THE BUZZ: FAREWELL TO A FLACK — Who doesn’t dabble in media criticism these days? Gov. Gavin Newsom certainly likes to play critic, as seen in his budget press conference rollout Wednesday. Anthony York, the governor’s top flack, has been on both sides of the media equation, and during his last week as Newsom’s senior communications adviser, we gave him the chance to reflect on the state of journalism and California politics. He joined our Melanie Mason, his former colleague at the Los Angeles Times, for an exit interview. Their chat, exclusive to California Playbook, was edited for length and clarity. MM: How would you assess the media environment for state politics and government right now? AY: That sounds like a trap. There's always a natural tension — and I felt this firsthand even as someone covering the governor for the LA Times. The Capitol press corps is always going to want more access, always think that every incremental turn of the screw is the most important thing because that's their job. Look, the newspaper with the most California s in the country is the New York Times. Oftentimes, when it serves the governor to talk to members of the media outside the Capitol press corps, it’s not some malicious effort to avoid the hard-working reporters that are covering the Capitol so aggressively. It’s the job of this office to communicate to all Californians what the governor’s office is doing. COVID had a big impact on how the Capitol is covered. And frankly, the fact that we're in an office building and not in the Capitol changes some of the flow. When I was at the LA Times, the joke was I was never at my desk because I spent all my time in the Capitol, just walking the halls, walking into people's offices, sitting on the couch in the governor's press office. It's hard to do that now. MM: I remember watching you cover the governor’s office back then and how you reported on the administration’s main players, like your profile of [top Jerry Brown aide] Nancy McFadden. Now that you’ve been on the inside, how do you look back and grade your reporting? AY: I was so f—ing good. [laughs] Look, it’s a little apples to oranges, for some of the reasons I described previously. But also, Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom are very different governors and these administrations are built very differently. Brown’s administration was very minimalist. So cracking that administration was tougher – I had to play the long con with a lot of folks, some of whom I call colleagues now, like people like Dana [Williamson]. I'm sorry, so what was the original question? MM: How accurate were you as a reporter? AY: There is a temptation to just sort of view everything through a hyper political lens. You know, only acting this way to seek presidential ambitions or whatever it is. And it's just not always true. That can be a crutch that you fall back on. I look back on my own work – I mean, I have a hard time reading anything I've written before without cringing, brilliant though it may have been – but I think a less nuanced view that I took as a reporter wasn't true. MM: Can you announce what you’re doing next? AY: I don’t have a fully formed idea of what I’m doing next. I know I’m working on Prop 1 [Newsom’s mental health bond]. Which is obviously the governor’s top priority now through March. If I can continue to be helpful to getting things done, I would love to do that. But also try to stay married at the same time. Because these jobs – sometimes they’re not conducive to domestic tranquility. Don’t I get to give shoutouts to all the amazing comms staffers? MM: Go for it. AY: Those are the people I’m going to miss the most. There's a bunker mentality that takes hold here, a lot of relationships forged in fire. I can speak to the level of sacrifice that people make to hold these jobs. They sound exciting and they are – but they’re a lot of work and they take a real personal toll on people. I’m just humbled and honored to come to work everyday with these folks. It sounds cliché but from the bottom of my heart, it’s the truth. MM: Well, that was very nice. AY: That’ll never make it into print. GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. DEBATE ALERT: WE WANT YOUR HELP — POLITICO is co-hosting the first debate for California's Senate race on Monday, Jan. 22. All four major candidates have accepted our invite to appear onstage: Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee and Republican and former Dodgers player Steve Garvey. This will be a televised battle between those top candidates. Tell us what we should ask them, and we just might use your question during the debate. Fill out this form by Wednesday, Jan. 17 to be considered. TWEET OF THE DAY: GARCIA GOES REAL HOUSEWIFE:
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