By Assemblyman Kevin Kiley – March 4, 2022

Yesterday, I rose on the Assembly Floor to express my support for our Ukrainian community. As usual, I was forced under threat of physical removal to wear a mask.

Calling out the Legislature’s leaders, I asked if they thought Nancy Pelosi behaved recklessly by attending the State of the Union unmasked. That got their attention. A few hours later, a memo went out rescinding the mask requirement at the State Capitol. 

This minor victory came on the eve of a notorious day. It was on March 4, 2020, that Newsom declared the State of Emergency. 

In the weeks that followed, I was barred from the Capitol as the Legislature recessed. When we finally returned on May 4, 2020, I insisted one-man rule must end. When Newsom continued to rule by decree, on May 21, 2020, I introduced ACR 196 to terminate the State of Emergency.

When the Legislature refused act, on June 8, 2020, James Gallagher and I walked into Superior Court and sued Newsom for abusing his emergency powers. We won an injunction against him and later a trial.

For 2 years, we’ve all fought Newsom in every way we can. We’ve channeled every outrage into a citizens movement that came breathtakingly close to toppling the Governor and has only kept growing.

I’m hopeful we’ll end the emergency soon. But really, we already have. We the People have taken matters into our own hands, and we can now reclaim our state and country.

Wish Newsom’s State of Emergency Happy Birthday by supporting his “chief antagonist”