Frank Stallone slams Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass for 'filthy' and 'scary' California

Actor-musician Frank Stallone, the younger brother of Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone, has criticised transformation of California from the vibrant state in the past to a region that is now marred by rampant crime and homelessness.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, the 74-year-old shared his personal experience of living in California, ever since he moved in 1979.

What Frank Stallone said

According to Frank Stallone, the major reason behind California's decline is its poor leadership, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.


He said that he first came to the state in 1979 when it totally lived up to the popular song California Dreamin' from The Mamas & the Papas, but those lyrics now seem to have been forgotten.

California was a "lot better earlier" as there was not much crime, according to the singer. However, things have changed a lot as now there is "filth, the graffiti and the homelessness is almost like that movie 'Escape from New York'," he said.

"I mean, it's that scary. I mean, I batten down the window, locks... You're talking trash piled four feet high. Just filth," Fox News Digital quoted Stallone as saying.

The Kurt Russell-starrer film was based on a concluding war between the US and Soviet Union, wherein Manhattan was made into a security prison.

Stallone blames Gavin Newsom

Frank Stallone has put the blame on Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass. He has slammed the Democrat over his priorities after the latter announced his This Is Gavin Newsom podcast.

“I think it’s like 'In Living Color'," Stallone said and called Newsom as "phony" and a "terrible speaker." He thinks that Newsom has just been "set up to be made fun of" right from his hands and hair to everything.

This comes after both Newsom and Bass drew criticism over their handling of the wildfires that killed nearly 30 people and engulfed thousands of homes in Los Angeles county.

Several questions were raised over Bass' visit to Ghana at that time. She was in Africa to take part in Ghana’s president swearing-in ceremony at the time of the incident on January 7. She only managed to come back to the city on January 8.

Stallone questioned what Bass was doing in Ghana and what it had to "do with being the mayor of Los Angeles".

Frank Stallone on Olympics 2028

Stallone has warned the city to work out something as it is all set to host the Summer Olympics in 2028. He noted that otherwise it won't look like a "great representation for the Olympics".

"It's not a good look. It's really terrible," he added.

Stallone has backed real estate developer Rick Caruso to run for governor. Caruso was earlier pitted against Karen Bass for mayor's post in 2022.

FAQs

1. Who is Frank Stallone?
The younger brother of Sylvester Stallone is known for his hit single Far from Over that earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

2. When will elections take place in California?
Elections are scheduled to take place next year.