SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Three Republicans seeking to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday they are vaccinated themselves, but would roll back his requirements that school employees and health care workers get vaccines if they are elected governor next month.
They also agreed that they would not require masks to be worn in California public schools.
Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said he would allow local officials to institute such mandates if they chose.
“We have to let our health officials and our doctors make decisions on a case-by-case basis and a regional basis,“ he said.
Assemblyman Kevin Kiley of Rocklin said he doubted local officials would have that authority if he were governor because he would rescind the state’s COVID-19 emergency executive order.
“I would certainly roll back the mandates, said Kiley, who noted the governor is now running campaign ads on the issue. “Once again he’s playing politics with COVID, and he’s playing politics with the vaccines. “
Businessman John Cox said he “might” prevent local governments from imposing vaccine mandates, but would allow local decisions on masks in schools.
“I think our children are already scared enough about this,” he said. “We never required masks when we had the flu.”
The three candidates traded answers Tuesday as they sought to convince Californians to mark their names on the recall ballot. The debate, hosted by the Sacramento Press Club and sponsored by The Sacramento Bee and Capital Public Radio, was held at the Guild Theater in Sacramento’s Oak Park.
Newsom, elected in 2018, faces a pivotal point in his political career a year before he planned to seek re-election.
A Republican-led recall effort gained traction and qualified for the ballot after amassing more than 1.5 million signatures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. California has long been seen as a solidly blue state, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one, but recent polling shows Newsom faces a close race to keep his job.
Faulconer, Cox and Kiley were invited after they met the debate’s polling threshold, and they had the stage to themselves after Newsom and radio talk show host Larry Elder declined to attend. Reality TV personality Caitlyn Jenner did not respond to an invitation.
Faulconer took the opportunity to lash out at Elder, currently leading the GOP pack in the polls, for comments he has made in the past about women.
He cited an excerpt from a 2000 column by Elder in Capitalism Magazine in which Elder wrote that “women know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events.”
Elder’s comments in the piece were based on research by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.
“That’s bull----, and we ought to call it that,” Faulconer said. “As governor, I’m going to make sure that California daughters have the same opportunities as California sons.”
Another Repubclian recall candidate, former congressman Doug Ose, pulled out of the debate Tuesday morning and ended his campaign after he had a heart attack over the weekend. He said in a statement that he is expected to make a full recovery, but needs additional medical procedures.
California counties have already mailed ballots to all registered voters for the special recall election on Sept. 14. Voters will decide on two questions: Should Newsom be recalled? And, if he is recalled, who should replace him?
The next governor could be sworn in immediately after the vote is certified in late October if Newsom is ousted.
The candidates debated as wildfires raged through the state. Spurred by dry, windy conditions and high temperatures, the wildfires blazing through the state are on pace to make 2021 the worst fire year on record in terms of acres burned, outdoing even last year’s record-breaking fire season.
None of them said they would take steps to prevent further development in the state’s wildfire hazard zones.
Kiley said those building now are aware of any inherent risk.
“You know what you are getting into,” he said. But Kiley said he supports tax relief to help those now living in fire zones who are watching their insurance rates skyrocket.
The candidates agreed that the state needs to do a better job of managing its forests to prevent wildfires and protect air quality. Cox said he would fit airplanes with water tanks that could apply “overwhelming force” against the fires.
The economy has also emerged as a key issue in the election. California has reopened from the pandemic-induced shutdowns that Newsom ordered when COVID-19 first swept through the state, but the economy is still recovering and many people say they are being priced out of the state.
Elder has said he thinks California’s minimum wage should be $0, although he acknowledges that position is likely out of step with the Golden State’s liberal voters. All three candidates said they disagree with his position. Faulconer called Elder’s positions on minimum wage and his comments on women “absolutely indefensible.”
Kiley said “it’s a value we hold as a society that there should not be sweatshop conditions in any part of our state.”
The start of the debate was interrupted briefly as Cox began speaking. “John Cox, you’ve been served,” said a man who approached the stage with a court document.
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