Gov. Gavin Newsom’s unilateral decision-making continues to go off the rails. What began as emergency measures implemented in order to manage the early outbreak of COVID-19 has evolved into the de facto disappearance of the State Legislature—and Californians are not happy.
The recent school shutdowns sparked considerable outrage among teachers, parents, students, and legislators alike. State Assemblyman Kevin Kiley was disappointed and infuriated by this development, and spoke adamantly against it.
“The deck has been stacked against local officials in recent weeks as politics and special interests, not science, have driven school closures,” said Kiley. “Governor Newsom had an opportunity to put his support behind school districts that choose to safely offer classroom-based instruction.”
As Vice Chair of the Education Committee, I’m formally proposing an oversight hearing for Gov. Newsom to justify his school closure order and for districts to present their plans for safe classroom-based instruction.
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) July 25, 2020
Using the pretense of our current “state of emergency,” Newsom has closed schools, businesses, and houses of worship with no input from the State Legislature, trampling our state constitution and ignoring the separation of powers. Allowing an authoritarian governor to unilaterally make these calls for the entire state is unacceptable.
By using the pandemic as cover, Gov. Newsom has taken unprecedented authority over California. The impacts of these closures will be devastating for everyone, and inevitably lead to years of ripple effects.
