With an impending recall election set for Sept. 14, former Mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer’s gubernatorial campaign for California is well underway to unseat current Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and replace his Democratic policies with “common sense” conservative ideals to reinvigorate one of America’s bluest states.
Faulconer’s candidacy was announced shortly after concluding his six-year tenure as the Mayor of San Diego, where he boasts a track record of fighting tax spikes, repairing roads without tax increases, minimizing homelessness, and increasing police funding. Faulconer accomplished all this while serving as Mayor with other elected officials who, most of the time, were Democrats.
“I’m a proud Republican who got elected in a deep blue city in a deep blue state because I believe that a lot of the reforms and changes that we are talking about are common sense,” Faulconer said in an interview with Townhall. “One party rule is not working in California. It is time for a competition of ideas. And it’s time for new leadership that starts at the top.”
The recall election to unseat Newsom, which is the first of its kind in California since 2003, comes as a result of a removal petition that garnered 2.1 million signatures from California constituents. This is the second time in the state’s 170-year history that a gubernatorial recall qualified for the ballot. As of today, there are a reported 46 gubernatorial hopefuls on the ballot, 24 being Republicans, including former decathlete Caitlyn Jenner.
“His [Newsom’s] entire approach is one based upon being out of touch with Californians. He continues to want to raise taxes on working families. As I said, he’s allowed homelessness to skyrocket. And, the fact that he’s letting out criminals….he’s in over his head. And he’s attached himself to the far left, which does not represent who we are in California,” Faulconer said. “We had 2 million Californians that signed the recall petition, from all walks of life, all political persuasions, because they want a change at the top and they want it now. And I know that Californians are ready and they want reform now.”
Faulconer’s approach to unravel ongoing issues plaguing the Golden State span minimizing homelessness to taking care of California’s veteran population to funding wildfire prevention. A full list of Faulconer’s initiatives can be found on his official campaign website. Several of Faulconer’s successes as mayor of San Diego will be the prototype of his initiatives he plans to roll out to rectify statewide issues in California.
“Our campaign has gathered so much momentum because people understand the type of leader I was as Mayor and the changes that we got, and I’m going to take that same focus,” Faulconer said. “I’ve been going all around the state and making the case to people that I’m the leader with the experience to actually get the job done.”
One issue at the forefront of Faulconer’s campaign is homelessness, as homelessness in California has increased under California’s current administration. As Mayor, Faulconer spearheaded what he described as a “firm yet compassionate” approach to transitioning homeless individuals off the streets, into shelters, and on the road to recovery, a plan he plans to implement if he were to take office. These initiatives would implement a statewide framework to expand homeless shelters and accessibility to mental health treatment, addiction treatment, as well as other services, to homeless individuals.
Consequently, this will clean up tent encampments and introduce a new unit of the California Highway Patrol to work with homeless outreach coordinators, medical experts, mental health experts, and other personnel to “encourage homeless individuals to accept shelter and carry out enforcement against encroachment on state lands if individuals continue to refuse help,” according to Faulconer’s website.
“It’s a proven plan that’s worked in San Diego, and we’re the second largest city in California. It starts by taking action,” Faulconer said. “I firmly believe if you allow tent encampments on the streets, you’re allowing people to die on your streets, and we’re better than that as Californians.”
Wildfire prevention, another California-centric issue, is another issue at core of Faulconer’s campaign, as Gov. Newsom slashed $150 million from California’s wildfire prevention efforts after one of the worst wildfire years in the state’s history. As governor, Faulconer plans to take a different approach by upping the state’s wildfire prevention budget to at least $1 billion annually and to allow constituents to automatically access up to $10,000 in tax credits to prepare their homes for wildfires.
“This is a life or death issue. We need to treat this on a war footing when it comes to wildfire prevention in California,” Faulconer said. On his first day in office, Faulconer said he will declare a state of emergency for wildfires to get the ball rolling for consistent funding toward wildfire prevention. This approach will protect wildlife, property, and lives across the state. “I’m going to take a dramatically different approach. We have to,” Faulconer said.
Other issues topping off Faulconer’s gubernatorial campaign include taking care of those who serve, as he is committed to implementing policies that benefit California’s veterans and continue funding for the police. Additionally, Faulconer aims to keep California affordable for its constituents, as the state has seen a notable population decrease in recent years.
“California is too unaffordable. We have to bring more affordability and more livability. People are voting with their feet right now. They’re leaving our state because it’s too expensive,” Faulconer said. “For the first time in our history, we lost population last year. We lost a congressional seat because folks are moving to other areas. And we have a governor who doesn’t seem to think that that’s a problem.”
Across the board, Faulconer’s initiatives intend to solve massive issues and restore balance to a state that has seen countless ups and downs in recent years. The recall election is one step in that direction.
“When we look at the fact that I’ve won two elections – the only candidate that has proven they can win in a deep blue city – we’re gonna take that same common sense approach and results-oriented approach. That’s how you win statewide in California. It’s what people want, just like they wanted in San Diego. They want results,” Faulconer said. “We need a governor that's going to do the right thing.”
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