Newsom recall effort gains steam in California

FPI / December 13, 2020

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration is said to be "increasingly concerned" about efforts to recall the governor over his handling of the covid crisis.

Newsom's chief of staff Ann O'Leary is cited in a Politico report which states: "As Newsom begins his third full year in office, the governor’s team is increasingly concerned with a long-shot conservative recall that could mushroom into a major threat in 2021 if it attracts significant financial support."

Petition organizers have until March 17 to gather 1,495,709 valid voter signatures to force a recall election. Organizers report they already have 800,000, but will need a large infusion of cash to get the last 500,000.

“They need an outsider to write a big check the way that Darrell Issa funded the Gray Davis recall in 2003,” the Hoover Institution's Bill Whalen told Matier.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has reportedly been positioning himself to challenge Newsom in 2022, and would likely jump at the chance to run in a potential recall election in 2021.

The Politico report also states: "Sources close to Newsom said the governor's office has been disorganized over the past month and has not responded effectively to damaging headlines" including his party at the French Laundry trip and a new stay-at-home order.

Newsom also came under fire after he ordered businesses to close while keeping his own winery, Plumpjack Winery, open.

Most of the state's public schools remain closed while they are open in other deep blue states such as New York and Massachusetts, and small business owners were particularly irate over the lack of evidence presented to support certain business closures, SF Gate reported.

Recall organizers have a website which includes a recall locator tool for signing or dropping off petitions.

Free Press International