Civic Register
| 4.27.21
California Gov. Gavin Newsom to Officially Face Recall Election This Fall
Do you think that California Gov. Gavin Newsom should be recalled?
What’s the story?
- Opponents of California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) have gathered enough signatures to trigger a recall election this fall according to data released by California’s secretary of state.
- The secretary of state announced Wednesday that supporters of Newsom’s recall submitted more than 2 million verified signatures, which netted them 1,626,042 valid signatures ― more than the 1,495,709 required to force the recall.
- Newsom has faced criticism over his handling of California’s pandemic response. The lockdowns he ordered have caused the state to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, and California’s K-12 public schools have one of the lowest percentages of students who have returned to in-person learning among any of the 50 states.
- Newsom also sparked accusations of hypocrisy in the fall of 2020 after participating in a birthday dinner for a lobbyist at an exclusive restaurant that charges a minimum of $350 per person less than two hours after he urged Californians to cancel their Thanksgiving gatherings. He apologized the next day, but in the weeks following the incident the state imposed more restrictions on in-person dining amid a rise in coronavirus cases.
- Newsom’s political support in California has experienced a marked decline in recent months. A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll found his approval rating declined from 64% in September 2020 to 46% in late January 2021, while his disapproval number climbed from 36% to 48% in the same period.
- A spokesman for RecallGavin2020 praised the announcement that advocates for Newsom’s recall met the signature threshold:
“California is at a crossroad. People are frustrated at the destructive policies, divisive politics and manipulative tactics conducted by Gavin Newsom since the day he became governor. We cannot continue to allow one elected official in California to control each aspect of our lives without checks and balances.”
- Newsom tweeted the following in response to the progress made by proponents of his recall:
“This Republican recall threatens our values and seeks to undo the important progress we’ve made -- from fighting COVID, to helping struggling families, protecting our environment, and passing commonsense gun violence solutions. There’s too much at stake.”
What’s next in the recall?
- Monday’s announcement by the secretary of state that the recall petition had enough signatures to trigger the recall election prompts a 30-day period in which valid signatories to the petition can withdraw their names.
- If the petition still has enough signatures after the June 8th deadline, the state will begin a process of budgeting for the recall ahead of the announcement that will likely occur in early September to set the date for the recall special election.
- It’s unclear at this time when exactly the recall election will occur, although a date in either late October or in November is most likely.
What role do voters play in a recall election?
- When voters cast their ballot in a California recall election they’re asked to weigh in on two questions: whether the politician should be recalled from office, and who should succeed them if they’re recalled.
- A majority vote is required for the recall question to succeed.
- If the politician is recalled, the candidate with the most votes is elected to replace them, regardless of whether they received a majority of the vote.
How common are gubernatorial recall elections?
- Newsom's recall election will be only the fifth gubernatorial recall election to occur in the last 100 years throughout the country.
- The other four gubernatorial recalls occurred in North Dakota (1921), Arizona (1988), California (2003), and Wisconsin (2012). Only two resulted in the governor’s removal, as Lynn Frazier of North Dakota and Gray Davis of California were recalled, while the Arizona recall election was canceled due to the governor’s impeachment.
- Despite the rarity of successful recalls and the challenges in forcing a recall election, every California governor since 1960 has faced a recall effort.
- In the successful 2003 recall of California Gov. Gray Davis (D), more than 100 candidates ran to replace him, which led to him being replaced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who won 48.58% of the vote.
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Shiny Things via Flickr / Creative Commons)
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Leave him alone he has done a lot of good for the planet. If we get some useless Republican in there we will be lost
This recall will waste millions of taxpayer dollars. If people in CA want to have a new governor, despite the safety measures enacted by Newsom leading to CA having the lowest number of coronavirus cases in the country, wait until next year when he is up for re-election.
And you should not recall my state Governor like that, And I will protect him.
Just found out that Guillefoyle......the now girlfriend of Don Jr. used to be married to Gov. Newsome.......Yikes!
Obviously yes. The people performed the recall and it should play out. That's the way the political system in California is designed and it should be followed.
Up to California, but lord I wish we had a recall mechanism in Arkansas. The current crop if politicians needs to Leave.
