Guest Commentary written by

Flavia Mangan Colgan

Flavia Mangan Colgan was a political commentator for MSNBC and a correspondent for the CBS Early Show.  She works in the nonprofit sector and lives in San Diego.

Eric Schmeltzer

Eric Schmeltzer is a Los Angeles-based political consultant. He was the press secretary for Representative Jerry Nadler of New York and Vermont Governor Howard Dean’s presidential campaign.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom efficiently rebuilds parts of Los Angeles damaged by wildfires, he is leaving the state unprepared for another potential crisis. 

The Trump administration has used Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to decimate key public health agencies. The National Institutes of Health saw funding slashed and 1,165 key personnel fired. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fired 1,300 experts, including those identifying emerging diseases like bird flu. 

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has even hinted at overhauling the childhood vaccination schedule. The recent deadly measles outbreak that has reached about 300 cases highlights a potential for widespread illness. 

Yet Newsom’s 2025-26 budget inexplicably cuts state operations for public health emergency preparedness by more than $20 million, even after his 2023-2024 proposed budget for it proved to be too small.

Though the governor has proposed a program for California to produce its own insulin, it is now delayed. There’s also no plan for what happens if the Food and Drug Administration revokes vaccine authorizations or if Kennedy orders the CDC to change vaccine schedules. 

Kennedy is already interfering with vaccine policy. A meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has been postponed, and Kennedy plans to remove several members. It’s unclear how California could maintain vaccine requirements in schools, especially with neighboring states potentially having different vaccination rates.

California’s plans for handling outbreaks are opaque at best. This is not something to address later. Action must be taken now, and a plan needs to be communicated to families. The governor must lead California in preparing for the looming health crisis.

Gov. Newsom must seek emergency funds and significantly increase the state budget for combating infectious diseases. While his budget adds 15 positions to the California Department of Public Health’s disease surveillance system, that alone won’t be enough to make up for the gutting of federal agencies.

Newsom should prioritize hiring fired CDC, NIH and HHS officials to leverage their expertise and insulate Californians from outbreaks.

Newsom also must devise a strategy to partner with drug companies to produce vaccines in California or manufacture them independently — even if the FDA revokes authorization.

Legally, this would require creative thinking, potentially a new California law for vaccine approval. This could allow the state to maintain vaccine requirements in schools and even trade or sell vaccines to other states, defraying costs.

And Newsom should direct all state health agencies to establish direct and consistent communication with their counterparts in other states. One of Trump’s first actions was to order federal agencies to cease all outward communication. Federal agencies can’t be relied on to share accurate, timely information. 

Cross-state collaboration will be key to identifying emerging health threats that federal officials may ignore.

President Trump and the architects of the Project 2025 blueprint have shown creative ways to tear down the federal government. Kennedy is following suit, dismantling systems that contain infectious diseases. 

Newsom must think just as creatively about defending California from these destructive plans. Our lives could depend on it.