Halle Berry has said she is still waiting for California Governor Gavin Newsom to reach out to her after she criticized his decision to veto the Menopause Care Equity Act, which Newsom said was “unfortunate.”
In December, the Catwoman actor publicly condemned Newsom at The New York Times’ Dealbook conference. Newsom later responded to Berry’s backlash while speaking to TMZ that same month, saying, “We’re reconciling that. I’ve included it in the budget next year. She didn’t know that.”
However, in an interview with The Cut, published Tuesday, the Oscar winner said she still had not heard from him.
“It’s disturbing when people say they’re going to do things and then they don’t,” she told the outlet. “But he heard what I said. If he is going to run to be our next president, he can’t sleep on women. Wake up, Gavin.”
Hours after that interview was published, a spokesperson for the governor wrote in a statement shared with The Independent: “Ms. Berry’s remarks are very unfortunate given the Governor’s proposal put forward to support menopause care through the state budget, just as he said he would do in his veto message on AB 432.”
Speaking to The Cut, Berry explained why she has become so passionate about women’s health, and more specifically, menopause care. “I’m almost 60,” the Monster’s Ball actor said.
“Fighting for women’s health feels like a formidable cause for my second act… Women are as confused as I am on this midlife journey and I felt like I had to do something.”
Berry has been open about her frustration with Newsom’s lack of support for the Menopause Care Equity Act, especially after it was passed by the legislature and vetoed by the governor last year.
The California bill proposes to increase health care coverage and education for women experiencing menopause symptoms. Newsom said in a letter to legislators that he failed to sign the bill, and a similar one before that, because the act was “too far-reaching.”
However, Berry argued that insurance premiums would not be substantially changed. The Oscar winner wrote in a Time magazine column in November that the veto displayed “a failure of Gov. Newsom’s commitment to women.”
A spokesperson for Newsom doubled down in a statement toThe Independent at the time, writing, “The Governor has deep admiration for Ms. Berry’s advocacy and looks forward to working with her and other stakeholders on this critical issue. He shares her goal of expanding access to menopause care that too many women struggle to get.
“He vetoed the bill because, as written, it would have unintentionally raised health care costs for millions of working women and working families already stretched thin — something he’s determined to avoid. We’re confident that by working together this year, we can expand access to essential menopause treatment while protecting women from higher bills.”
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