Republicans in California have been very unsatisfied with Newsom's lockdowns and opened a process to recall him in June of 2020. The last day to gather signatures was Wednesday (March 16th) and organizers of the recall say they have over 1.5 million signatures which is the amount needed for the recall to move forward.
This recall has some very untrustworthy organizers; the chief organizer believes we should microchip immigrants, of the main sponsors, one is a proud member of three percenters (an all right militia group), others are conspiracy theorists who believe in QAnon. In an interview Newsom said that the reasons for this recall had to do with immigration, "the browning of California" and said that he will fight against this recall for all of us. He has started a fundraising event to fight the recall and has asked important figures to join him including Stacey Abrams, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
People in favor of the recall say they are supporting this because of the lockdown that is ruining businesses, the extended school and businesses-closures, the unemployment benefits scandal and they have brought up the hypocrisy of Newsom who was urging the population to stay at home but while he himself went to a party with friends and lobbyists at a restaurant in Napa.
People who are not part of the far-left have also done some recent criticism of Newsom after he promised to replace state’s senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein, with a black woman when her term will only end in 2024. This could mean that this is a power play to make sure he will not be recalled and also looking at winning the next elections, instead of only wanting to promote diversity. He made this promise after he received criticism for replacing Harris with a Latino man.
Even after the signature collection ended their authenticity still needs to be verified until April 29th, and if there are enough signatures there are still a lot of legal hoops to get through and it could take until September for a date to be set. Even if all this happens researchers say there is a small chance for Newsom to be removed, according to a poll done on Monday there is a 42 to 38 percent margin of support for Newsom to remain in office.
Sources:
What to Know Now About the Newsom Recall Effort
As signature collection ends, California heads toward recall
Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, enlists progressive stars to fight an effort to recall him.
8 comments:
I find it interesting that so many individuals are upset with the regulations. Even though they come from questionable background, I can somewhat see how people would be mad with the lockdown protocol and see it as harmful to the economy and social health. That being said, I do not think there are enough people that support the removal of Newsom to remove him from office. Like you said, there is a strong percent margin that supports Newsom, so it is unlikely this will have a big impact on anything other than polarization and social tension. The legality of it is complex in order to make it difficult for any powerful state official to be removed. Thank you for sharing!
I agree with a lot of the ideals of Gavin Newsom, but I think his hypocrisy is enough to call for a recall. He has funded his own restaurants more than those of businesses who need it, and the state relief packages have failed miserably. Over 12 billion dollars were lost to fraud rather than being given to the workers who need the money, and some people who need the money and got "accidental" relief are being asked to give it back. I know he isn't in charge of the relief plan directly, but really? 12 billion dollars is a lot of money; I highly doubt he had no control over it. I think rather than asking if he should be recalled, we should be asking when. I don't think he should be recalled now. He has already been handling the virus decently (disregarding the mismanagement of money) and at this point we need to stay on his train of thought while we get through the pandemic. However, after the pandemic, I think it would be a good idea to recall him. A politician using their power to help themselves is a huge red flag and I think we should be especially aware of it.
I also agree with a lot of Newsom's political ideals, but I do see why Republicans (and even some Democrats) are upset over his hypocrisy. However, I just don't think it would make sense for him to recalled as of right now, especially for the Republicans. First of all, he could be replaced with an even more liberal Democrat. Also, timing would be really bad for a potential new Republican governor, who would have to begin their campaign almost immediately -- if they somehow did win, I believe it would be difficult for them to hold office in such a liberal state (in addition, there is a pretty strong margin -- 38-42% -- of CA residents that still support him). Like Peter brought up though, it is important to keep an eye out for power plays in politicians in all parties -- they are selfish and unacceptable.
On one hand, some of the reasons for the recall are quite questionable like Newsom’s position on immigration or reopening the state which could be seen as a recall out of disagreement in how he runs the state rather than he is simply unfit for governor. Bridging off of the example of supporters of the recall denouncing Newsome’s policy over reopening businesses, this does somewhat connect to normative vs positive economics. I feel like in this situation many would prioritize individual economic gain over general safety during this pandemic which Gavin Newsome seems to disagree with due to his implementation of a strict lockdown. However, Peter does bring up a good point that Newsome has somewhat been hypocritical during his time as governor as well. For example, he seems to have ignored his own COVID lockdown mandates by participating in social gatherings. Although there are both some concrete and not as persuasive arguments for Newsom’s recalling another fact to point out in this whole situation which both Varsha and Peter have mentioned is that recalling him in the midst of a pandemic might not be the best decision. Newsom has already had such an influential impact on California’s COVID policy and with the amount of turmoil within the country due to the panic, replacing him now might only make the whole situation more difficult for the state’s government. With less than a majority of Californians still supporting Newsome, it will not come as a surprise if he is eventually replaced. However, a recall during this time of crisis does not make much sense.
I agree with many of the commenters above, and also understand the seriousness of Governor Newsom’s hypocrisy and his administration’s associations with unemployment fraud. The incident at the French Laundry restaurant did not provide many already worried Californians any reason to trust his COVID-19 policies, instead exemplifying the sense of privilege he exercised. However, having led the state through the pandemic thus far, I believe that prioritizing the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations and focusing on reopening businesses safely, two points Newsom emphasized in his State of the State address on March 9th, are important components of his administration’s agenda, vital to beginning the process to return to a sense of normalcy. I also agree, though, with Peter, Varsha and Laurent. Governor Newsom has faced quite a few recall attempts throughout his first term, but this current effort certainly appears increasingly more viable.
Like Kaitlyn, I agree with the commenters above, especially Peter and Ben. Both republicans and democrats have understandable views on Gavin in their own way. 1.5 million signatures sounds like a lot, but in a state of 40 million people it really isn't. In the grand scheme of things, Gavin Newsome hasn't been totally terrible. He may have done some hypocritical things with the lockdown, but that seems to be a trend with all politicians. By no means is it a characteristic unique to him. I would argue that he should have opened schools a long time ago as well, but that is not 100 percent in his ability as teacher unions are very strong as well. Overall, I have learned over my 17 years that petitions are pretty useless. Only two governors have been successfully recalled in history, and given Gavin's popularity among democrats, I doubt this petition will be any different.
While Newsom's hypocrisy and questionable fundings definitely provide reason for his potential recall, I am not confident this will actually happen. Currently, Newsom is still favored by the majority, especially those of Democratic parties. I also don't find the petition to pose much of a threat, as past petitions have never really had much success. I do, however, believe that the risk of his recall will intimidate his position and drive him to be a more honest politician. If this happens, he will not only maintain his position in office, but become more liked by the general public. At the end of the day, if desired results can't happen (i.e. his recall), it's important to remember the importance of improvement. He still has an enormous level of influence that can change the course of his actions and ultimate legacy in office.
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