoors, but they person been moved extracurricular for coronavirus safety. Guidelines promote participants to consciousness escaped of judgement and creation however they please.