Another voice for recall reform + Undersea mining ban? + Tribes oppose gambling initiative

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert.

LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION RECOMMENDS RECALL CHANGE

The Little Hoover Commission has released a report recommending that California’s recall election process be changed.

“The recall is a popular tool of direct democracy that has been a significant component of the state’s electoral system for over a century,” says Commission Chair Pedro Nava in a statement. “We must keep the recall, but California must address fundamental flaws within current recall procedures that leave the system vulnerable to abuse and pave the way for a potentially undemocratic outcome.”

One of the changes that the commission recommended? Switching the signature threshold for getting a recall on the ballot from 12% of the vote in the last election to 10% of registered voters.

“This adjustment will reduce fluctuations in the signature threshold as a result of differences in voter turnout between elections, providing greater consistency in the recall process. It will also increase the number of signatures required to initiate a recall election, discouraging overuse of the recall while keeping it accessible as a tool of electoral accountability,” according to a statement from the commission.

Another recommended change would be abandoning the two-question process — Should the governor be recalled? If so, who should be the replacement? — in favor of a single, “snap” election where all the prospective candidates are on the ballot, including the governor.

“Under the current recall system a replacement candidate can win office even if they received fewer votes than the recalled incumbent,” Nava said. “The core reason that the commission supports the use of snap elections for recalls is that it would protect the democratic principle that the person who receives the most votes should win.”

You can read the report for yourself.

LAWMAKER INTRODUCES SEABED MINING PREVENTION BILL

Should undersea mining be banned on California’s coastline?

California Assemblywoman Luz Rivas, D-San Fernando Valley, has introduced a bill to do just that.

AB 1832, sponsored by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Surfrider Foundation, would prevent mining along 2,500 square miles of seafloor.

“As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, I recognize the urgent need to protect one of our state’s critical economic engines and most precious natural resource: our oceans,” Rivas said in a statement. “Our oceans support and preserve life on our planet and we cannot afford to leave our deep-sea floors vulnerable to exploitation and destruction. With the California Seabed Mining Prevention Act, we can take swift action to prevent the devastation that seabed mining would inflict upon our delicate marine ecosystems and our coastal economies.”

Rivas’ office notes that the other two Pacific coast states (Oregon and Washington) already have passed legislation banning seabed mining in their state waters.

TRIBAL LEADERS WARN ABOUT ONLINE GAMBLING BALLOT MEASURE

Via Lara Korte...

The battle over sports betting in California continues.

Two tribal leaders this week laid out an argument in CalMatters for why voters should be wary of a ballot measure backed by FanDuel and DraftKings that would legalize online sports betting in California.

In case you need a refresher, there are four different ballot measures related to sports betting that could make it on the November ballot. One of them, which is backed by a broad coalition of tribes, would legalize in-person sports betting only on Indian land and certain horse racetracks. It’s the one only of the four already eligible for the ballot.

Raymond Welch, chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians, and Greg Sarris, tribal chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, wrote in defense of that measure, saying it will “implement proven safeguards to ensure safe, responsible, in-person sports wagering by requiring individuals to be 21 or older and be physically present when placing bets. This prevents underage gambling.”

The DraftKings measure, they argue, would put the future of sports betting in the hands of out-of-state, online gambling corporations.

“Their measure would authorize the largest expansion of gambling in state history – allowing virtually anyone, anywhere, anytime to gamble,” they wrote.

Sarris in December signed on to support a different ballot measure, one that would legalize in-person and online sports betting, with the caveat that it would all be controlled by tribes. In a letter sent to all state tribes last year, the leaders of the Rincon, Graton Rancheria and Wilton Rancheria warned that the DraftKings measure could threaten tribes’ exclusive access to class III gaming in California and “the existence of Indian gaming as we know it.”

Nathan Click, a spokesman for the measure, pushed back on the suggestion that online betting is dangerous.

”These false political attacks simply aren’t based in fact. 21 states have responsibly authorized online sports betting – proving that online sports betting can be safe, regulated and generate significant revenue to help states solve big problems.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I am grateful for the trust my colleagues have placed in me to help lead our caucus and work to better the lives of Californians up & down the state. Asm Waldron has been a tremendous leader winning victories throughout California. I plan to build on her legacy.”

- Newly minted Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• Brian Dahle stood before a crowd of supporters in Redding on Tuesday and said he wants to win back California from the “corruption” of one-party rule under Gov. Gavin Newsom, via Lara Korte.

• Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, will take over as California Assembly Minority leader after a unanimous vote from his fellow Republican members on Tuesday, via Lara Korte.

• Private-sector wages grew nearly twice as fast as public-sector pay last year, according to a new analysis of federal data, creating new recruitment and retention challenges for public employers, via Wes Venteicher.