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Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) sent a letter, obtained by El American, to CA Governor Gavin Newsom to end the current COVID-19 state of emergency. The letter comes at a time when pandemic restrictions have been lifted in most parts of the country.
The document was endorsed by GOP Reps. Ken Calvert, Doug LaMalfa, Tom McClintock, and Darrell Issa. The representatives indicated that powers should be restored to the California Legislature and noted that to do so is to comply with the state’s Constitution.
California’s current state of emergency will expire on March 31, 2022. In the message, lawmakers emphasized that this order has been in place for two full years and is now being used “as a political convenience.”
“States of emergency serve legitimate needs in our state government’s response to threats of the highest order. It is critical that governors do not cheapen this political tool and undermine the faith of our citizens by unreasonably extending emergency powers that sidestep the constitutional role of the California State Legislature simply for political convenience,” the lawmakers wrote.
Follow the lead of other states, says Mike Garcia
In addition, the representatives emphasized that while state of emergency orders were initially needed to combat the growing number of COVID-19 cases, resources to address the disease are now available in every state.
They also explained that other states with similar political constitutions to California, e.g. Colorado and New Jersey, have ended their state of emergencies.
“The time for these emergency powers to end is now. California has no lockdown orders in place, and you have recently rescinded the statewide mask mandate that was in effect the past two months. Citizens across our state and across our nation have returned to normalcy. It is time that the government of California do the same,” they said.
