Melendez & Jones Lead Attempt to End Newsom's State of Emergency Powers

Senate Concurrent Resolution 93 Blocked by Senate Democrats

Sacramento – State Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Brian Jones (R-Santee) today teamed up with Senator Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) in an attempt to bring Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 93 up for a vote on the Senate Floor. 

SCR 93, authored by Melendez, would immediately end the State of Emergency declared by the Governor Newsom on March 4, and would terminate the emergency authority the Governor was temporarily granted by the Legislature that month.

“The State of Emergency powers that were ceded by the Legislature to the Governor back in March were intended to be TEMPORARY,” stated Senator Jones.  “Unfortunately, during the last five months Governor Newsom exceeded this authority by signing billions of dollars in no-bid contracts for masks; issuing confusing, contradictory, and conflicting shutdown orders on hundreds of thousands of California businesses; and restricting Californians from using public beaches, parks, and attending religious services.  We elect Governors, we don’t coronate Kings in this country and certainly not in California.”

Melendez requested that SCR 93, which has been held without a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, be brought to the Senate Floor for a vote this morning.  The move was blocked by the Senate Democrats on a party-line 9-25 vote.

Senate Democrats in their haste to quash debate also violated Senate rules, traditions, and practices by not even allowing Melendez to make an opening statement regarding SCR 93.