PolitiFact's ruling: True Here's why: San Francisco’s early and dramatic response to the coronavirus last year earned it praise as a model for fighting the pandemic. But during that time, was the city also experiencing a surge of fatal drug overdoses that far outpaced its COVID-19 deaths? That’s what Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley of Rocklin claimed on social media this week. "San Francisco had twice as many drug overdose deaths as COVID deaths last year. This true state of emergency is met with political indifference if not encouragement," Kiley wrote on Twitter on April 26. Kiley has filed numerous legal challenges against Gov. Gavin Newsom over the past year, claiming the Democrat and former San Francisco mayor has overstepped his authority during the pandemic.