A lawsuit was filed to end Governor Newsom’s endless State of Emergency because his own statements prove his emergency powers are no longer justified. View the complaint, here.
The Governor admitted publicly and in recent litigation that the early rationale for declaring a state of emergency no longer exists. There is no longer “imminent peril” as is required by statute.
“Our democratic system was never intended to give the Governor the unconscionable authority to hold a death-grip on civil liberties,” said Robert Tyler, President of Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “The California state statute requires the state of emergency be terminated at the earliest moment conditions warrant.”
Governor Newsom extended the state of emergency a third time to March 31, 2022. This will give the Governor the ability to continue to bypass the normal legislative process and decree laws and orders affecting the daily lives of all Californians.
“Emergency powers were designed to give elected officials the authority to act quickly during extraordinary times, when the normal process of government cannot respond,” said Scott J. Street, an attorney representing the plaintiffs who successfully sued to restore equitable access to fitness across California last year. “After nearly two years, it is time to restore transparency and accountability to government decision-making, something that can only be done by ending the state of emergency and returning California to normal governance. We brought this action to do that.”
Mari Barke, President of the Orange County Board of Education said, “Half of the state governments have ended their states of emergency due to success in facing Covid-19. It’s time Governor Newsom follows suit for the sake of families in California.”
