During an interview set to air on Friday’s edition of “The Issue Is,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) argued that cities are leaving San Francisco because they’re “struggling to recover from the pandemic” and “struggling with the macroeconomic shifts,” there are “issues related to Walgreens and others that have shut down all across this country. Everything in San Francisco, again, gets colored in and it’s made 10x bigger.” But there are “challenges” in the city that have necessitated sending the National Guard and California Highway Patrol into the city.
Host Elex Michaelson asked, “You’re not the mayor of San Francisco anymore. But you used to be. … And we see what’s happening there. We do see businesses moving out, for various reasons, but some of them saying they’re concerned about the crime in the area. When you see that happening to your beloved city, what goes through your mind, and do you think something’s going wrong there?”
Newsom responded, “I think they’re struggling to recover from the pandemic. They’re struggling to come back. They’re struggling with the macroeconomic shifts, particularly as it relates to telework, as it relates to what’s the future of a downtown. … And they’re in the process of re-zoning and rebirth and reimagination. By the way, I’ve seen that in San Francisco for decades, 2.7% unemployment now. … San Francisco, you go to the city and you sit back, you go, why am I listening to the dystopian views? This place is spectacular. It’s amazing. And yes, there [are] macroeconomic shifts. Westfield shut down a number of shopping malls in Florida. There [are] issues related to shopping malls. There [are] issues related to Walgreens and others that have shut down all across this country. Everything in San Francisco, again, gets colored in and it’s made 10x bigger. That said, I’m not denying the challenges there. That’s why I put the National Guard in. That’s why I put the CHP in. That’s why [there are] dozens of projects the state is funding with focus and urgency in terms of beautification. And that’s why I’m pushing the envelope to get these encampments off the street.”
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