California slammed for giving CCP warm welcome while opposing book bans, prior red state travel ban

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign press secretary hammered California Gov. Gavin Newsom for inviting the Chinese Communist Party to the state with a warm welcome in San Francisco.

“Just a reminder that @GavinNewsom issued a travel ban to Republican states and California leftists still manufacture and push fake ‘book ban’ lists, but this is the welcome that the CCP gets in their home state,” Bryan Griffin said.

Newsom had a different outlook for U.S. states in 2021 under a 2016 law. The governor’s administration effectively banned Florida and four other states from state-funded travel for, in California’s view, laws that discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community.

In particular, California cited Florida’s bill banning transgender women and girls from participating in school sports consisting with their gender identity.

DeSantis signed SB 1028, which safeguards women’s rights in sports based on biological sex, in June 2021.

California’s SB 447, also known as the BRIDGE Project, revoked the travel ban in September 2023.

While homosexuality is permitted in China, same-sex marriage is not allowed. Same-sex adoption also is banned.

“Their virtue signaling is fake and their morals are non-existent,” Griffin added.

Before China’s arrival, Newsom admitted to cleaning up San Francisco for the visit.

“[Folks say] oh there just cleaning up this place cause all those fancy leaders are coming into town,” Newsom said during a press conference. “That’s true, because it’s true. But it’s also true for months and months and months prior to APEC we have been having different conversations.”

APEC, referred by Newsom, stands for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group. Hosted in San Francisco, the 21-member organization looks to increase trade and economic growth in the Pacific region.

Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren also picked up on China’s visit to the state.

“Don’t forget, he also spent taxpayer money to clean it up to impress the communists – something he refused to do actual constituents,” Lahren said.

DeSantis has proceeded a different approach towards China and President Xi Jinping.

Signed into law effective July 1, SB 264 prohibits the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing or acquiring property in Florida.

On another policy front, Newsom outlawed the banning of books in a jab at Florida. The governor signed AB 1078 prohibiting book and textbook censorship in the state’s 10,000+ schools.

In direct contrast, DeSantis signed HB 1557 into law March 2022. The legislation forbade classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in K-3 classrooms.

That law was expanded this year and under state rules, the topics are restricted in PreK-12.

DeSantis decried the “book ban hoax” as critics slammed the state’s crackdown on sexually explicit material.

“Exposing the ‘book ban’ hoax is important because it reveals that some are attempting to use our schools for indoctrination,” DeSantis said in March. “In Florida, pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards.”