Throw caution to the wind

As Gov. Jerry Brown prepares to leave office, he’s receiving plaudits for turning the state’s finances around and making California a leader in the fight against climate change. But Zocalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews says Brown is getting credit he doesn’t deserve. More to the point, Mathews says Brown was a timid governor who shied away from fixing the state’s most pressing problems, like the housing crisis and underperforming public schools. He says incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to take more risks, even if that means failing sometimes.