California has its best opportunity in recent history to get back to normal as voters head to the ballot box on September 14 to determine whether or not to recall their petty tyrant, Governor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom’s policies have been catastrophic for California, but perhaps none have been as damaging as his targeted discrimination against churches and places of worship amid the COVID-19 restrictions.
Newsom has repeatedly tried new ways to impose the heavy hand of the state on California’s faithful, despite the Supreme Court of the United States having told him five times that his policies regarding such restrictions were unconstitutional.
Now, on top of their lockdown misery, taxpayers in California will be responsible for millions of dollars in attorneys’ fees because of Newsom’s over-broad and discriminatory COVID-19 mandates.
I have a personal stake in the outcome of the recall because I can attest first-hand how such restrictions have impacted Californians and their ability to exercise their rights protected by the First Amendment.
I have been representing Los Angeles-based Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church for the past year with my colleagues at the Thomas More Society where I am special counsel.
This past Sunday, I was privileged to attend the church service at Grace Community Church to celebrate our recent win against Newsom and Los Angeles County for Pastor MacArthur. He simply stood firm against the over-broad, discriminatory, and indeterminate “health” orders and he is entirely correct that church is essential.
While Newsom was trying to force churches to close, he is still currently making small businesses suffer under tyrannical regulations under the pretext of "health" mandates.
To that extent, 18 months after the “15 days to slow the spread,” California (and many other Democrat-controlled states) are still under oppressive emergency pandemic orders.
Under legislative contemplation, emergency powers are granted to governors only to do exactly what you’d think—deal quickly with emergencies.
The nature of an emergency is that it’s temporary. The governor should never have extensive unilateral authority to rule the people for over a year.
But, Newsom has had this power and has hypocritically wielded it to increase the power of the state, while at the same time violating his own policies.
Californians have a chance to end California’s state of emergency while protecting the rights of Californians by supporting California Assemblyman Kevin Kiley.
Kiley would immediately end the emergency declaration and return the power back to the people if elected, and also protect religious freedom. These are just two key reasons I have personally endorsed Kiley in the recall election.
Yet in order for Newsom to be recalled, and Kiley to win, Californians must understand their ballot and the way a recall election works.
There are two questions on the ballot.
The first question is whether Newsom shall be recalled. If a majority votes "yes," then Newsom is done. Period. Recalled.
The second question is who will replace him, if he is recalled.
Newsom is not on the ballot for the second question. Whoever gets the most votes on the second question (even if not 50% or more) will become the next governor.
For voters suggesting that Kiley, currently polling at second among the GOP replacement candidates, can’t win, I would suggest that you understand your ballot.
This isn't a general election where it’s Newsom vs. Republicans, so "splitting the vote" among top GOP candidates is not a concern. The biggest victory will be every candidate's supporters voting "yes" to recall Newsom.
All Californians should obligate themselves to vote YES to the first question, and then vote for the best replacement.
Kiley was elected to the California State Assembly in 2016 and has twice been reelected by substantial margins.
In the 2020 election, he received more votes than any Republican in California history.
Kiley is the only 100 percent citizen-backed California elected official, refusing all funding from the special interests that have spent tens of millions electing Newsom.
In five years in the California legislature, Kiley has authored groundbreaking new laws on freedom of speech, artificial intelligence, privacy, criminal justice reform, and protections for sexual assault victims, along with introducing the most significant school choice legislation in recent years.
For his work advancing economic freedom, in 2020 he was named the national Legislator of the Year by the Association of Independent Workers.
He has the experience, principled conservative priorities, and understanding of a properly functioning government to best help California become great again.
If Californians' priorities are reversing Newsom’s disastrous assault on the First Amendment under the name of "science" and getting back to normal, then undoubtedly, the best person with the most experience to lead California out of its current trajectory and toward freedom is Kevin Kiley.
Jenna Ellis is a constitutional law attorney and contributor to Newsmax. She is formerly senior legal adviser and personal counsel to President Donald J. Trump. Read Jenna Ellis's Reports -- More Here.