Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham seeks to remove Newsom’s emergency powers

December 18, 2020

Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham introduced a bill on Thursday to limit Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ’s ability  to unilaterally enact or change laws or regulations 60 days after an emergency is declared under the California Emergency Services Act.

If passed, Cunningham’s bill, AB 108, will require governors to obtain approval from the Legislature before making any changes to laws and regulations under the emergency act after 60 days have passed. Cunningham has been critical of Newsom’s decision to include SLO County in the Southern California Region regarding the stay at home order.

“For 287 days, Gavin Newsom has been unilaterally changing laws and regulations with zero input from the Legislature,” Cunningham tweeted. “It’s time to restore California to a constitutional democracy, and ensure that a governor no longer has indefinite, unilateral power.”

In response to Newsom’s order for all mail-in-ballots, Republican assemblymen James Gallagher and Kevin Kiley filed a suit arguing that it is the legislatures role to change election law, not the governor’s.

In November, Sutter County Superior Court Judge Sarah Heckman ruled that even during a pandemic, Newsom does not have the authority to amend or change election law.