WEBVTT - It's Time For a Comeback in California. Kevin Faulconer Talks to A&G 

0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.120
<v Speaker 1>Person all that aage, continue to do you've done, you'll

0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:06.720
<v Speaker 1>get what you've got. We cannot continue to do what

0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:10.800
<v Speaker 1>we have done. Over the last number of weeks. Many

0:00:10.840 --> 0:00:15.560
<v Speaker 1>of us understandably developed a little cabin fever. Some, I

0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:19.280
<v Speaker 1>would argue, have developed a little amnesia. Others have just

0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:22.680
<v Speaker 1>frankly taken down their guard. Uh. And I understand that

0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:27.760
<v Speaker 1>I was discussing it at an early dinner, not that

0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:31.440
<v Speaker 1>that matters. So that's the governor of California who's in

0:00:31.440 --> 0:00:33.960
<v Speaker 1>the midst of a recall threat, so that it hasn't

0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:36.560
<v Speaker 1>happened yet, right, not enough signatures yet, And then I

0:00:36.760 --> 0:00:38.760
<v Speaker 1>know the deadline is the middle of March. And what's

0:00:38.800 --> 0:00:42.040
<v Speaker 1>amazing is I've lived through one of these already. When

0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:45.080
<v Speaker 1>Arnold Schwarzeneger ended up the governor of California, they recalled

0:00:45.479 --> 0:00:48.120
<v Speaker 1>their dull d old governor at the time. But I

0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:52.080
<v Speaker 1>remember how works. So if if and the recall, is

0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:54.040
<v Speaker 1>there a vote to recall, and then you're out, and

0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:55.920
<v Speaker 1>then you have an election to see who's governor or

0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:59.400
<v Speaker 1>do you you run again? How does it work? I think? Well?

0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:02.200
<v Speaker 1>We could asked Kevin Faulkner, who is the mayor of

0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:05.680
<v Speaker 1>San Diego among other positions through his career until recently,

0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:08.280
<v Speaker 1>it was turned out and has announced that he is

0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:12.360
<v Speaker 1>going to run for governor. Indeed, if Gavin Newsom is recalled,

0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:15.080
<v Speaker 1>Kevin joins us, Now, how are you, sir, gentlemen? Great

0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:17.040
<v Speaker 1>to be back with you. I'm doing great. Thank you. Cool,

0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:21.920
<v Speaker 1>So refresh our memories? Is there first to recall vote? Yeah?

0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:23.760
<v Speaker 1>I think we are going to be in a recall

0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:27.440
<v Speaker 1>a situation. You correctly pointed out that the deadline here

0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:30.080
<v Speaker 1>in California is the middle of March to get about

0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:34.560
<v Speaker 1>one point five million signatures. I believe that it's absolutely

0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:38.360
<v Speaker 1>going to happen because of the anger and frustration towards

0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:41.840
<v Speaker 1>our existing governor. By the way, that's that's across the spectrum,

0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:44.640
<v Speaker 1>fair enough, because he's an absolute idiot. But then is

0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:47.680
<v Speaker 1>the if that's successful, is the election for who takes

0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:49.480
<v Speaker 1>his place? Like the next day or a month later?

0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:51.560
<v Speaker 1>I don't remember. Yeah, no, that's right. It's on the

0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:54.280
<v Speaker 1>same ballots questions shall the governor be recalled? And then

0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:57.400
<v Speaker 1>the list of candidates below, So okay, it all goes together,

0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:01.840
<v Speaker 1>and then when would that probably happen? I guess everybody's

0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:05.440
<v Speaker 1>best guest is sometime in the late summer or fall,

0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:10.000
<v Speaker 1>so we both live in California. It is in many

0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:14.919
<v Speaker 1>ways an astoundingly beautiful and interesting slice of planet Earth

0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:19.720
<v Speaker 1>and has a history full of awe inspiring innovation, creativity

0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:22.840
<v Speaker 1>and energy. On the other hand, most of that's gone,

0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:24.400
<v Speaker 1>and it's a bit of a crap heap in a

0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:27.520
<v Speaker 1>lot of ways. How screwed up do you think California is? Look,

0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:29.640
<v Speaker 1>we're heading in the wrong direction. And I've been very

0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:32.560
<v Speaker 1>vocal about that, um and particularly over the last several years.

