Kevin Faulconer in 2021 CA Governor's race
On Abortion:
Pro-choice, pro-marriage equality, pro-gun control
Faulconer, a city councilman before becoming mayor, has followed a long line of socially liberal and fiscally conservative San Diego leaders. He is pro-choice, pro-marriage equality, pro-comprehensive immigration reform, and pro-gun control.
But on the economic side, Faulconer is against tax and minimum-wage hikes and in favor of pension reform and bidding out city services.
Source: The Atlantic Magazine on 2021 California recall race
Jan 3, 2016
On Budget & Economy:
Put tax dollars to keeping roads smooth and safe
As governor, Kevin Faulconer will work so you can afford a home and spend less time in traffic. He will make sure your tax dollars are put toward keeping our roads smooth and safe. He will take a red pen to outdated rules that drive up the price of
apartments and houses. And he will work to create affordable housing so that our children and workforce can continue to call California home.
Source: Campaign website KevinFaulconer.com for 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
On Budget & Economy:
Conduct a top-to-bottom review of spending
He will conduct a top-to-bottom review of spending, cancel or fix programs that are not working, and hold departments accountable for results.
He will engage California's brilliant technology entrepreneurs to help make your interactions with the government quick and easy. And he will never forget that you, the taxpayer, are the most important customer.
Source: Campaign website KevinFaulconer.com for 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
On Budget & Economy:
COVID: important that we save both lives and livelihoods
My overall perspective is that it is incredibly important that we save both lives and livelihoods. I have been very outspoken about the fact that so many of the changing metrics behind reopening plans that
we saw from the governor during the course of the pandemic did not take into account the absolute need to protect small businesses.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2021 CA recall race
Mar 24, 2021
On Civil Rights:
Called on Congress to adopt LGBTQ rights legislation
He has been described as the strongest San Diego mayor on LGBTQ issues and was one of the rare Republican elected officials to publicly support same-sex marriage.
He called on Congress to adopt sweeping federal LGBTQ rights legislation and backed campaigns to honor LGBTQ luminaries with their own postage stamps.
Source: Bay Area Reporter on 2021 CA recall race
Feb 17, 2021
On Civil Rights:
Keep treatment of LGBTQ young adults as sex offenders
Faulconer's stance within the LGBTQ community has taken several hits in recent months, such as when he revealed that he voted to reelect former President Donald Trump in November.
And last fall, when he attacked Newsom for signing into law a bill that ended the discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ young adults faced with registering as sex offenders.
Source: Bay Area Reporter on 2021 CA recall race
Feb 17, 2021
On Corporations:
Get out the message: California is open for business
A businessperson, Faulconer said the exodus of top tech executives to Texas and other states has also been a chief failure of Newsom and that he would immediately get out the message that "California is open for business,"
by holding direct discussions with business leaders to assure them that the state will not continue to "take California companies for granted."
Source: Politico e-zine on 2021 California recall race
Feb 1, 2021
On Crime:
We didn't defund police, we hired more and kept us safe
We became the only big city in America, among the 10 biggest cities we analyzed, to repair more than half our roads in a matter of years, not decades. After struggling with homelessness like other areas across the state, we bucked the status quo to make
San Diego the only big city in California where homelessness went down, not up. Instead of defunding the police, we worked to hire more officers and keep us one of the safest big cities in the nation.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune on 2021 California recall race
Feb 12, 2021
On Crime:
Won't forget your safety is the government's top priority
As governor, Kevin Faulconer will never forget that your safety is the government's top priority. He will support the hard-working law enforcement professionals who keep us safe.
He will also expect public safety officers to meet the highest standards as they fulfill their oath to protect the public. And he will work to ensure violent criminals are held accountable for their actions.
Source: Campaign website KevinFaulconer.com for 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
On Crime:
I strongly support the death penalty in California
Q: Newsom enacted a moratorium on executions in California, would you reverse that if you were governor?
Faulconer: Well, I tell you, I strongly support the death penalty in California. I think it's incredibly important. I would reverse it. It should never have been changed.
Source: KQED on 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
On Crime:
Time to have a governor who is going to put victims first
Faulconer accused Gov. Newsom of "enabling" the "defund the police" movement and faulted him for supporting Proposition 47 in 2014, which reclassified some theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. "I've seen the disasters of
these policies on the streets throughout this great state of ours, it's time to have a governor who is going to put victims first," Faulconer said. "Every California family deserves to be safe, to feel safe and to have a safe neighborhood."
