WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) our January 2021 Porker of the Month for hurting Californians with his hypocritical and ineffective policies on COVID-19.
On November 6, 2020, Gov. Newsom violated his own strict coronavirus lockdown rules by attending a large dinner party at the famed French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley. More than two dozen people were there, and no one was wearing a mask, showing Californians that Gov. Newsom did not care about them or his own rules. That was a huge tipping point for a petition to recall the governor, which now has more than 1.2 million signatures. Californians are also outraged that Gov. Newsom shut down indoor and outdoor dining but allowed gyms, retail stores, and ski resorts to remain open, and television production to continue. Yet, it turns out that less than 4 percent of coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County have been tied to restaurants. More than 50 business owners across the state are suing Gov. Newsom over his ultra-strict and unfair COVID-19 public health orders.
CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “Gov. Newsom is failing to help struggling Californians during the pandemic. By not playing by his own rules, he is slapping every state resident in the face. His policies are arbitrarily picking winners and losers. The once thriving restaurant industry is in shambles and instead of doing his part to help, Gov. Newsom is ignoring scientific evidence about their role in the spread of the virus. Business owners have every right to sue him and Californians have every right to want to give him the boot. Gov. Newsom is a prime example of 'do as I say, not as I do,' and is an obvious winner for CAGW’s January 2021 Porker of the Month.”
Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. For more than two decades, Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers and government officials who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.