0:02:32.560 --> 0:02:34.520
<v Speaker 1>And you know, as I announced that it's time for

0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.400
<v Speaker 1>a comeback in California and to take on, you know,

0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:40.399
<v Speaker 1>the failed status quo that that knew some represents and

0:02:40.400 --> 0:02:42.840
<v Speaker 1>and it's across the board. And you know, I'm glad

0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:46.639
<v Speaker 1>you've been talking about schools not reopening in California because

0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:49.600
<v Speaker 1>look that they're they're opening safely across this country and

0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:53.519
<v Speaker 1>other states. Private schools are open in California, and yet

0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:57.360
<v Speaker 1>our kids are getting put farther and farther behind because

0:02:57.360 --> 0:02:59.720
<v Speaker 1>our schools haven't safely reopened. It's time to open our

0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:02.760
<v Speaker 1>tools now, not a week from now or a year

0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.320
<v Speaker 1>from now, UM, and all the other issues that you know,

0:03:05.360 --> 0:03:08.800
<v Speaker 1>folks are really just at their woods ending California homelessness,

0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:11.280
<v Speaker 1>are jobs that are leaving to other states, you know,

0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:15.480
<v Speaker 1>public safety. I did not defund the police as mayor

0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:18.399
<v Speaker 1>of San Diego. I increased the budget because guess what,

0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:21.360
<v Speaker 1>we want safe neighborhoods. And it works well. I remember

0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:24.160
<v Speaker 1>it was last year in the Bay Areas where I

0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:26.800
<v Speaker 1>first thought saw the stat or over half the people

0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.520
<v Speaker 1>were considering moving in the next year, and I wondered

0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:33.200
<v Speaker 1>if that's ever happened in human history anywhere in the planet,

0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:36.840
<v Speaker 1>in any era, where half the people were considering leaving

0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:41.160
<v Speaker 1>in the next year. It's just amazing. Well, it's amazing,

0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:44.280
<v Speaker 1>and it's real, unfortunately, and and look we're you know,

0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.240
<v Speaker 1>I love our great state where we had a natural beauty,

0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:49.120
<v Speaker 1>some of the best entrepreneurs, right and you know, the

0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:55.040
<v Speaker 1>California dream is still there. But to see so many folks, jobs, companies,

0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:58.800
<v Speaker 1>families that you know, can't stay because they're going to

0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:02.360
<v Speaker 1>get taxed out of existence. That's what I'm talking about,

0:04:02.360 --> 0:04:04.240
<v Speaker 1>and that's that's the type of change that we need

0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:06.600
<v Speaker 1>to make. It. You cannot, I repeat, you cannot take

0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:10.000
<v Speaker 1>California companies for granted because guess what, they have a

0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:12.760
<v Speaker 1>choice to locate to other states. How about a governor

0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:14.800
<v Speaker 1>that says, we want your jobs here. How about a

0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:17.320
<v Speaker 1>governor that says it's important for us to grow our

0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:19.960
<v Speaker 1>economy and not take it for granted. So Kevin is

0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:22.919
<v Speaker 1>a pretty moderate Republican. That's the way I would describe you.

0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:24.839
<v Speaker 1>Are you going to run within our next year? Name

0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:28.560
<v Speaker 1>or independent or or doesn't matter? Yeah, I don't think

0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:30.360
<v Speaker 1>it matters. And look, I am a proud Republican. I'm

0:04:30.360 --> 0:04:33.400
<v Speaker 1>a proud Republican who's won in a majority Democratic city

0:04:33.400 --> 0:04:35.440
<v Speaker 1>in San Diego and was able to do all the

0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:36.920
<v Speaker 1>things that I'm you know, I'm proud of the only

0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:41.080
<v Speaker 1>big city in California where we reduced homelessness the last

0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.400
<v Speaker 1>two years by double digits. Why because, as we've talked

0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:46.720
<v Speaker 1>about in the past, I didn't allow tents on our sidewalk.

0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:48.839
<v Speaker 1>I think that, you know, condemns folks to die on

0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:51.560
<v Speaker 1>your sidewalk. We're better than that. And so look, I

0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:56.000
<v Speaker 1>think what Californians want. They're less interested in partisanship. To

0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:58.080
<v Speaker 1>your point, I think they want somebody who's gonna roll

0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:00.240
<v Speaker 1>up their sleeves and get the job done, don't. I

0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.760
<v Speaker 1>don't care if you Republican, Democrat or independent. It's let's

0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:05.040
<v Speaker 1>turn this state around. Let's let's get us back on track.

