Recall field gets crowded + Save the annex, historians say + Electric car rebates sell out
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ON THE RECALL
Via Lara Korte...
There’s a lot happening this week re: recall. Here’s a rundown of the latest —
Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian and co-star of the soon-to-end Keeping Up with the Kardashians series, publicly endorsed the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, tweeting her support of Rescue California.
“Californians are fed up with the lack of leadership in Sacramento and it’s time to #RecallGavin,” said Jenner, who is rumored to be considering a run for governor as a Republican.
Equality California, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights group, was quick to rebuke Jenner, who is transgender.
“It’s a no from us, Cait,” the organization replied to her tweet.
Don’t miss our story today on Jenner and other unexpected candidates who say they want a shot at Newsom on the recall. It could be a circus like the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis, when 135 candidates appeared on ballots.
“All you need is $4,200 and a dream,” said recall expert Josh Spivak, referring to the cost of getting your name before voters. “Here’s a way to get fame, here’s a way to get your name out there. Plus, now, we have social media. That didn’t exist last time. So everybody who has a TikTok account maybe feels this is a good way to expand your name, expand your brand,” he said.
Meanwhile, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, is looking to appeal to Latino voters with a new Spanish advertisement, titled, “Estoy Escuchando” (I am listening).
You might remember us reporting that a Probolsky Research poll recently showed 44.5% of Latino voters said they would vote to recall the governor, compared to the 41% of voters who said they vote no on the recall. A more recent survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 58% of likely Latino voters would vote to keep Newsom in office, while — 38% — said they would vote to recall him.
Watch Faulconer’s full ad here.
Finally, mark your calendars for Tuesday, when the debate over the contentious Senate Bill 663 is set to continue in the judiciary committee. SB 663, authored by Sen. Josh Newman, would allow the targets of recall efforts to have access to the names of people to sign the petition.
In its current form, the bill would have no effect on the Newsom recall, whose proponents say such a concept is a dangerous invasion of privacy. But others, like former State Senate Pro Tem Don Perata, are calling for more transparency.
Perata sent a letter to the recall committee this week demanding it immediately release copies of the petitions, and even offered to pay for the copies. If the recall doesn’t release petition info, Perata will take legal action, he said in the letter.
Anne Dunsmore, of Rescue California, indicated they’re not likely to comply with the request.
“Either he’s stupid, or it’s a trap, because it would be a felony for us to make Xerox copies of petitions,” she told the Bee.
A PLEA TO SPARE CAPITOL ANNEX
In a letter to Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, the California Capitol Historic Preservation Society pleaded with Atkins to honor the legacy of her predecessor, former Sen. James Mills, by opposing the demolition of the Capitol Annex in favor of an underground parking garage.
“We urge you to pay homage to this native son of San Diego and your Senate President pro Tem predecessor by opposing the needless destruction of the Capitol’s east annex, defacement of the historic West Front facade and killing over 60 Capitol Park trees for an expanded Capitol parking garage,” Society Chair M. Wayne Donaldson wrote in a letter.
Donaldson is the former chair of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
The Capitol is undergoing a $755 million renovation meant to replace the annex, the warren of legislative offices built in the 1950s. Lawmakers and many Capitol employees regard it as crowded, unsafe and outdated.
The historical society pointed out that Mills “saved California’s Capitol” from being abandoned in favor of a twin-building structure in the early 1970s.
“Now that the economy has changed due to the coronavirus pandemic and past and future forest fires, we believe it is crucial to do the right thing on Mills and the public’s behalf: Save the Capitol and its park by restoring and rehabilitating the Capitol annex and keeping the West Front entrance visually intact. The Capitol and its annex are irreplaceable,” the letter reads.
CALIFORNIANS WANT THEIR ELECTRIC CARS
The California Air Resources Board announced on Wednesday that, due to high demand, it expects to run out of funding for its Clean Vehicle Rebate Project within 30 days.
“Almost two-thirds of current (electric vehicle) owners have taken advantage of this program, and it’s a key driver of the EV market,” CARB Executive Officer Richard W. Corey said in a statement. “More importantly, the demand for EVs, particularly by lower income consumers, continues to grow, clearly demonstrating that there is a broad range of models of EVs available today to meet all consumer needs.”
Electric vehicles account for nearly 8% of all light-duty vehicles sold in California, according to CARB, with more than 145,000 electric vehicles sold in 2020.
In the first quarter of 2021, the rebate applications exceeded levels seen in early 2020, “with substantially higher participation by low- and moderate-income consumers,” according to a CARB statement.
CARB will establish a waitlist for applicants, with rebate funding contingent on legislative appropriation, though some lawmakers have been skeptical about that funding.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Money’s not an object now, it’s an excuse.”
- Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a press conference on Wednesday.
Best of the Bee:
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday urged schools to prepare for “full, in-person instruction” this fall as coronavirus rates drop and vaccinations ramp up across the state, but he stopped short of saying he’d hand down an executive order to force open classrooms, via Lara Korte.
California workers from an industry devastated by the coronavirus pandemic would have a chance to return to the jobs under a bill advanced by the state Assembly this week, via Jeong Park.
At a glance, it may seem like New York is spending more to help immigrants amid the pandemic, but policy advocates and policy experts say California is still a leader in creating long-term solutions to help its undocumented population, via Kim Bojórquez.