by Eric M. Appleman in Los Angeles, CA, updated Aug. 29, 2021 The Campaign Twenty-four Republicans, nine Democrats, ten no party preference, two Greens and a Libertarian are running as recall candidates.  On July 17 the Secretary of State issued a notice to candidates [PDF] listing 41 candidates.  On July 21 Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Laurie Earl ruled the requirement to produce tax records did not apply to the recall.  When the certified list [contact list] was released on July 21, five candidates had been added for a total of 46.  The defining characteristic of the campaign is its brevity; voters started receiving ballots in mid-August.  While some of the recall candidates were already running for 2022, and had been out on the trail for months, others face an extremely abbreviated period in which to reach voters.    Newsom and his supporters are making the case to "stop the Republican recall."  On Aug. 4 the Los Angeles Times reported that Newsom and his allies had raised more than $51 million.  Unions are particularly active (1, 2).  A California Labor Federation website argues the recall is "a sneak attack on our jobs, wages, benefits and union."  The website declares, "The recall is funded by anti-union millionaires and special interests to roll back decades of progress on workers’ rights in California.  These corporate recall backers are funneling millions into the recall campaign to weaken or eliminate laws that protect our pay, health care, retirement and safety on the job."  On Aug. 12 President Biden issued a statement in support of Newsom and tweeted, "Gov. @GavinNewsom is leading California through unprecedented crises—he's a key partner in fighting the pandemic and helping build our economy back better. To keep him on the job, registered voters should vote no on the recall election by 9/14 and keep California moving forward."  On Aug. 13 Newsom kicked off his first campaign tour of the recall race in San Francisco. Conventional wisdom at the start of the campaign in July put a half dozen Republicans with some name recognition in the top tier: former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, 2018 Republican nominee John Cox, former U.S. Rep. Doug Ose, celebrity Caitlyn Jenner, talk radio host Larry Elder and Assemblyman Kevin Kiley.  By the end of July Elder was seen as the frontrunner among the recall candidates.  Ose suffered a heart attack on the evening of Aug. 16, and announced the next day that he was ending his campaign to focus on rehabilitation and healing.  The forty-six recall candidates run the gamut in terms of background, experience and ideology.  Some are actively raising money, have staff and consultants, and maintain busy schedules  full of events and media appearances.  Others are largely unknown and are spending little beyond the filing fee and 25 cents per word for the candidate statement [background and qualifications] in the voter pamphlet.  Some of these candidates are running not so much to become governor as to advance an issue or cause or for career exposure.  As California is such a big state, candidates, particularly those with limited resources tend to focus their in-person activities in their own regions, with occasional forays further afield.  The recall candidates are affiliated with the major and minor parties as well as some smaller parties that are not officially recognized; the latter candidates are among those listed as no party preference.  The activity on the conservative and Republican side is particularly intense; two dozen GOP candidates are working to get their messages out,  Republican candidates are participating in virtual and in-person forums, some are doing rallies and there are bus tours.  UNITE 911, a local group in the Coachella Valley, held an early forum in Cathedral City on July 22 that drew five candidates.  Yes California, a PAC that supports independence for the state of California, has been organizing forums.  The Sonoma County Republican Convention on Aug. 14 drew nine candidates plus three appearing by video. In terms of broadcast debates, the Richard Nixon Foundation hosted the first debate at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda on Aug. 4; four Republican candidates participated.  A debate hosted by the Sacramento Press Club on Aug. 17 featured three top tier GOP candidates, and the Nexstar Media debate on Aug. 19 likewise featured three top tier Republican candidates.  The Aug. 25 KCRA 3/SF Chronicle debate was the first to include a Democrat, Kevin Paffrath.  Missing have been Newsom, who has said he will not participate in any debates, and Elder and Jenner who will only debate Newsom.  A potentially significant point in the campaign was whether the California Republican Party would vote to endorse or not endorse a candidate [PDF].  Four candidates qualified by gathering nominations from at least 200 delegates in good standing: Ose, Kiley, Faulconer and Elder.  