Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer Aims to Unseat Gov. Newsom: ‘I’m Going to Lead by Example’
Source: AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi
With an impending recall election set for Sept. 14, former Mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer’s gubernatorial campaign for California is well underway to unseat current Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and replace his Democratic policies with “common sense” conservative ideals to reinvigorate one of America’s bluest states.
Faulconer’s candidacy was announced shortly after concluding his six-year tenure as the Mayor of San Diego, where he boasts a track record of fighting tax spikes, repairing roads without tax increases, minimizing homelessness, and increasing police funding. Faulconer accomplished all this while serving as Mayor with other elected officials who, most of the time, were Democrats.
“I’m a proud Republican who got elected in a deep blue city in a deep blue state because I believe that a lot of the reforms and changes that we are talking about are common sense,” Faulconer said in an interview with Townhall. “One party rule is not working in California. It is time for a competition of ideas. And it’s time for new leadership that starts at the top.”
The recall election to unseat Newsom, which is the first of its kind in California since 2003, comes as a result of a removal petition that garnered 2.1 million signatures from California constituents. This is the second time in the state’s 170-year history that a gubernatorial recall qualified for the ballot. As of today, there are a reported 46 gubernatorial hopefuls on the ballot, 24 being Republicans, including former decathlete Caitlyn Jenner.
“His [Newsom’s] entire approach is one based upon being out of touch with Californians. He continues to want to raise taxes on working families. As I said, he’s allowed homelessness to skyrocket. And, the fact that he’s letting out criminals….he’s in over his head. And he’s attached himself to the far left, which does not represent who we are in California,” Faulconer said. “We had 2 million Californians that signed the recall petition, from all walks of life, all political persuasions, because they want a change at the top and they want it now. And I know that Californians are ready and they want reform now.”
Faulconer’s approach to unravel ongoing issues plaguing the Golden State span minimizing homelessness to taking care of California’s veteran population to funding wildfire prevention. A full list of Faulconer’s initiatives can be found on his official campaign website. Several of Faulconer’s successes as mayor of San Diego will be the prototype of his initiatives he plans to roll out to rectify statewide issues in California.
“Our campaign has gathered so much momentum because people understand the type of leader I was as Mayor and the changes that we got, and I’m going to take that same focus,” Faulconer said. “I’ve been going all around the state and making the case to people that I’m the leader with the experience to actually get the job done.”
One issue at the forefront of Faulconer’s campaign is homelessness, as homelessness in California has increased under California’s current administration. As Mayor, Faulconer spearheaded what he described as a “firm yet compassionate” approach to transitioning homeless individuals off the streets, into shelters, and on the road to recovery, a plan he plans to implement if he were to take office. These initiatives would implement a statewide framework to expand homeless shelters and accessibility to mental health treatment, addiction treatment, as well as other services, to homeless individuals.
Consequently, this will clean up tent encampments and introduce a new unit of the California Highway Patrol to work with homeless outreach coordinators, medical experts, mental health experts, and other personnel to “encourage homeless individuals to accept shelter and carry out enforcement against encroachment on state lands if individuals continue to refuse help,” according to Faulconer’s website.
“It’s a proven plan that’s worked in San Diego, and we’re the second largest city in California. It starts by taking action,” Faulconer said. “I firmly believe if you allow tent encampments on the streets, you’re allowing people to die on your streets, and we’re better than that as Californians.”
Wildfire prevention, another California-centric issue, is another issue at core of Faulconer’s campaign, as Gov. Newsom slashed $150 million from California’s wildfire prevention efforts after one of the worst wildfire years in the state’s history. As governor, Faulconer plans to take a different approach by upping the state’s wildfire prevention budget to at least $1 billion annually and to allow constituents to automatically access up to $10,000 in tax credits to prepare their homes for wildfires.
“This is a life or death issue. We need to treat this on a war footing when it comes to wildfire prevention in California,” Faulconer said. On his first day in office, Faulconer said he will declare a state of emergency for wildfires to get the ball rolling for consistent funding toward wildfire prevention. This approach will protect wildlife, property, and lives across the state. “I’m going to take a dramatically different approach. We have to,” Faulconer said.
Other issues topping off Faulconer’s gubernatorial campaign include taking care of those who serve, as he is committed to implementing policies that benefit California’s veterans and continue funding for the police. Additionally, Faulconer aims to keep California affordable for its constituents, as the state has seen a notable population decrease in recent years.
“California is too unaffordable. We have to bring more affordability and more livability. People are voting with their feet right now. They’re leaving our state because it’s too expensive,” Faulconer said. “For the first time in our history, we lost population last year. We lost a congressional seat because folks are moving to other areas. And we have a governor who doesn’t seem to think that that’s a problem.”
Across the board, Faulconer’s initiatives intend to solve massive issues and restore balance to a state that has seen countless ups and downs in recent years. The recall election is one step in that direction.
“When we look at the fact that I’ve won two elections – the only candidate that has proven they can win in a deep blue city – we’re gonna take that same common sense approach and results-oriented approach. That’s how you win statewide in California. It’s what people want, just like they wanted in San Diego. They want results,” Faulconer said. “We need a governor that's going to do the right thing.”
HE HAS A MOTOR MOUTH, BUT THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO THIS GUY!
Gavin Newsom invites world's homeless to California
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to house and feed the world’s homeless population this week during a whirlwind “Comeback California” tour that is designed to stave off a September recall by angry voters.
