California Governor Gavin Newsom hasn’t been seen on the job in about two weeks. Californians are beginning to question where exactly he is and what is going on with him.

Newsom was supposed to go to Glasgow for COP 26, leading a delegation from California. He abruptly canceled, though, and said he changed his mind due to “family obligations”. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis led the California delegation instead. The governor, according to his staff, has been working from his office at the Capitol. Newsom was scheduled to leave for Glasgow on November 1 and return on November 4.

He received a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot on October 27. Since Newsom was scheduled to fly to Glasgow to attend COP 26 two days later and then canceled, speculation is running rampant on the reason for his absence from the public. The problem with an extended absence from the public’s view for an elected official is that imaginations run wild. Is it because of a reaction to the booster shot? Was his stated reason for “family obligations” the truth? Despite the hubbub, it looks like he’s alive and well and going about his work, albeit out of the public eye.

The Newsom family dressed up for Halloween and posted a photo on Instagram. It’s cute. The governor looks normal. That Instagram post is dated November 1. Another recent look at the governor can be found on his Twitter feed. On November 4 he appears via video to wish a happy Diwali to those who celebrate. Again, he looks perfectly normal. Optics are important in politics.

California is proud to be home to the largest Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities in the nation. Wishing a happy Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas to all who celebrate! pic.twitter.com/WShfpQxQ5Y

— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) November 4, 2021

So, the rumors of possible reactions to the booster shot don’t age well. Other tweets could have been posted by random staffers but the video shows him speaking normally and he looks ok. Much ado about nothing?

He deserves to be questioned for an unaccounted absence, though. He’s the leader of the state and owes his constituents an explanation as to what is going on. He doesn’t have to be specific if one of his young children is ill or some other private family information but he does need to account for his time, whether his staff and wife think so or not. Just tell Californians why he’s been working from his office and not out and about among the people. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Why look like he’s hiding something?

His wife got snippy about people asking questions and hit the publish button on Twitter with some snark which she had to delete. Telling constituents to “get a life” isn’t really a good look for a politician’s spouse.

“It’s funny how certain folks can’t handle truth,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, shot back in a tweet that was subsequently deleted. “When someone cancels something, maybe they’re just in the office working; maybe in their free time they’re at home with their family, at their kids’ sports matches, or dining out with their wife. Please stop hating and get a life.”

Newsom’s office says there is a public appearance on his schedule today. He’ll also participate in an economic summit.

Daniel Lopez, a Newsom press secretary, said the governor worked at the state Capitol last week and would begin making normal appearances again sometime this week, according to a statement provided to SFGATE.

A report said the governor was planning a public appearance on Tuesday. Deadline reported that Newsom’s office announced late Monday he will “participate in a fireside chat at the 2021 California Economic Summit sponsored by California Forward.”

Lopez further explained that the governor’s previous cancelation was not a result of the COVID-19 booster shot he received during his last public appearance.

“Last week, Governor Newsom worked in the Capitol with staff on urgent issues including COVID-19 vaccines for kids, boosters, ports, the forthcoming state budget and California’s continued economic recovery,” Lopez said. “He will have public events this week related to the economy and vaccines.”

An interesting twist to this story is that Newsom and his wife were spotted at a wedding last weekend. The festivities lasted all weekend for the wedding of Getty Oil heiress Ivy Love Getty and Tobias Alexander Engel, a photographer. The wedding ceremony was held at San Francisco’s City Hall and officiated by Nancy Pelosi. It’s described as a “star-studded” event and Vogue magazine had exclusive rights to the wedding photos. Guests were asked to leave their phones outside. After the ceremony, guests partied at the Getty Mansion.

KABC reported that Newsom and his wife attended the wedding. Getty, the great-granddaughter of J. Paul Getty, is a “long-time family friend.” How fun is it for Newsom to be spotted at a wedding of a Getty Oil family member when he canceled his trip to the climate change conference? Newsom, who is up for re-election in 2022, is big on climate change alarmism and virtue-shaming. He’s not quite as clever as he thinks, though, as he keeps getting caught in his own hypocrisy.

Newsom has put forth several ambitious plans related to combatting climate change, including a ban on all oil drilling by 2045, outlawing the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment by 2024 — or whenever state regulators determine that is feasible — and a ban on the sale of all new gas-powered cars by 2035.

The GOP and oil companies want you to believe that getting rid of oil will hurt our economy.

CA is proof that’s not true — home to nearly half a million green jobs. SIX TIMES MORE than fossil fuel jobs.

Climate leadership & economic growth CAN coexist. pic.twitter.com/hOlVMaPiLD

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 4, 2021

Frankly, conservatives and Californians with common sense should be happy Newsom didn’t attend COP 26. The hypocrisy on display there is appalling. Imagine flying in on a private jet to blast the common folks for using fossil fuel products. It’s all climate change theatre. They should be mocked and shunned, not encouraged.

Newsom should be held accountable for his extended time out of the public eye. He and his staff should answer any questions coming into the office. It looks like after a two-week absence, he will appear at a couple of events this week to show he is alive and well. His “family obligations” excuse is likely true. He has four young children. Life happens.