Recall crunch time + Bonta declares victory in AD 18 + Equality California makes an offer

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RECALL WEEK

Via Lara Korte...

If you haven’t made a decision on your recall ballot yet, now’s the time to do it.

Next Tuesday is officially election day, or as the governor is fond of saying, it’s the last day of the election.

Californians have had their mail ballots for a few weeks now, and Sept. 14 is the last day to send them back or head to a polling place and cast a ballot in person. (Remember: ballots must be postmarked by Sept. 14, but county election officials can receive and count them up to seven days after the election).

Gov. Gavin Newsom spent the weekend on the campaign trail, attending a virtual GOTV rally with LGBTQ+ leaders on Friday before heading down to Los Angeles to rally with progressive powerhouse Elizabeth Warren.

“Racial justice is on the ballot. Economic justice in on the ballot. Social justice in on the ballot. Environmental justice is on the ballot,” Newsom told the crowd.

He and Warren focused on Larry Elder, the conservative talk show host who is the front runner among the 46 candidates vying to replace Newsom.

Warren at the rally Elder “dreams of being California’s own Donald Trump,” according to a report from The Associated Press.

More Democratic heavyweights are on the way for Newsom. Vice President Kamala Harris plans to campaign with Newsom on Wednesday in the Bay Area.

After weeks of hand-wringing by Democrats over turnout concerns, a PPIC poll released last week seemed to indicate that Newsom’s voters are, at last, paying attention and ready to vote. According to the poll, the “no” votes have a 19 point lead over the “yes” vote.

The Elder factor still looms large for Newsom, however. The “Sage from South Central” holds a majority of support on the recall ballot’s second question: who should replace Newsom if he’s recalled.

Elder traveled to Rocklin on Sunday to speak to the congregation at Destiny Christian Church, the same church that defied COVID-19 orders, offered “religious exemptions” from the coronavirus vaccine, and called on members to recall Newsom, testing IRS regulations that restrict political campaigning inside churches.

Elder plans to spend part of today at a rally for his campaign in Thousand Oaks. He’ll be joined by actor Scott Baio, YouTube talk show host David Rubin and other pastor who defied California’s coronavirus restriction, Rob McCoy of Godspeak Calvary Chapel.

MIA BONTA DECLARES VICTORY

Democrat Mia Bonta has declared victory in the race to fill the seat for Assembly District 18. She claimed 56% of the vote in a race against fellow Democrat Janani Ramachandran.

Bonta said in a statement that she will bring “that special East Bay spirit” to the Assembly.

“How will we do that? Together, we will build more affordable housing so folks can afford to live here. We will invest in our public schools so our students and teachers can reach their full potential. We will invest in clean energy and environmental justice initiatives to protect our health and ensure our future. We will reform our criminal justice system so that folks are not treated differently based on the color of their skin or the dollar amount in their bank account. Our community is strong, and we have all the leadership and potential to make it stronger and better, and that is what I intend to always strive for in the Assembly,” Bonta said.

She will fill the Assembly seat vacated by her husband, Rob Bonta, who was appointed California Attorney General by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year.

Bonta’s victory was welcomed by the California Latino Legislative Caucus, which with Bonta’s addition will expand to a record-breaking 30 members.

In response, Caucus Chair Sen. María Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, and Vice-Chair Assemblyman Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, issued a joint statement.

“We are excited and ready for Assemblymember-elect Mia Bonta to join us in the Capitol and to make this session’s Latino Caucus the largest in California’s history. There is so much important work to get done, and we know that Assemblymember-elect Bonta will hit the ground running as we continue our fight to uplift and empower Latino communities.”

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA MAKES AN OFFER TO ITS UNION

California LGBTQ advocacy group Equality California has made an offer to its employees who are seeking unionization: Everyone who wants to be in a union gets to be in a union, but with a caveat.

Effectively, Equality California has offered to recognize two bargaining units — a 6-member unit made up of supervisory staff, and a 16-member unit made up of the rank-and-file employees.

Jackie Thomas, board president for the Equality California Institute, said in an interview that this won’t weaken the bargaining power of the union.

“In fact, it’s just the opposite,” Thomas said.

When you have staff supervisors mixed in with rank-and-file employees, the subordinate employees’ concerns can go unheard, she said.

Equality California pointed in a press release to similar union structures at employers including the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and the San Francisco Fire Department.

“The proposed structure is unique among nonprofit and private sector unions, which typically exclude from staff unions all employees with management and supervisory responsibilities and confidential employees, but the structure is consistent with the structures of numerous public agencies throughout California,” Equality California said in a statement.

The offer comes just a few days after Equality Unites, the employee group seeking to unionize Equality California, went public on Twitter with complaints about management.

Thomas acknowledged that “sometimes these things can get contentious,” but reiterated that Equality California is 100% behind employees being unionized.

In response to the offer, Equality Unites took to Twitter to voice concerns about the proposal.

“The counter-proposal presented requires EQCA staff to accept a divided bargaining unit and submit to unknown changes to our job titles, duties and responsibilities to be determined by EQCA leadership. Equality Unites stands united. Please accept our proposal,” the group said.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Sometimes I really wonder who a legislator’s floor speech is for. A particular lobbyist? Angry constituents? Their own conscience?”

- San Francisco Chronicle reporter Alexei Koseff, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• California recall pulls Gavin Newsom left and Larry Elder right. What about the middle? Via Sophia Bollag.

• Housing and homelessness remain top issues for California voters, and several recall candidates are emphasizing the state’s high cost of living in their campaigns, via Andrew Sheeler.

• More than a dozen civic groups signed a letter asking four of the world’s most powerful social media platforms to take action to stop the spread false and misleading information ahead of the recall election of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, via Lara Korte.