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An effort by state Republicans to overturn Governor Newsom's COVID-19 emergency declaration has failed.
On Thursday, the California Assembly voted to keep in place Governor Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 state of emergency for the state, striking down a GOP effort led by Assemblymember Kevin Kiley. Kiley, one of the prominent Republican congressmen who tried to replace Governor Newsom in the recall election, was one of many state and assembly GOIP members who gathered on the front steps of the Capitol Thursday morning before the vote to demand the end of the order. However, the Democratic-led Legislature sided with Governor Newsom by voting to keep the order in place.
“Elected officials should focus on what best serves their constituents and stop with the political theatre. Apparently, they believe it would have been better to let Californians die and be turned away from care when hospitals reached capacity during the Omicron surge,” Newsom’s spokesperson said.
California has been under a state of emergency since March 4, 2020, and Governor Newsom extended the order in the fall of last year.