According to recent reports, a new recall petition has emerged attempting to remove Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The petition was approved by the California Secretary of State to begin signature collection.
However, this isn’t the first time Newsom has faced a recall attempt, prevailing against a 2021 effort. The latest petition is organized by Rescue California, a group voicing its concern about the direction of the state and Newsom’s leadership.
“Governor Newsom has abandoned the state to advance his Presidential ambitions, leaving behind a $68 Billion budget deficit and a public safety, immigration and education crisis,” Rescue California’s website states. The initiative criticizes Newsom, reading, “Granted 700,000 illegal immigrants free health care at a cost to taxpayers of $3 billion annually, while cutting vital programs for veterans, school children, the disabled and the homeless.”
Rescue California continues laying out other grievances against the governor. “Kept schools closed during Covid longer than other states allowing California students to fall further behind in basic skills such as language and mathematics. Closed prisons and ordered the release of thousands of dangerous criminals onto our streets. Weakened our public safety laws, creating an epidemic of smash and grab crimes and violent assaults. Forced Californians to suffer under the highest taxes in the nation and the highest home prices outside Hawaii, while he undermines Prop. 13. Spends billions on government homeless programs that have repeatedly failed,” a bulleted list of concerns read.
Democratic Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced the petition’s approval in a public memorandum outlining the minimum number of signatures required. “The minimum number of valid signatures required to qualify the recall is 1,311,963 (12% of the 10,933,018 votes cast in the last election for Governor),” Weber said. All the signatures must be submitted to the Secretary of State’s office by early September.
The American Tribune reported on the recall effort in February led by Rescue California, addressing quotes from the recall’s director, Anne Dunsmore. The director claimed the state is in a dire situation that requires better leadership than what Newsom has offered.
“California needs a full-time governor who is fully focused on the serious problems the state and its citizens are facing,” Dunsmore explained. “This may be our last opportunity to rescue and restore our state, while we highlight for the rest of the country the destruction Newsom has left in his wake.”
She further criticized her state’s governor, claiming he “abandoned” California to pursue potential presidential ambitions. “Gavin Newsom has abandoned the state to advance his presidential ambitions, leaving behind a $73 billion budget deficit and a public safety, immigration and education crisis.” She continued, “Stay home and deal with this issue: Now you’re gonna have a microscope put on you. Because he’s actually not so bad when he thinks people are watching … But he thinks he’s got like this free ride.”
Gov. Newsom lambasted the recall effort on X, where he claimed the initiative was “wasteful” and distracts from the apparent threats to Democracy and other liberal causes. “Trump Republicans are launching another wasteful recall campaign to distract us from the existential fight for democracy and reproductive freedom,” Newsom wrote. “We will defeat them.”
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