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In March 2020, just weeks before California Gov. Gavin Newsom was “negotiating” a $1 billion mask deal with a Chinese company, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien announced that the Trump administration was “looking at” investments in blacklisted Chinese military companies by the state’s public employees retirement system, known as CalPERS. There were also questions about the relationship between CalPERS’ Chief Investment Officer, Chinese-born U.S. citizen Yu Meng, and the Chinese Communist Party. CalPERS executives vigorously defended Meng, even posting a long defense of their investments in China on their website, but Meng suddenly stepped down Wednesday, effective immediately. In a...

Just in time for July 4th, festivities, Gavin Newsom locks down restaurants and other businesses in 19 counties. Oh, and we're told we must stay 6 feet away from others and wear a mask while outside "enjoying the summer sun". ~~~~~~~~~~  Office of the Governor of California   @CAgovernor   #COVID19 cases are spreading at alarming rates in some CA counties. Effective immediately, @CAPublicHealth is requiring counties that have been on the County Monitoring List for at least 3 days to move certain sectors outdoors or close.     Office of the Governor of California   @CAgovernor ·4h   Replying...

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that counties can begin to reopen hair salons and barbershops, marking a transition to the third stage of a plan to ease his stay-at-home order as California nears 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. With cases on track to nearly double in the month of May, the governor has pointed to steady hospitalizations and other metrics as proof that the state is bending the curve. The shears will not be snipping immediately in Los Angeles County, however. The county, which accounts for the bulk of the state’s COVID-19 cases and more than half of...

Two months after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a nearly $1-billion deal with Chinese automaker BYD to purchase respirators, California has yet to receive any of the much-needed N95 masks. And on Friday, state officials announced that they would give the company a second extension to deliver on its promise... ...While state lawmakers said they understood the state's desire to buy the critical supplies, the governor received bipartisan blowback for how his administration handled the deal. Lawmakers said they learned about the $1-billion contract at the same time as the public, when Newsom went on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show...The governor’s...

As businesses in California begin reopening this weekend after being shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, nail salons and barbershops are planning to sue Gov. Gavin Newsom for not being included in the second phase of the state's reopening plan. Newsom said last week that retailers with curbside pickup, including clothing stores, bookstores, sporting goods stores and florists, could begin a phased reopening starting Friday. When asked on Thursday about why nail salons and barbershops weren't included in the second phase, Newsom said it was because a nail salon was the origin of California's first community spread of coronavirus. "This...

Poor Elon Musk. COVID-19 has killed nearly 2,700 Californians so far, but he’s the one who’s truly suffering during the coronavirus pandemic. The Tesla founder and billionaire CEO launched a fresh Twitter tantrum on Saturday. He threatened to move his electric car company out of California as a protest against the state’s coronavirus stay-at-home order. “Frankly, this is the final straw,” wrote Musk on Twitter after health officials in Alameda County declined to let Tesla’s factory re-open this week. “Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately.” Musk also insulted Alameda County’s health officer, calling her...

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday signed an executive order to ensure every registered voter in the state is automatically mailed a ballot for the November presidential election. The executive order does not replace in-person voting, Newsom said during a press conference. "Mail-in ballot is important but it's not an exclusive substitute to physical locations," Newsom said. He added that the state is still working to have "the appropriate number of physical sites for people to vote as well." Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who's been pushing to expand vote by mail, called into Newsom's press conference and said the...

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on Friday to rescind and amend a series of local public health orders stricter than California's statewide pandemic mandates. The unanimous decision moves the county a step closer to reopening. It rescinds Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser's orders that limited vacation rentals and golf and mandated face-coverings in public throughout the county. The motion ultimately voted on amends Kaiser's school closure order, mandating most schools throughout the county remain closed until mid-June, but exempting vocational and higher education institutions. . . .

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday began relaxing his stay-at-home order that was issued to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, while also announcing that the state has a staggering $53.4 billion budget shortfall. The plan to reopen will only allow certain retail businesses and manufacturers' warehouses to start opening up again, according to The Associated Press. Other stores that will be allowed to reopen with curbside service -- if they meet government standards -- are bookstores, clothing stores, florists and sporting goods businesses.

It's almost as if he likes it like this. California's Gov. Gavin Newsom vows to make the coronavirus emergency measures in California its "new normal" unless --- and it's a big if --- a vaccine for the virus is ready.

Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch requested a temporary restraining order against California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and his Director of the California Department of Social Services Kim Johnson to prevent them from giving nearly $80 million of taxpayers’ money in cash payments and benefits to illegal aliens amid the Coronavirus pandemic. The court found that Newsom likely had no authority to give illegal aliens taxpayer money but that ‘there was a public interest in sending tax money to illegal aliens during the Coronavirus crisis.’ – Judicial Watch reported. “It is astonishing that a court would allow a public official to...

Protests against stay-at-home orders were held across the country on Friday, amid mounting frustration over the economic impact from the coronavirus pandemic. While the protests were widespread, with rallies scheduled to held in at least 10 states, many were sparsely attended, including one outside of the Capitol building in Albany, New York. Protesters there chanted "USA! USA!" as they flew American and "Don't Tread on Me" flags. Gov. Andrew Cuomo indicated he wasn't impressed with the size of the crowd — he noted there were "only a few dozen" while others issues in New York have drawn hundreds of protesters...

As hundreds of people gathered at the state Capitol building Friday to protest California's stay-at-home order, Governor Gavin Newsom said that the state was only days away from modifying the order. Protesters were observed arguing with members of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as officers blocked the entrance to the Capitol in Sacramento. Some individuals held American flags while others held protest signs. Several members of the demonstration were detained by law enforcement. Showing opposition to Newsom's administration, a banner was seen flying over the demonstration in Sacramento which depicted the governor as Adolf Hitler. Video of the sign was...

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is considering a statewide order to require the use of masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to officials in several counties in contact with the state. The discussions are occurring as many counties contemplate their own mask rules in response to spikes in coronavirus cases as businesses reopen. The Democratic governor said at a Monday news conference that California’s hospitalizations, ICU admissions and positive test rates are stable. But the state is still closely monitoring counties whose numbers are more troubling than the statewide averages. Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article243620387.html#storylink=cpy