Read up on the recall + Protest at Newsom’s place + Newsom on Kimmel
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
5 MUST-READ RECALL STORIES
Via Lara Korte...
What better way to spend the holiday than catching up on some recall reading?
The basics: How does a California recall election work? It’s complicated.
From The Bee’s Lara Korte
The recall team: The Three Men Who Could Take Down Gavin Newsom.
From David Siders for Politico Magazine
“The homebrew Republican campaign to recall California’s governor is either a triumph of grassroots democracy—or a sign that in politics, there are no rules anymore.”
Money matters: Who’s bankrolling the Newsom recall campaigns? From CalMatters’ Ben Christopher
“The big money for both sides in the California recall election is coming from the same wealthy enclaves, and not so much from out of state.”
The Jenner issue: For transgender leaders, Caitlyn Jenner has become ‘the figurehead we don’t want.’ From the San Francisco Chronicle’s Dustin Gardiner
“She’s completely detached,” said Salcedo, president of the TransLatin@ Coalition, an advocacy group. “All this truly is about her. It’s not about the issues, not about the people.”
Future of CA Recalls: The Trouble With the Gavin Newsom Recall. From Ronald Brownstein for The Atlantic
“The drive may trigger another form of recall: It may finally prompt California to examine whether the 110-year-old state law that governs recalls still makes sense in our modern era of unrelenting partisan conflict.”
PROTEST AT NEWSOM’S PLACE
Gov. Gavin Newsom had some company at his house over the weekend, in the form of a Direct Action Everywhere protest against factory farming.
The protest outside the governor’s residence began Thursday morning and lasted until Saturday, when the protesters marched toward the Capitol for an afternoon demonstration.
Protesters outside Gov. Newsom’s home held up a giant picture of Newsom’s head, gave speeches and trainings and also did outreach to Newsom’s neighbors.
The protest is calling attention to factory farming in the state of California, something Direct Action Everywhere has rallied against for some time. The activists are demanding that Newsom sign an executive order establishing an immediate moratorium on factory farms and slaughterhouses statewide.
“Californians are shocked when they see the brutality happening behind closed doors, and even more so when they find out the state is actively funding this abuse,” said Direct Action Everywhere Lead Organizer Almira Tanner in a statement. “We must hold Governor Newsom accountable to the will of the people, and the people don’t support the status quo of corruption, animal cruelty and environmental devastation.”
GAVIN NEWSOM LIVE!
Via Lara Korte...
Hours after introducing a plan to distribute $116.5 million in vaccine prizes, Gov. Gavin Newsom headed down to Hollywood to be the singular, vaccinated audience member for late night host Jimmy Kimmel’s Thursday show.
Newsom seemed to be in a good mood, engaging in some repartee with the host.
He also touted the vaccine program, California’s June 15 reopening date, and poked fun at a gaffe by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (“Do you know him from governors’ club?” Kimmel asked).
When asked about running the state amid a global pandemic, political revolt and teetering economy, the governor had a bit of a tongue-in-cheek reply.
“Is that fun?” Kimmel asked Newsom about his job.
“You’re asking me if being governor of California is fun? This last year?” the governor replied. “It’s been a helluva lot of fun.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“When elected Governor of California, I will CANCEL cancel culture and wake up the woke.”
- Caitlyn Jenner, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
Legalized sports betting may be finally coming to California, via Dale Kasler.
In just a few weeks, California’s water conditions have gone from bad to terrible, via Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow.
Denise Aguilar, a vocal California vaccine critic and founder of a survivalist group known as Mamalitia, has said she wasn’t involved in the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, although she admits to being in Washington, D.C. that day. But a since-deleted Instagram video shows Aguilar celebrating the deadly mob and suggesting she was among the rioters who roamed the Capitol grounds. She also called for similar take-overs in statehouses across the country, via Hannah Wiley and Jason Pohl.