At a virtual endorsement meeting held via Zoom on the morning of Aug. 7, delegates voted by 671 to 77 not to endorse a candidate. Top issues in the campaign are homelessness and housing affordability, taxes, crime and Newsom's response to the pandemic, particularly the effects on small businesses and schools.  Generally conservatives point to what they say is executive overreach by Newsom, epitomized by the state of emergency.  For example, the California Republican Party maintains a "King Newsom" website. The election is occurring at a challenging time for California.  With the appearance of the Delta variant of COVID-19, and the increase in cases, the pandemic is still very much on people's minds.  Also on people's minds are water (>) and wildfires (>).  Gov. Newsom proclaimed a drought emergency in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties on April 21 and he issued further proclamations on May 10 and July 8; the drought emergency now encompasses 50 of 58 counties.  On August the Dixie Fire became the largest single fire in California history, burning over 430,000 acres. In May 2021 the California Department of Finance reported that the state's population declined by 182,083 people in 2020, the first such decline since it started making the estimates.  National Review magazine devoted its April 19, 2021 issue to the theme of "California Leaving: The Golden State and its Self-Inflicted Discontents."  The Prologue In 2019 Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was subject to several efforts to bring about a recall election, but proponents fell far short of obtaining the required number of petition signatures (>).  On June 10, 2020 Orrin Heatlie, a retired sheriff from Folsom, launched another effort.  The petition charged: "Governor Newsom has implemented laws which are detrimental to the citizens of this state and our way of life. Laws he endorsed favor foreign nationals, in our country illegally, over that of our own citizens. 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. Having no other recourse, we the people have come together to take this action, remedy these misdeeds and prevent further injustices." Newsom responded: "This unwarranted recall effort will cost California taxpayers 81 million dollars.  It is being pushed by political extremists supporting President Trump's hateful attacks on California (+)."  Recall proponents needed to collect 1,495,709 signatures—12% of the last vote for the office—by Nov. 17, 2020 (in 160 days) to force a recall election.  The effort appeared headed for failure, but on Nov. 6 a judge in Sacramento extended the deadline to Mar. 17, 2021 due to the pandemic.  Meanwhile, as first reported by FOX 11 Los Angeles, Newsom made an unforced error and gave a boost to his critics, when on Nov. 6 he appeared at a dinner at the exclusive French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley despite COVID-19 restrictions. On Apr. 26, 2021 Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber announced the recall threshold had been met, and final signature verification followed on Apr. 29.  However, the law provided that voters could withdraw their signatures within 30 business days.  On June 23, the Secretary of State reported that even accounting for withdrawn signatures, the petition met the threshold.  On July 1, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis set the date of the election as Sept. 14.  The filing deadline was July 16. Replacement candidates faced a relatively low threshold to get on the ballot: a) file declaration of candidacy and nomination papers with 65 to 100 valid nomination signatures from their home county; b) pay filing fee of $4,194.94 or submit a minimum of 7,000 valid signatures; and c) submit to the Secretary of State every income tax return filed over the last five years. According to the Secretary of State there have been 55 attempted recalls of California governors over the years.  Only one, that of Gray Davis in 2003, succeeded.  That election proved to be a zoo when 135 candidates qualified (>).  On Oct. 7 a majority of voters voted to recall Davis, and the replacement candidate with the most votes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was thereby elected.  Only four candidates including Schwarzenegger obtained more than 1-percent of the vote. In 2021 Democrats appear to be in a stronger position than they were in the Gray Davis recall in 2003.  Newsom won election in 2018 with 61.95% of the vote compared to Davis' tally of 47.3% in 2002.  In 2020 Biden tallied 63.48% of the vote in the Golden State.  Democrats enjoy a huge registration advantage; the Secretary of State's most recent report from Feb. 10, 2021 shows 46.2% of California voters are registered Democratic, 24.1% Republican, 23.7% no party preference and 6.0% other. revised Aug. 29, 2021

