Capitol Weekly Podcast: Inside the Horseshoe with Jim Deboo

Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster are joined today by Gov. Newsom’s Executive Secretary, (aka chief of staff) Jim Deboo. Deboo joined the governor’s office in January, just as the pandemic surged in the wake of the holidays. Unemployment was at record highs, predictions for the state’s economy were dire, and the Recall effort was gathering steam. Six months later, Deboo surveys a very different landscape: California leads the nation in COVID vaccinations, the economy is rebounding and an improbable budget surplus has made predicted service cuts largely unnecessary. The Recall, however, still looms. We spoke to Deboo about governing under such unpredictable circumstances, how the horseshoe works under lockdown rules, and asked him who HE’D put on the Top 100.