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 . The , including those identifying emerging diseases like bird flu.

1,165 key personnel firedCenters for Disease Control and Prevention fired 1,300 experts

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

has even hintedreached about 300 cases

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

inexplicably cuts