Recall election update + California goes vote-by-mail + Newsom signs labor bills
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert.
RECALL VOTE TURNOUT HITS 57%
Turnout for the California recall election has reached 57%, according to the most recent numbers from the California Secretary of State’s Office.
That’s more than 12.5 million ballots returned, out of 22 million registered voters in the state. That’s nearly as many as voted in the 2018 gubernatorial election (12.7 million).
Of those votes, 7.7 million, or 62%, were opposed to the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, while 4.7 million, or nearly 38%, were in favor of removing the governor from office. By comparison, Newsom ultimately received 7.7 million votes when he was elected in 2018, or nearly 62% of the overall vote. With votes still being tallied, it’s possible Newsom will exceed his 2018 margins.
Amador County is tied with Sierra County (both of whom voted to recall Newsom) for the highest turnout county in the state with 75%. Lake County (which voted against the recall) now has the lowest turnout, with 24%.
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder continues to be the top vote-getter of the 46 candidates whose names appeared on the ballot, with 3.4 million votes to his name. However, a clean sweep of the state continues to elude him, as Democrat Kevin Paffrath maintains a 170-vote lead in San Francisco. Paffrath otherwise trails Elder as a distant second place, with 691,737 votes statewide.
The official election results will be certified on Oct. 22.
CALIFORNIA BECOMES A PERMANENT VOTE-BY-MAIL STATE
Via Lara Korte...
California will now mail ballots to voters in all elections, extending a practice temporarily adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the spread of the virus at polling locations.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed Assembly Bill 37, authored by Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, which requires county elections officials to mail a ballot to every active registered voter for all elections, whether they request it or not. Voters can still choose to vote at physical polling locations, if they prefer.
The new law will also permanently extend the time mail ballots have to arrive at elections offices from three days to seven days after an election, a practice adopted in 2020.
“As states across our country continue to enact undemocratic voter suppression laws, California is increasing voter access, expanding voting options and bolstering elections integrity and transparency,” Newsom said in a statement. “Last year we took unprecedented steps to ensure all voters had the opportunity to cast a ballot during the pandemic and today we are making those measures permanent after record-breaking participation in the 2020 presidential election.”
Just over 70% of eligible Californians voted in 2020, the highest general election turnout rate since 1952, according to state records.
A majority of California voters have used mail ballots for nearly a decade. Since 2012, over 50% of votes cast in general elections have been through mail ballots, though voters had to request such a ballot from their county officials.
NEWSOM SIGNS BILLS TO HELP GARMENT WORKERS AND TRUCKERS
Via Jeong Park...
California labor on Monday cheered Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of two bills aimed at helping the state’s garment workers and truckers.
Senate Bill 62 by Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) requires garment workers to be paid by the hours they work, rather than how many pieces of clothing they produce. The bill also holds fashion brands liable for the labor violations of their contractors.
The bill was subject to intense lobbying from both sides. The California Chamber of Commerce had deemed it a “job killer,” while worker advocates enrolled the help of a coalition of fashion businesses to make a case that the bill is “a life saver.”
Ultimately, Newsom sided with worker advocates.
“California is holding corporations accountable and recognizing the dignity and humanity of our workers, who have helped build the fifth-largest economy in the world,” Newsom said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Newsom also signed Senate Bill 338 by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, which holds companies liable for health and safety violations of their port trucking contractors in some circumstances. The bill also requires the state to post on its website information about the contractors misclassifying their workers in some circumstances even if the companies are appealing their case.
“SB 338 will put California on the path to building an economy that truly protects our essential truck drivers,” Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera said in a statement. “This new law will give retailers the information they need to avoid working with those same lawbreaking companies.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“With my whole heart, I’m ready. Let’s do this – together. I’m running for mayor.”
– U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, announcing her run for mayor of Los Angeles via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday aimed at reducing farmworkers’ exposure to wildfire smoke by allowing them access to the state’s stockpile of N93 masks, via Kim Bojórquez.
Rejecting opposition from California officials and the state’s prison guard union, a federal judge on Monday ordered the state to come up with a plan in the next two weeks for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for guards, as well as inmates who work outside the prisons, via Sam Stanton and Wes Venteicher.
Republicans aren’t so sure the issue of abortion will be a political winner heading into the 2022 midterm elections, via Adam Wollner.