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California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall election set for Sept. 14

July 2, 2021

Gov. Gavin Newsom

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

California voters will decide on Sept. 14 whether or not to recall and replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.

On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis formally ordered that the recall election take place, following California Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s certification of the petition to recall Newsom.

Weber determined the petition contained 1,719,900 valid signatures. A total of 1,495,970 valid signatures was needed to trigger a recall election.

In the September election, voters will be asked whether or not to recall Newsom and, if Newsom is recalled, who should replace him.

A majority vote will be needed in order to recall the governor. If Newsom is recalled, the candidate with the highest vote total in the race to replace him will be elected governor.

Candidates running in the recall election include Republicans Kevin Faulconer, John Cox and Caitlyn Jenner. Faulconer is a former mayor of San Diego; Cox is a former gubernatorial candidate who lost to Newsom in 2018; and Jenner is a retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete and television personality.

In 2018, Newsom received 61.9 percent of the vote in the gubernatorial election. Cox received 38.1 percent of the vote.

Critics of Newsom have opposed his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly his statewide shutdown orders. They have chastised him for attending a dinner party with lobbyists at a pricey Napa Valley restaurant while COVID-19 restrictions were in effect. Additionally, opponents have criticized Newsom’s handling of economic and social issues in the Golden State.

Newsom has characterized the effort to oust him as a “Republican recall.” The governor alleges those behind the recall are “a partisan, Republican coalition of national Republicans, anti-vaxxers, Q-Anon conspiracy theorists and anti-immigrant Trump supporters.”

California’s first and only gubernatorial recall election took place in 2013. When, voters recalled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and replaced him with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican.


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Newsom failed the state during covid…that’s enough of a reason the say goodbye….


8

I like Newsom’s robot response describing the people who want to recall him. Classic!


9

AB 5 is all the evidence you need to make a sane decision to recall Newsom. Those of you capable of digesting unbiased research will see AB 5 is his road to demolishing small business in California while lining his own pockets with special interest money. Newsom needs to go.


15

AB 5 sought to remove the blurry line between independent contractors and permanent employees. For far too long in this state, companies have hired workers and misclassified them as independent contractors in order to not pay them as much in wages and benefits as they would a regular employee. This not only penalizes the worker, but also those businesses who do give their workers full pay and benefits.


Large trucking companies and freight carriers are notorious for this and truck drivers are among the most underpaid workers in this nation, usually making only about $40,000 a year. Moreover, ride-hailing companies such as Lyfft and Uber have been taking advantage of their drivers for years, paying them pennies when the CEO’s of those companies cash in—Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is worth $3 billion while the average driver has to work two or three jobs to make ends meet.


Unfortunately, California voters—a schizophrenic lot—decided to give Uber and Lyfft a pass on AB 5, and I have no doubt the major freight carriers will weasel their way out of finally paying proper wages and giving benefits as well.


The governor’s intent was simply to bring fair wages to the majority of California workers. At any rate, I doubt AB 5 will be a major issue in this recall campaign. The state’s economy is doing well, infrastructure throughout the state is getting an upgrade, and the unemployment rate is falling while wages are rising.


-20

Right… and he just ordered all the Chinese masks because he liked the quality … and…he had dinner with the lobbyists and union bosses at the french laundry because the conversation was stimulating…and… he deemed walmart and costco essential because the virus doesn’t travel in big boxes… and,and,and …Newsom is the shadiest politician in US history. AB 5 is a follow the money into his pocket RULING . Big business and big Government flourish in California under Newsoms tyranny as mom and pop leave the state for AZ , Idaho and Texas. WAKE UP


12

California has a myriad of issues, I will agree, but a recall election is the last thing we need. The last time we recalled a governor the state went from a $12 billion budget deficit to a $36 billion deficit. Our credit worthiness was only slightly better than the nation of Kazakhstan.


Luckily, the state now has a $75 billion surplus so it can pay for this $200 million boondoggle that might give us Governor Kodiak (I mean Cox) or Governor Jenner, either of which would be a total disaster for this state.


-4

Generational debt for tangible improvements happens on occasion but to give away money for votes explains his smug look. We are in desperate need for a governor that is truly motivated about the sustainability of California for families, not short term pleasures.


21

Time to kick this Prick to the Curb.

Can’t wait for my Ballet to arrive.


22

Waiting for your “ballet”? Thinking it will be his Swan song?


-2

Which one are you waiting for, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet or maybe Giselle? Too early for The Nutcracker.


2

Hope he gets recalled, but don’t think it will happen, not with so much free candy being handed out by the party that dominates California politics. Also, the demographics come into play, Bay area and LA are such a huge part of the California electorate. Also don’t see anyone on the Republican side who can attract the enthusiasm needed, certainly not Cox.

Hope I’m wrong.


15

Now there are two weeks for people to file to replace the Governor. 135 persons filed for governor in the 2003 recall of Governor Davis. Will 2021 see more or less?


2