__________ past events... Aug. 25 at 7:00 p.m. - KCRA 3/San Francisco Chronicle Debate in Sacramento (+). COX, FAULCONER, KILEY, PAFFRATH . . . . . Aug. 21 at 5:00 p.m. - VAC Action Debate at Calvary Chapel San Jose in San Jose.event cancelled Aug. 20 because it did not make attendance target of 700-800. COX, OSE, GALLUCCI, TRIMINO and LA ROUX . . . . . [screen grab from Nexstar Media Inc., Inside California Politics] Aug. 19 at 7:00 p.m. - Inside California Politics (Nexstar Media) Debate at KRON4 studios in San Francisco (+).  COX, FAULCONER, KILEY . . . . . [screen grab from Sacramento Bee video] Aug. 17 at 6:00 p.m. - Sacramento Press Club, CapRadio and The Sacramento Bee Debate at Guild Theater in Sacramento (+). COX, FAULCONER, KILEY, OSE . . . . .   [Sonoma County GOP photo] Aug. 14 at 3:00-7:00 p.m. - Sonoma County Republican Convention at Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa (+). . . . . . [screen grab from FOX 11] Aug. 4 - Richard Nixon Foundation/FOX11 Debate at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda (+).  COX, FAULCONER, KILEY, OSE

 

David Alexander Bramante Realtor/Multi-Family Developer (Calabasas) www.bramanteforgovernor.com @davidbramante	John Cox Businessman/Accountant Father (Rancho Santa Fe) johncox.com @BeastJohnCox	Larry Elder Broadcaster/Author (La Mesa) www.electelder.com @larryelder	Kevin L. Faulconer Businessman/Educator (San Diego) www.kevinfaulconer.com @Kevin_Faulconer
Rhonda Furin Nonprofit President (Anaheim) rhondafurin.com @rhodafurin	Ted Gaines Board of Equalization Member (El Dorado Hills) www.tedgaines.com @tedgaines	Sam L. Gallucci Pastor/CEO/Consultant (Oxnard) www.samgallucci.com	David Hillberg Aircraft Mechanic / Actor (Fountain Valley) hillbergforgov.com
Caitlyn Jenner Businessperson/Entrepreneur (Roseville) www.caitlynjenner.com @Caitlyn_Jenner	Kevin Kiley California Legislator (Roseville) www.kileyforcalifornia.com @KevinKileyCA	Chauncey "Slim" Killens Retired Correctional Official (Hemet) witnessinthepublicsquare.com	Jenny Rae Le Roux Business Owner/Mother (Redding) www.jennyraeca.com @JennyRaeCA
Steve Chavez Lodge Retired Homicide Detective (Irvine) www.lodgeforgovernor.com @stevelodge_oc	David Lozano Executive Officer/Attorney (San Gabriel) lozanoforcalifornia.com	Diego Martinez Businessman (San Andreas) www.diegomartinezforgovernor.com @diegoforcali22	Daniel Mercuri Farmer/Business Owner (Sherman Oaks) www.danielforcagovernor.com @Dan_Mercuri
Robert C. Newman II Farmer/Psychologist (Redlands) www.newman4governor.com	Doug Ose Farmer/Small Businessman (Sacramento) [ended campaign Aug. 17] oseforcoalifornia.com @DougOse	Sarah Stephens Pastor (Riverside) www.makecaliforniagoldagain.com	Denver Stoner Deputy Sheriff (Murphys) n/a
Joe M. Symmon Community Volunteer (Orange) joesymmon4gov.com	Anthony Trimino Entrepreneur/CEO (Irvine) www.anthonytrimino.com @atrimino	Nickolas Wildstar Musician/Entrepreneur/Father (Fresno) www.wildstar2022.com @therealqball	Leo S. Zacky Businessman/Famer (Los Angeles) www.leozacky.com

Holly L. Baade Mother/Business Owner (Fairfax) www.holly2021.com	John R. Drake College Student (Ventura) johnrdrake.com	Patrick Kilpatrick Actor/Screenwriter/Producer (Los Angeles) www.kilpatrickforgovernor.com	Jacqueline McGowan Cannabis Policy Advisor (Napa) www.jackie4gov.org
Kevin Paffrath Financial Educator/Analyst (Ventura) www.meetkevin.com	Armando "Mando" Perez-Serrato No Ballot Designation mandocaliforniagovernor. godaddysites.com	Brandon M. Ross Physician/Attorney (La. Mesa) www.ross4gov.com	Joel Ventresca Retired Airport Analyst (San Francisco) www.joelventresca.com
Daniel Watts Free Speech Lawyer (Vista) www.wattsforgovernor.com

Greens		Libertarian
Heather Collins Business Owner/Hairstylist (Los Angeles) ' n/a	Dan Kapelovitz Criminal Defense Attorney (West Hollywood) www.kapelovitz.com	Jeff Hewitt Riverside County Supervisor (Calimesa) www.hewitt4ca.com

Angelyne Entertainer (Beverly Hills) www.angelyneforgovernor.com	James Hanink Retired Educator (Inglewood) jameshanink.com	Kevin K. Kaul Real Estate Developer (Long Beach) www.kevinkaulgovernor.com	Michael Loebs University Lecturer (Sacramento) www.loebsforca.com
Dennis Lucey Teacher (Santa Rosa) linkedin page	Jeremiah "Jeremy" Marciniak No Ballot Designation (Lincoln) n/a	David Moore Public School Teacher (Emeryville) n/a	Adam Papagan Entertainer (Los Angeles) www.adamforgov.com
Dennis Richter Retail Store Worker (Los Angeles) n/a	Major Singh Software Engineer (Fremont) www.majorsinghforgovernor.com

---

Copyright © 2021 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action. All rights reserved.