California Gov. Gavin Newsom is not going to be happy to find out that the recall effort against him is moving forward after individuals who started the petition managed to pull together enough signatures to make it happen.
There were only a total of 43 signatures that were removed during the allotted 30-day period that went from April 26 all the way to June 8. During this time, voters were allowed to request their signature be removed from the petition. A whopping 1,719,900 verified signers stayed on, which more than the 1.5 million that was needed, according to the office of Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
A statement said the Department of Finance will now “estimate the costs of the gubernatorial recall” and send the projections to Newsom, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, and the chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee by Aug. 5.
Once the committee has 30 days to review and comment, the secretary of state will “then certify the sufficiency of signatures pursuant to statute,” the statement added.
The recall campaign began in June in response to Newsom’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. However, Anne Dunsmore, campaign manager for Rescue California-Recall Gavin Newsom, said there was prior interest over high taxes and crime concerns.
“Laws he endorsed favor foreign nationals, in our country illegally, over that of our own citizens,” leaders who created the recall petition said when laying out their grievances with Newsom. “People in this state suffer the highest taxes in the nation, the highest homelessness rates, and the lowest quality of life as a result. He has imposed sanctuary state status and fails to enforce immigration laws. He unilaterally over-ruled the will of the people regarding the death penalty. He seeks to impose additional burdens on our state by the following; removing the protections of Proposition 13, rationing our water use, increasing taxes and restricting parental rights.”
If Newsom wins during the recall vote, he will then be up for reelection next year. While California is solidly Democratic, conservatives consider this recall an opportunity to try and flip it red.
There are a number of Republicans lining up to challenge Newsom, including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner.
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