0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:07.400
<v Speaker 1>So I thin get enough signatures on the ballot and

0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:10.200
<v Speaker 1>then it's officially okay, we're gonna have a recall election

0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:12.839
<v Speaker 1>in the scheduled the election. The people that are officially running,

0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:16.320
<v Speaker 1>will you all have debate each other? I think that

0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:18.720
<v Speaker 1>will probably be the case. But I think, as he

0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:22.080
<v Speaker 1>also mentioned, uh, in a recall situation, we are likely

0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:25.760
<v Speaker 1>to have That's that's right. I now remember Ted Kennedys,

0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:29.120
<v Speaker 1>You remember Arnold Schwarzenanger debating what's her name from? Ran

0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:33.520
<v Speaker 1>who ran huff Pole? Remember her aria? And then uh

0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:37.680
<v Speaker 1>Gary Coleman. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it's okay. We

0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:39.920
<v Speaker 1>got that to look forward to. There was a few candidates.

0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:43.280
<v Speaker 1>Kevin Faulkner's online He was the mayor of San Diego

0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.000
<v Speaker 1>until fairly recently, and he's running to be the new

0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:49.240
<v Speaker 1>governor of California. Would you like to say anything, unkind

0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:51.640
<v Speaker 1>about the other two major candidates who have announced, John

0:05:51.680 --> 0:05:55.800
<v Speaker 1>Cox or Chamath Paula Pataya. No, Look, guys, I think

0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:58.039
<v Speaker 1>we're gonna have a lot of folks jump in, but

0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:01.600
<v Speaker 1>I do think, um, you, what Californians have seen is

0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:04.920
<v Speaker 1>a lack of competence, and they're looking for somebody who

0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:08.280
<v Speaker 1>can run a major American city, got results like we

0:06:08.320 --> 0:06:11.000
<v Speaker 1>did in San Diego, and the type of person that

0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:14.719
<v Speaker 1>can say, again, I want Republicans Democrats to say, let's

0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:17.400
<v Speaker 1>put our the best interests of our state forward and

0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:20.880
<v Speaker 1>actually not be afraid to make decisions and to get

0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.320
<v Speaker 1>things done. And so you know, all of these, all

0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:25.919
<v Speaker 1>of these issues that we care so deeply about that

0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:28.839
<v Speaker 1>they're just they're not going the right way in California.

0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:31.320
<v Speaker 1>And you know, I have some success of of bringing

0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:34.479
<v Speaker 1>some folks together and as I said, getting results, wouldn't

0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:37.240
<v Speaker 1>that be something. Well, here's a rubber meets the road

0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:40.320
<v Speaker 1>issue for you. And California's roll out of the vaccine

0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:42.680
<v Speaker 1>has been awful, but as I am a fair man,

0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:45.560
<v Speaker 1>I will point out it's been awful around the globe.

0:06:46.160 --> 0:06:48.479
<v Speaker 1>Any thoughts on how to streamline it and get it

0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:52.479
<v Speaker 1>get shots into arms, well that's exactly it. And you

0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:55.679
<v Speaker 1>know the fact that we are the most innovative state

0:06:55.920 --> 0:06:58.520
<v Speaker 1>I'm a little bias obviously in the country, but the

0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:02.120
<v Speaker 1>fact that we were so woefully unprepared for the vaccines

0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:04.520
<v Speaker 1>when they came out, and so you know, one of

0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:06.680
<v Speaker 1>the biggest things and why you've seen that that that

0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:10.320
<v Speaker 1>real anger in California is because we continue to have

0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:13.520
<v Speaker 1>not just the conflicting COVID rules with open and cloths

0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:16.360
<v Speaker 1>and businesses with no science behind it, but the fact

0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:19.080
<v Speaker 1>that we were one of the worst states in the country,

0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:22.200
<v Speaker 1>the worst in the country of a rollout because we

0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:24.840
<v Speaker 1>did not have the planning, the preparation and the logistics.

0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:27.080
<v Speaker 1>We all have the same goal, let's get those needles

0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:29.320
<v Speaker 1>in everybody's arm. But the fact that it was so

0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:32.600
<v Speaker 1>slow in California, the bureaucracy, it's just unacceptable. Yea, to

0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:35.440
<v Speaker 1>quote the clip we played from old Gavin uh Quit

0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:37.160
<v Speaker 1>doing the same thing, Are you're going to get the

0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:40.160
<v Speaker 1>same result? Former San Diego mayor Kevin Falker running for

0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:42.480
<v Speaker 1>governor the most populous state in the Union. I'm sure

0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:44.840
<v Speaker 1>we'll have more chances to talk. Kevin. Good to talk.

0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:47.320
<v Speaker 1>Thanks