No Money Spends Like Other People's Money In The Hands Of Pols
Governor Gavin Newsom slimes his way around government transparency, a feature of a democracy.

Now if we're talking state security, truly talking that, like not giving up the location of some security bunker to keep it secure, okay.

But big bucks deals to buy masks from China? Um, "show your work," as they say in math class. Let the public see that contract.

John Myers writes in the LA Times

Attorneys for Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration refused Monday to reveal the contents of a $990-million contract for purchasing protective masks from a Chinese electric car manufacturer, even though millions of the masks have already arrived in California to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter responding to a public records request from the Los Angeles Times, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services insisted the contract with BYD does not have to be made public, despite similar requests made by members of the Legislature since Newsom announced the deal last month.

"Cal OES determined all responsive records are exempt from disclosure, including exemptions for records reflecting attorney work product, attorney-client privileged information, or other information exempt from disclosure under federal or state law," Ryan Gronsky, an attorney with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, wrote in a letter to The Times.

Newsom first touted the deal for the company to sell the state a combination of N95 protective masks and more traditional surgical masks during an April 7 appearance on MSNBC.

Personally, I try to avoid buying things from China when at all possible (like by seeing dog treats are not from there), because it is rife with corruption and abuse. Expect lead and adulteration in products.

More from the piece:

Asked on April 18 about his administration's refusal to disclose the document, Newsom said he looked forward to "all those details becoming public very, very shortly." Repeating a promise that the BYD deal could also produce enough protective masks for other states, the governor dismissed concerns about the lack of transparency.

"Some are consumed by process, personality, intrigue, who's up, who's down?" Newsom said. "We are for actually solving a major, major problem. Not only for the state, but potentially a template for the country

What problem would that be, that you're solving? How to get citizens less accustomed to government transparency -- what government transparency there is and there is supposed to be (like through California's Brown Act, about public meetings)?