Did California recall lift any Republicans? + ACLU forms a new group + Abortion protests held
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
DID THE RECALL GIVE REPUBLICANS A POLITICAL BOOST?
Via Lara Korte...
California Republicans saw few silver linings after Gov. Gavin Newsom soundly defeated the campaign to recall him this month. He raised tens of millions of dollars and motivated Democratic turnout to squash the recall by some 20 percentage points.
But if the recall is any indication of what Californians want in next year’s midterm election, there could be a glimmer of hope for Republicans angling to unseat Democrats in of pair congressional districts where voters favored ousting Newsom.
Significant portions of District 3, held by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, and District 10, held by Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, showed strong support for removing the state’s top Democrat.
Garamendi’s district encompasses Colusa, Sutter and Yuba counties, all areas that voted to remove Newsom by margins of more than 20 points. It also includes most of Glenn County, where more than 71% voted to recall Newsom. His district also includes parts of Lake, Solano, Yolo and Sacramento counties, which rejected the recall.
Harder’s district includes all of Stanislaus County, which currently shows a 54% “yes” on the recall vote. The Republican Party identified his district as one it wants to flip, but it doesn’t yet have a candidate to challenge Harder.
Tamika Hamilton, the Dixon Republican who is challenging Garamendi, is one of the candidates who says the recall gives her run for an office a boost.
Hamilton, a U.S. Navy veteran, first ran for Congress in 2020 and few took her race seriously, including her own party.
She had aimed to unseat Garamendi, a four-term Democrat who won by a nearly 20 point margin in the prior election. Republicans in the district made up less than a third of voters, a slightly higher rate than the statewide registration, but still less than the 40% of voters who registered as Democrats in 2020.
Hamilton won 46% of the vote that year: not enough to oust Garamendi, but enough to get some attention.
This time around, things are different, she said.
She has the support of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which listed District 3 as a target in 2022, she raised more money than Garamendi in the second quarter, and, she says, Republican voters are fired up after spending much of the last year working to recall Newsom.
“I think that the recall opened people’s eyes to what’s at stake and how important your government is to our everyday lives,” she said. “So I think it’s given my race, actually, a boost.
ACLU CALIFORNIA ACTION GETS ITS FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
California’s American Civil Liberties Union affiliates have announced that Carlos Marquez will serve as inaugural executive director of the newly formed ACLU California Action, which is jointly formed by the ACLU of Northern California, ACLU of Southern California and the ACLU of San DIego & Imperial Counties.
Marquez, who grew up in Visalia, experienced the criminal justice system from a young age, with his father, mother and siblings all spending time in the system at some point during his childhood. His family experienced hardship when they were left without a social safety net available to them.
“Visalia for me was very much the setting where I began to refine my sense of justice and injustice,” he said.
Marquez went on to attend San Diego State University, where as a junior he interned at the national ACLU’s legislative office in Washington, D.C. His resume also includes time spent at United Way Worldwide, Service Employees International Union and the LGBTQ Victory Fund and Institute.
Marquez also served as senior vice president of governmental affairs for the California Charter Schools Association before moving on to found CM3 Advocacy, a consulting firm based in Sacramento.
As head of ACLU California Action, Marquez said his plan is to work with members of communities on the margins of society to advance their cause in Sacramento.
“I want to ensure that we can develop leaders from constituencies that have been denied access to justice,” he said.
ACLU California Action is charged with promoting policy change in California’s Capitol “that equitably advances civil liberties and civil rights in California and fosters systemic equity,” according to a statement from the group.
“Beyond legislation, the organization aims to build enhanced political power and influence for the ACLU and our collective movements statewide,” according to the statement.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD PROTEST HELD THIS WEEKEND
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California joined their comrades in arms across the country in holding protests on Saturday against Texas’ new law restricting abortions.
Rallies were held across the state as protesters marched in support of the Roe v. Wade decision, which the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a direct challenge to later this year.
“Protecting access to abortion, as well as other sexual and reproductive health care like birth control and sex education, is not only the right thing to do, but it’s what people want,” said PPAC President Jodi Hicks in a statement. “The attacks on abortion, which disproportionally impacts women, people of color, and people with low incomes, are being met with outrage and the energy you see this weekend will only grow and continue to turn into action. California will continue to be a leader and increase access to these essential services, particularly as they come under attack like never before.”
The rallies come just days after Gov. Newsom signed a package of bills into law aimed at shoring up abortion rights in the Golden State.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Gavin Newsom just announced a vaccine mandate for K-12 students, days after opposing one for prison guards. California kids made the mistake of not giving millions to his campaigns.”
- Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
Newsom administration gives ground on COVID vaccine order to state worker union, via Wes Venteicher
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that California students will have to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend in-person classes once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes full approval of the shots for their age groups, via Hannah Wiley.
Two union-backed candidates won election to the CalPERS Board of Administration, the retirement system announced Friday, via Wes Venteicher.
A proposed California ballot measure — filed by a Silicon Valley billionaire venture capitalist who had once proposed splitting the state into six — aims to end collective bargaining for public sector workers, via Jeong Park.