The Golden State is already cracking under the weight of the nation’s largest homeless population and one of the worst economic climates post-COVID-19. With millions of middle-class residents and business owners fleeing to red states, those left behind have seen a burgeoning lower class emerge.
VENICE BEACH HOMELESS MOVE ONTO SAND WHEN CAMP ROUSTED DURING CLEANUP
Gasoline is pushing $5 a gallon in some counties, 180,000 homeless pack into all the blue cities, and dilapidated freeways are strewn with trash.
Even the Atlantic outlined the hostile economic environment in a lengthy article titled “The California Dream is Dying.”
It’s against this backdrop that Newsom held a press conference Monday pledging $12 billion to combat homelessness on top of billions that have already been spent. People will be taken care of, and anyone who wants to avail themselves to the California dream is welcome, he said in response to a reporter who asked whether he expected the nation’s homeless to descend upon California with this new expenditure.
“It’s about getting people off the streets, out of incidents of crisis, and meeting people where they are and to the extent that people want to come here for new beginnings and all income levels, that’s part of the California dream,” Newsom said. “We have a responsibility to accommodate and enliven and inspire, and California’s dream is still alive and well.”
Newsom added: “I’m proud of people from around the world looking at California again for opportunity, and that, again, that should not just be for certain people. All people should aspire to that California dream regardless of their income level and regarding their lot in life.”
California is the highest-taxed state in the nation, and buying a home is out of reach for the average resident. Newsom did not mention this but rather pointed to an $80 billion budget surplus that he said is enough money to help all achieve the American dream.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva listened to Newsom’s message and was not pleased with what he heard.
“As a private citizen, I support the [Newsom] recall,” he said.
Villanueva has tried to stand in the gap of rising crime and increased homelessness despite a $145 million “defund the police” cut to his budget in the current year.
“Those comments blew us away, we are trying to keep our heads above water, and he goes and says that?” Villanueva told the Washington Examiner. “When he invites the rest of the nation’s homeless to California, that is the death wish.”
Homicides in Los Angeles County are up 58% from last year, and newly elected District Attorney George Gascon refused to file a record 5,900 criminal cases brought by detectives this year, Villanueva said. Gascon ran on a platform of less prosecution and more community assistance for lawbreakers.
“With [Gascon’s] privileged upbringing, this doesn’t impact him,” Villanueva said. “I have homeless with mental illness on the streets who attack residents, set their houses on fire, and run over them with cars. Just the sheer level of violence that comes with the increase in population of homeless is like pouring gasoline on the fire.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
"At the end of the day, we have to take accountability, responsibility, and do more, do better," Newsom said during the press conference.
“And that’s what this budget intends to do, it’s about results," he added.
Gavin Newsom Gives $330 Million More to Hollywood Amid California Fires, Crime Spike, Homeless Crisis
As California sees alarming spikes in crime, homelessness, and wildfires, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is giving more free money to Hollywood, increasing state tax credits for TV and movie productions by a whopping $330 million.
On Wednesday, Gov. Newsom, who is facing a recall election in September, signed into law Senate Bill 144, which expands California’s film and television tax credit program by $330 million, bringing the available money for productions shooting in the state to $660 million over the next two years.
The bill also rewards certain productions that promote diversity. Of the $660 million, $150 million is set aside for productions that shoot on newly built sound stages in Los Angeles County. Those productions can receive extra tax credits if they meet certain diversity criteria.
California’s tax credit program is intended to lure productions away from Georgia, New York, and other states that offer generous financial incentives. While production activity creates local jobs and helps ancillary businesses like hotels and restaurants, state incentives are often controversial because taxpayers bear the financial burden and the net benefit to the state is often unclear.
Newsom touted the program at a signing event on Wednesday, noting the state can afford to increase incentives thanks to a budget surplus. As Breitbart News has noted, California’s tax revenues did well in 2020 because the state’s tax system is heavily dependent on a relatively small number of wealthy individuals, including Silicon Valley executives.
While California’s tax credits have successfully lured some TV shows and big-budget movies, including the recent Space Jam sequel, starring LeBron James, Georgia remains Hollywood’s favorite shooting destination thanks to better incentives and lower labor costs.
Homeless men are seen sleeping on the street of Skid Row during the COVID-19, Coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles, California on May 16, 2020. (APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)
A homeless man sits beside his belongings on the streets in the Skid Row community of Los Angeles, California on April 26, 2021. – A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit that seeks to end the city’s Skid Row homelessness crisis isn’t backing down from his order requiring that all indigent persons in the area be offered shelter within six months. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
The gubernatorial recall vote comes as California has become mired in high crime, with prosecutors in Los Angeles and San Francisco taking a lenient attitude toward lawbreakers.
Violent crime is soaring throughout the state, with L.A. seeing a 186 percent increase in murders so far this year. L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon (D), who was backed by George Soros, has declined to prosecute a range of offenses, including resisting arrest and trespassing.
A photographer with the Los Angeles Police Department, far right, documents the remains of a crime scene in Beverly Hill, Calif., Friday, June 25, 2021. A robbery early Friday in a wealthy Hollywood Hills neighborhood erupted in an exchange of gunfire Los Angeles police said. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
In San Francisco, lawmakers have declined to prosecute thefts worth less than $950, resulting in a city-wide shoplifting spree that has forced stores to shut their doors.
California voters have become increasingly fed up with Newsom’s inability to solve the homelessness crisis, which has seen an enormous influx of homeless encampments into once safe neighborhoods, as well as the perennial wildfires that cause billions of dollars in damage each year.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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