California governor Gavin Newsom facing another recall attempt

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Another recall may be on the horizon for California Governor Gavin Newsom.

A group of conservative activists announced they intended to serve the governor with official recall papers on Monday — the first step in the long and expensive process to put their effort back before California voters.

In a release, the citizen-led group, which is led by Rescue California, pointed to Newsom’s perceived presidential ambitions and engagement in national politics while a $73 billion budget deficit looms over the state as rationale for their effort.

They also contend that Newsom’s response to issues facing the state, such as homelessness and immigration, has been inadequate.

“California needs a full-time governor who is fully focused on the serious problems the state and its citizens are facing,” the campaign’s director Anne Dunsmore said in a statement. “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.”

This will be the fifth attempt to recall Newsom since he was elected. However, only one has made it onto the statewide ballot — the initiative brought by Rescue California in 2021 as a response to his adoption of aggressive public health safety measures at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newsom easily beat back the recall after framing the contest and his apparent successor should he have been ousted, conservative talk-show host Larry Elder, as part of the larger national ballot for progressive values and continued threats of “Trumpism.”

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Newsom echoed this messaging, saying “Trump Republicans are launching another wasteful recall campaign to distract us from the existential fight for democracy and reproductive freedom.”

According to Rescue California, about 400 people “from every political persuasion” have signed on as official proponents of the recall effort. This includes several Californians behind the 2021 campaign, such as Orrin Heatlie.

To qualify for the statewide ballot, a recall petition will need valid signatures equal to 12% of the turnout in the last election for governor. In this case, the group will need to collect about 1.38 million verifiable signatures by May to get on the November ballot.

“We are taking it seriously,” Newsom’s campaign press secretary Nathan Click said in a separate statement. “These Trump Republicans are targeting Gov. Newsom because he is out there defending democracy and fighting for the reelection of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. He’s not going to be distracted from that fight.”

“Democracy’s on the ballot, and he’s  going to keep fighting,” he continued.

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