Source: CNN Politics on 2021 CA recall race
Aug 5, 2021
On Education:
Better teacher salaries, give them tools they need
Kevin will get our K-12 students back to school safely, using proven science. He will provide teachers with better salaries and give them the tools they need to do the job, keeping careful track of performance
so we can better target resources and continuously improve student achievement. He will make sure that every student--regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or disability--gets the education they need and deserve.
Source: Campaign website KevinFaulconer.com for 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
On Education:
COVID: School closings not based on science
[On coronavirus restrictions in schools]: "There is no reason why California should be the last state to open our public schools," Faulconer told Fox News. "There is absolutely no valid excuse." Faulconer says it's
Newsom "who has allowed this to happen," which points to "a failure of leadership and allowing this to happen not based on science."
Source: Fox News on 2021 CA recall race
Apr 1, 2021
On Education:
Take a firm stance with teachers unions over COVID closures
Q: The state's teachers unions played a role in the prolonged closures. Would you have moved to suspend collective bargaining?Faulconer: I don't think it would be necessary if we had a governor with stronger leadership skills.
Newsom never engaged and took a firm stance with the unions, at a time the state was crying out for that type of strong approach. But he kept deferring and not providing the leadership people needed.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2021 CA recall race
Mar 24, 2021
On Energy & Oil:
Unleash technological might to become energy independent
As governor, Kevin Faulconer will keep power companies accountable for providing safe and dependable electricity. He will unleash California's technological might and entrepreneurial spirit to make us more energy independent,
adding middle-class jobs as we build and sell tomorrow's clean energy. And he will hold the utilities responsible for wildfires while increasing forest management to keep fires from starting in the first place.
Source: Campaign website KevinFaulconer.com for 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
On Government Reform:
Would veto elimination of single-family zoning
Single-family zoning got lots of love, as the candidates vowed to oppose attempts to build more housing by allowing apartments in neighborhoods now zoned for single-family homes. The issue has been a contentious one in the Legislature in recent years,
with bills stalling amid bipartisan resistance. "When we see some of these pieces of legislation that want to eliminate single-family zoning in California, that's wrong," Faulconer said. "I will veto that."
Source: Cal Matters on 2021 CA recall race
Aug 5, 2021
On Gun Control:
City gun storage law enacted without his signature
The San Diego Safe Storage of Firearms Ordinance requires guns in homes to be stored in a locked container or disabled by a trigger lock unless they are being carried by or are under the control of the owner or authorized user. It became law without
the mayor's signature. City Attorney Mara Elliott proposed the ordinance, saying it would guard against accidental shootings. Opponents said the law could keep homeowners from protecting themselves and their families. Faulconer took both positions.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune on 2021 California recall race
Sep 13, 2019
On Gun Control:
Keep California's tight restrictions, no need for changes
On gun control, Faulconer differs from other candidates.
He's OK with California's tight restrictions and doesn't want to weaken or strengthen them.
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2021 CA recall race
Jul 19, 2021
On Health Care:
COVID: I do not favor mandates; I favor education
Gov. Newsom announced that state employees and health care workers would be required to get vaccinated. Faulconer, who has long distinguished himself across California GOP-dom as a relative moderate, stressed that he and his entire family had been
vaccinated and he encouraged everyone who hasn't been to get the jab, too. But encouragement is as far as the state should go. "I do not favor mandates, I favor education," he said. "You're not going to mandate your way out of the coronavirus."
Source: Cal Matters on 2021 CA recall race
Aug 5, 2021
On Health Care:
COVID: For vaccinating everyone, but not mandating
Faulconer and his family are vaccinated against the coronavirus--but he wouldn't mandate it for anyone if he were governor of California, he said in an interview with McClatchy's California editorial boards. When it comes to addressing the state's
rising COVID-19 cases, Faulconer said he is a "strong proponent of educating, not mandating." Faulconer said he does want to see all Californians get vaccinated.
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2021 CA recall race
Jul 31, 2021
On Immigration:
DREAMers are living in only country they've ever known
Most #Dreamers are living in the only country they have ever known. They are our neighbors, small business owners, students and veterans.
