San Diego City Wire

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to ease restrictions linked to COVID-19 is good news.

“The state’s lifting of the Regional Stay at Home Order brings positive news of improving public health conditions, but we must stay vigilant so that we can protect our health-care system and defeat COVID-19,” Gloria told San Diego City Wire.

In the wake of a spike in cases, the state announced stricter coronavirus restrictions Dec. 3, including a 15% threshold rule for intensive care unit capacity. If the ICU capacity in any of five regions – Northern California, Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California – dropped below that rate, much tighter limits on personal and public actions would be put in place.

The Regional Stay at Home Order prohibited private gatherings of any size, closed sector operations except for critical infrastructure and retail, and required 100% masking (with certain exceptions as indicated in guidance for use of face coverings) and physical distancing.

The decision to lift that order Jan. 25 was made as the projected ICU availability over four weeks in all regions topped 15%.

“Once a region exited the Regional Stay at Home Order, counties within that region return to the appropriate tier and rules under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” according to the state.

Some have wondered what role politics and polls played in the decision. Newsom’s announcement of looser restrictions came as his approval rating has declined sharply in recent weeks. Many Californians are upset with his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and personal missteps, including a mask-free dinner at an exclusive Napa Valley restaurant when Californians were being advised to stay home and exercise caution, have only added to his problems.

It also helped fuel a recall effort targeting Newsom. Organizers need to collect at least 1.4 million signatures by March 17.

The state has been hit hard by the pandemic, with 40,908 deaths as of Tuesday, according to the state. There have been 3.2 million COVID-19 cases in California during the past year. The state has tested more than 42 million people and administered more than 3.2 million doses of vaccine.

Gloria said there are clear signs that California and San Diego are moving forward during this long battle with the coronavirus.

“This is how our economy will fully reopen for good,” Gloria told San Diego City Wire. “I want to thank every San Diegan — residents and small business owners alike — who made this possible by avoiding gatherings, wearing masks and staying home when possible. With vaccination efforts expanding, we’re making real progress but it’s not time to let our guard down.”

The mayor and governor stay in touch, according to Jen Lebron, the mayor’s director of communications, adding, “Mayor Gloria and Gov. Newsom communicate on a regular basis.” 

The mayor said the city will adhere to rules put in place by the state and San Diego County. With more than 3 million residents San Diego it the third-largest county in the state in terms of population, and the fifth largest in the nation.

“San Diego will continue to enforce state and county public health guidelines,” Gloria said. “Let’s continue to keep ourselves and each other safe.”

Gloria, 42, like Newsom is a Democrat and has enjoyed a steady rise in politics. He was elected to the San Diego City Council in 2008 and 2012 and served as interim mayor August 2013 to March 2014.

In 2016, he was elected to represent the 78th District in the California State Assembly and was re-elected in 2018. He rose to a leadership position in Sacramento, but returned to San Diego politics in 2020, finishing first in the March 3 Democratic mayoral primary and winning the post in the Nov. 3 general election. He took office Dec. 10.

Gloria is the first person of color — he is of Tingit-Haida, Puerto Rican and Filipino descent — and the first openly gay person to serve as San Diego's mayor.