SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KRON) – At least two California lawmakers are in Maui for a legislative conference.
The trip comes as state leaders put a recommended 14-day quarantine in place last week to discourage travel and urged Californians not to gather ahead of the holidays.
Multiple members of the California Assembly are in Maui for the Annual Independent Voter Project Conference.
An eyewitness source tells us they saw Democratic Assemblyman Jim Cooper on the island.
Cooper told our source he was in town for a conference, staying at the same hotel hosting the independent voter project’s event.
Another Democratic Assemblymember Blanca Rubio is also at the conference, she is the only California lawmaker who allowed the event organizer to reveal her participation there.
Recent finance reports show Republican Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham bought plane tickets for a flight to Hawaii that arrived Monday.
We contacted the offices of nine legislators who went to the conference last year. One confirmed their assemblyman was not there, and have yet to hear back from the other eight, including the offices of Cooper, Cunningham, and Rubio.
The five-day conference is bringing together about 150 people this week, 20 of them lawmakers from Texas, Washington, and California, according to the event organizer.
The event mainly features policy discussions and mingling with lobbyists and corporate sponsors.
This comes just days after California leaders discouraged travel by issuing a 14-day quarantine recommendation for anyone coming into the state.
State leaders have advised against gatherings and imposed more restrictions on businesses in most California counties, citing a significant climb in coronavirus cases over the last week and a half.
The governor apologized Monday for participating in a 12-person dinner party at a restaurant in napa county after it went public.
“I need to preach and practice and not just preach and not practice,” Newsom said.
Legislative leaders in the assembly and senate have not yet responded to our requests for comment.