They need our support. The time is now for Congress to act. #IStandWithDreamers #DACA
Source: Twitter posting on 2021 California recall race
Jan 18, 2018
On Immigration:
Repeal Medicaid expansion to undocumented immigrants
Faulconer did promote his reputation as a Republican mayor able to work with a Democratic-majority city council in San Diego. But he, too, denounced the threat posed by the "woke crowd," called for a repeal of a recent expansion of the state
Medicaid program to low-income undocumented immigrants 50 and older and accused Newsom of supporting the "defund the police movement" (he doesn't).
Source: Cal Matters on 2021 CA recall race
Aug 5, 2021
On Jobs:
Only one-sixth of staff are white, heterosexual males
Just one-sixth of his 29 staff members are white, heterosexual males. He founded a nonprofit called One San Diego that raises money for laptops and after-school programs in underprivileged areas. A booming economy has allowed
Faulconer to add community-center hours across the city as well as to break ground on a $13 million new library in a low-income neighborhood. He also makes most of his major announcements in communities of color.
Source: The Atlantic Magazine on 2021 California recall race
Jan 3, 2016
On Jobs:
Make fixing unemployment system top technology project
State auditor Elaine Howle has reported that the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic left the department in disarray, handing out unemployment benefits to fraudsters while delaying payments to legitimate claimants. Faulconer outlined his
three-point plan for reforming the EDD:- Pausing any new programs for EDD until it fixes its unemployment system
- Making EDD the state's top technology project
- Eliminating any and all roadblocks to reform of the department
Source: Times of San Diego on 2021 CA recall race
Mar 26, 2021
On Principles & Values:
I treat people with dignity and respect even if we disagree
I think I'm known as a Republican who brings people together. I'm a big believer and you're going to have a difference of views and opinions and parties, and that's fine. But I treat people with dignity and respect, even if we disagree on some of the
issues. That's the type of approach that I would take as governor. And I think that's the approach that's been lacking right now in Sacramento.
Source: KQED on 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
On Principles & Values:
Strive to govern by being as inclusive as possible
You should strive to govern by being as inclusive as possible. You should govern not by partisanship, but by leadership. I've found that Californians care less about the "R" or "D," by a candidate's name, and more about whether you can get the job done.
What Californians need right now is a problem solver. It's not about political rhetoric, it's about who can reduce the size of the homeless population, who can protect small businesses and who can keep neighborhoods safe.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2021 CA recall race
Mar 24, 2021
On Tax Reform:
Incumbent backed higher taxes and destroyed jobs
I'm running for governor because it's time for a California comeback. Our state, so full of promise, has become the land of broken promises. And the promise-breaker-in-chief is Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom promised equality, but he has presided over some of the worst inequality in the nation. He promised prosperity but backed high costs and higher taxes and destroyed jobs.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune on 2021 California recall race
Feb 12, 2021
On Tax Reform:
He will veto any tax increase that comes to his desk
As governor, Kevin Faulconer will fight so you can keep more of the money you earn. He will veto any tax increase that comes to his desk. And he will defend Proposition 13 to support homeowners and small businesses.
You work hard to live within your means, and he will run a fiscally responsible government that does the same.
Source: Campaign website KevinFaulconer.com for 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
On Tax Reform:
Helping Our Heroes: exempt military retirement from taxes
Faulconer's "Helping Our Heroes" plan proposes to exempt military retirement from income taxes. "It's a very straightforward plan to make California more affordable and livable for the men and women who served our nation," Faulconer told
Fox News. "It's a plan to make sure that veterans are taxed less and housed more." Faulconer said he would double the amount for disabled veterans property tax exemption to $200,000 and roughly $400,000 for low-income veterans.
Source: Fox News on 2021 CA recall race
May 26, 2021
On Welfare & Poverty:
Cut red tape; promote policies to get people off the street
As governor, Kevin Faulconer will bring his compassionate and results-oriented approach to all of California. He will expand access to mental health services and addiction treatment. He will use proven solutions that give people a safe place to sleep,
get on their feet, and get the help they need. He will cut red tape and promote policies that get people off the street and into a home. And he will clean up the garbage and filth generated by encampments that are not only eyesores but public health
hazards.As governor, Kevin Faulconer will fight so you can keep more of the money you earn. He will veto any tax increase that comes to his desk. And he will defend
Proposition 13 to support homeowners and small businesses. You work hard to live within your means, and he will run a fiscally responsible government that does the same.
Source: Campaign website KevinFaulconer.com for 2021 CA recall race
Feb 14, 2021
Page last updated: Feb 14, 2023