It's just another waste of money by Republicans. Newsome hasn't done anything wrong. He wasn't following what the ignorant governors have done, by opening the state too soon and making more people sick from the covid. He did what was necessary to preserve lives. So the Republicans need to get over their bad selves, their ridiculous conspiracy theories and craziness.
For overstepping his Constitutional authority? For overtaxing the state? For trashing small businesses and putting citizens in COVID jail? Absolutely Newsome should be recalled. Heck, even Caitlin Jenner could do a better job... ;)
Waste of time and money. We’re a democratic state.
This recall campaign appears to be primarily supported by anti maskers and anti vaccines Republicans; it has no real merit, in my opinion.
The trumpublican Party in their never-ending quest to gain/retain unearned political power is a driving force behind a lot of assaults on prominent Democratic governors. Just think, if they can remove Cuomo and put in a puppet trimpublican Governor, they can simply pardon the trump's outrageous tax fraud crimes. They are also undercuttin California's Governor Newsome for what, exactly? This winning at all costs by any despicable means possible has got to stop. Just think how much better it would be if the Republicans Party had principles and would focus on the welfare of the country instead of their never-ending Gingrich-launched continual war against the Democratic Party. I remember the days when the Republicans stood for something other than just winning; they offered ideas, solutions to problems and engaged in meaningful collaborative compromise. … … … The Republican Party has not had any platform for years, nothing at all that they stand for. The Republican Party has defaulted to the trump for leadership since their party has no-one willing or able to step up to the challenge. McConnell just gages the political winds and finds a middle position within the Republican Senate. That is not leadership. You cannot lead a parade by marching in the middle of it. McConnell is more of the Bass Drum Section of a marching band. He keeps the band together in a synchronized lock-step march in whatever random direction they may be headed. – and he is very good at this. However, the drummers do not pick the route, the destination or even the music that the band plays. That takes leadership and there is none from McConnell. McCarthy is still dancing to stay in the middle and not offend the trump or his radicalized cult followers because they represent a voting bloc. He does not want to offend them and dares not to attempt to lead them; if in fact, he was ever even capable of doing so. When a political party’s existence is defined by the acquisition and maintenance of political power that has no definable targets or goals other than defeating their enemy, they have no goals to strive for other than defeating their enemy and discrediting them so they can stay in office - and suck up funding to tweak the scales in their benefactor’s favor. This is power without any real purpose – and acquiring power without purpose other to remain in power is exceedingly dangerous and a core factor which has led to the demise of erstwhile functional democracies.
Unless politicians have been found guilty of crimes, they should be allowed to finished their elected terms. Recalling people because they make decisions that many people find unpopular is not a reason to lose their jobs. Let them run again in the next election and if they do not win, then they can't keep their jobs. In the meantime, American people need to focus on things that make the world a better place -- not trying to destroy other Americans because they are in a different political party.
Yes!
This recall effort is truly one of the most democratic actions a citizenry can participate in, and I support it whole heartedly. Why should people have to accept anything other than what they were expecting? Politicians lie and this is one way to hold them to account and in this case the perfect mechanism to send the message to the political class that every action has a consequence, and we as the electorate do not have suffer for an entire election cycle!
I have family in the Bay area and in the Central Valley. There are Democrats and Republicans and every single one of them signed the petition to recall Newsom! The Republicans signed as soon as the petition came out but most of the Democrats signed it after the French Laundry! Those who own businesses had finally had it with Newsom when the restrictions have dragged on and on while other states open. One even closed his specialty painting business in Concord and moved to Boise, Idaho. He voted with his feet!
When you are elected governor in the most liberal state, and you are too liberal for your constituents, that says something.
I feel that Newsome merely did what was necessary to control the spread of the virus in one ne of the largest states in the nation, that people still haven't come to Jesus in regards to doing what's necessary to hasten the ridding of COVID says more about them than it does about him
Newsom is a good governor and this recall is a waste of money
This is pathetic. Are republicans such babies that they have to throw tantrums every time they lose? Instead of underhanded stunts and cheating, did it ever occur to any of you to earn votes by doing what’s right for the people rather than what always looks like you feathering your nests? Weren’t you raised by decent people? If you were, you keep dishonoring them. Shame on you all.
IT is up to the voters of California - not the members of CAUSES