Written by Miguel Palacios
While Mayor Todd Gloria has talked a lot about increasing Covid-19 restriction enforcement, very little action is actually being taken against violators. Mayor Gloria declared on December 30th that the city would be more strict regarding Covid-19 public health violations. Yet to date, there is very little evidence that such a crackdown is even happening. According to Jesse Marx, since the time of Gloria’s announcement, only five citations have been filed with the Superior Court’s traffic and minor offense division.
Nevertheless, the issue is not the enforcement, which most believe is extreme anyway, but the directive. Mayor Gloria seems to be more about words than actions. And more specifically, he seems to be saying things to appeal to a small minority of the city’s residents rather than the masses. Instead of focusing on the needs of all people in San Diego, like the struggling business owners who are only breaking regulations to avoid financial ruin, he is pandering to the people of the left. No matter what side Mayor Gloria falls on, he is the people’s mayor, not just the left’s.
Former Mayor Kevin Faulconer was known for being able to work across the aisle and act as a mayor for all, rather than just those who were part of his party. Mayor Gloria, however, has shown on multiple occasions that he is not willing to do that, and this latest example of virtue signaling is only another example.
It is an honorable thing to do as one says, and we should expect that from our elected officials. When someone in leadership fails to follow through on their own instructions, as we have seen with Governor Newsom and his statewide quarantine orders, they lose the respect of everyone. While Mayor Gloria’s directive for enhanced enforcement is a perfect example of government overreach, he could at the very least be true to his word. Instead, he is using his position to gaslight his supporters with empty words and false promises.
