Gavin Newsom recall election date officially set: California voters to cast ballots in September

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will face a recall election on Sept. 14, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis announced on Thursday.

Her declaration follows more than a year of petition-gathering and campaigning fueled, in part, by outrage over the governor’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether he will actually lose his job, however, is up to voters.

Newsom is enjoying the fruits of an overflowing state bank account and the reopening of California after the pandemic. The latest approval ratings from a May survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, found 57% of voters would vote “no” to recalling the Democratic governor.

Democrats in the Legislature on Monday voted to change the election code to expedite voting in the recall. Democrats say an early recall minimizes Newsom’s risk because his adversaries will have less time to make a case against. It also shortens the window for a natural disaster like a wildfire or another COVID-19 wave to jeopardize his approval rating.

The Department of Finance sent its final cost estimate to state leaders on Thursday morning, with the price tag estimated at around $276 million. Hours later, the Secretary of State’s office sent notice to Kounalakis certifying the petition, with its 1.7 million valid signatures.

In a statement, Kounalakis, a Democrat, said she believed Sept. 14 to be a “fair and reasonable date” for the recall.

“It has always been my intention to choose an election date that gives election officials and the public ample time to ensure a smooth election with broad participation,” she said. “Conducting this election on September 14 fulfills my statutory requirements, and provides the time needed for officials to prepare and inform voters.”

Previously, state law mandated that the Joint Legislative Budget Committee take 30 days to consider the recall cost, a strategy that Democrats enacted four years ago to delay the 2018 recall of state Sen. Josh Newman.

But just this week, Democrats rolled back that provision with Assembly Bill 152, which allows Legislative leaders to bypass the review if they have already allocated funds for counties, which they did in the recent budget. The result is a sooner-than-expected recall election.

“Shout out to California Democrats for manipulating their own recall rules,” said California Republican Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson. “Now Californians only have to wait until September 14 to recall the worst governor in California history, Gavin Newsom.”

California’s second gubernatorial recall

All registered California voters will receive a mail ballot for the election, similar to the 2020 presidential election.

The threshold for triggering a recall election is relatively low in California compared to other states. Recall leaders needed just 1.5 million of the state’s 22 million registered voters to sign the petition to prompt a vote.

The only other time Californians have voted in a gubernatorial recall election was in 2003 with the recall of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

Davis, who was facing backlash from rolling blackouts and a strained electric grid, was defeated. Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was chosen to replace him.

Juan Rodriguez, leader of Newsom’s Stop the Republican Recall committee, painted the current effort as the work of Trump supporters.

”This Republican recall is a naked attempt by Trump Republicans to grab control in California — powered by the same Republicans who refused to accept the results of the presidential election and are now pushing voter suppression laws across the country,” he said in a statement. “On Sept. 14, Californians will have the chance to defend our state and reject this Republican power grab once and for all.”

How a California recall election works

In a recall election, voters will see two questions on their ballot. The first will ask whether Newsom should be removed. Voters will mark “yes” or “no.”

The second question will ask voters to choose a replacement in the event Newsom is removed. In 2003, more than 130 candidates signed up to run in the recall of Davis. This time around, fewer candidates have thrown their hats in the recall ring. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, 2018 candidate John Cox, former GOP Rep. Doug Ose, and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner have all announced their intentions to run against Newsom.

State law requires candidates to file for the recall no less than 59 days from the election date.

But unless more than 50% of voters choose “yes” on question one, Newsom will remain in office for the rest of his term.

Faulconer on Thursday said “change is coming” for Newsom.

“The people have spoken and this recall is happening,” he said in a statement. “This movement is powered by Californians from every community - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. I am ready to lead this recall.”

Cox also pointed to California’s wildfires, homelessness, and high taxes as reasons the public will recall the governor.

“Gavin Newsom will be recalled on September 14th. The insiders and allies have done their best to manipulate the election date for the pretty boy Governor, but it doesn’t matter. The people are tired of corruption and politicians who don’t deliver,” he said in a statement.

One remaining question is whether Newsom will have a “Democrat” next to his name on the recall ballot. Newsom is suing Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, his hand-picked appointee, over a filing error that would omit his party preference from the ballot. Newsom approached Weber to change the error in June, according to court filings, but the office declined to correct it.

Sophia Bollag of The Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau contributed to this report.

This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 2:18 PM.