San Diego mayor says people are 'rightfully' angry over California’s COVID-19 orders
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer calls out Gov. Newsom's coronavirus hypocrisy on 'America's Newsroom.'
Californians are “rightfully” angry over the state’s new coronavirus restrictions, San Diego's Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer told “America’s Newsroom” on Monday.
Faulconer made the comments following weekend protests in California over the curfew that went into effect on Saturday for the majority of the state.
Videos and photos posted on social media late Saturday showed a strong turnout for what was billed as a "Curfew Breakers" protest against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest coronavirus mitigation orders.
At a simultaneous rally in San Clemente, Calif., demonstrators were seen gathered around a fire, with members of the crowd tossing protective face coverings into the flames.
“I think what you’re seeing is people are angry and rightfully so because what we continue to see is executive order after executive order, in this case a hollow executive order that has to do with curfews at night rather than the real leadership we need out of the governor and out of Sacramento, which we are not getting in California,” Faulconer said on Monday.
He then asked, “Where is the executive order to help reopen schools safely for kids and for teachers? Where is the executive order to fix our unemployment department, where we have over 500,000 Californians who have been put out of their jobs, out of work, but yet can’t get their unemployment checks?”
“That’s what you’re seeing in California,” he continued. “People are hurting and rightfully so and they’re not getting what they need out of this governor.”
The protests came as California – like other states across the U.S. – grappled with a rise in confirmed cases of the coronavirus, as well as rises in hospitalizations and deaths.
As of Sunday, California had seen more than 1.1 million confirmed cases of the virus since the pandemic began, with more than 18,700 deaths, according to data provided by The New York Times.
On Thursday, Newsom announced the new overnight curfew for the state and called for all “nonessential work, movement and gatherings” in the state’s “purple-tier” coronavirus communities to be halted between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Purple tier communities are areas where the coronavirus outbreak is the most severe, with more than seven cases per 100,000 residents.
Earlier this month Faulconer tweeted his criticism of the governor.
“His kids can learn in person. But yours can’t,” he wrote in the Nov. 13 tweet. “He can celebrate birthday parties. But you can’t.”
Faulconer also pointed out in the tweet that Newsom broke his own coronavirus rules by attending a birthday party at an expensive restaurant earlier this month.
“He can dine on a $350 meal at one California’s fanciest restaurants during the worst recession in generations. But you definitely can’t,” Faulconer wrote. “Can you believe this? I can’t.”
Newsom apologized after photos showed him dining at the posh restaurant in the company of multiple lobbyists and even two of the state’s top medical officials to celebrate longtime adviser Jason Kinney's 50th birthday. Twelve people and more than three households attended the dinner at French Laundry in Napa County. California’s rules limit the number of households to three that may gather.
Speaking on “America’s Newsroom” on Monday, Faulconer stressed that “if you set the rules, you have to follow them.”
He also said that in a “state as big and diverse as California,” the governor should have asked local leaders for input, before he imposed “a one-size-fits-all policy,” which Faulconer said “clearly is not working.”
“I spend a lot time every single day on communicating being safe, making sure you’re doing physical distancing, wearing the mask, but we have to have to have a governor that understands that you’ve got to work with your local counties and if you’re going to put out rules, you better follow them yourself,” Faulconer said.
A spokesperson with Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Fed up with the California governor’s coronavirus policies, Faulconer had said he is “seriously considering” running for governor against Newsom.
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Newsom is up for reelection in 2022. Faulconer, a moderate Republican, did not run for reelection in 2020 and is finishing his final weeks as mayor of California's second-most populous city.
Host Trace Gallagher asked Faulconer, “How is it that a moderate Republican in California, which is largely controlled by Democrats, and the Republicans that are here tend to be a bit further right, how does a candidate like you win?”
“I’m giving it serious consideration because we need new leadership in the governor’s office,” Faulconer responded. “I will tell you our demographics here in the city of San Diego almost mirror those of the state in terms of party registration yet I’ve been able to be successfully elected for two terms because it’s about results, it’s not about rhetoric.”
He then cited the homeless issue in the state as an example.
“As we’ve seen homelessness skyrocket by double digits across the state of California in the last several years, San Diego County is the only major urban county where homelessness has gone down double digits,” Faulconer said. “That’s because I take a very compassionate yet firm approach to getting people off the streets.”
“That’s the type of leadership that we need in Sacramento,” he stressed. “It’s not about partisan politics, it’s about getting results.”
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Fox News’ Morgan Phillips and Dom Calicchio contributed to this report.
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