California recall will waste taxpayer dollars. But it’s all Gavin Newsom’s fault

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to eat a lavish meal in the company of lobbyists, and in violation of state COVID-19 rules, may go down as one of the most expensive political mistakes in California history.

Newsom’s infamous dinner at the French Laundry, a celebration of lobbyist Jason Kinney’s 50th birthday in November, breathed new life into a flailing recall effort. Public outrage over Newsom’s haughty COVID hubris — along with money from conservative donors and a judge’s decision to extend the deadline for signature collection — combined in a stunning twist of fate.

Yesterday, the California Secretary of State Shirley Weber certified over 1.6 million valid signatures in support of the recall. This means Newsom will officially face a recall election in 2021.

It’s quite an embarrassment for a politician who has always portrayed himself as better than his peers and who fancies himself as a future president of the United States. Newsom will now spend much of 2021 fending off a ridiculous cast of challengers that includes porn stars, perennial candidates and even a member of the Kardashian clan.

While Newsom seems likely to emerge victorious from the recall, he’ll have plenty of egg on his face by the time it’s over. And there’s no guarantee that some unforeseen scandal or circumstance won’t create real vulnerability for a politician who excels at unforced errors. Even if he sails through the recall with ease, it will be hard to shake the perception that his political career is permanently damaged.

Newsom’s political ambitions may pay a severe price, but that’s his problem. Unfortunately, the recall mess will also carry a hefty price tag for California taxpayers. The cost of conducting a recall election could exceed $100 million. One group of county election officials puts the possible cost at closer to $400 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Imagine the other things such money could be used for — like housing the homeless, fixing up schools or paying for healthcare for the poor. Instead, it will be swallowed up by this unfortunate election detour. Whatever price taxpayers end up paying, it will be added to the running tab of Newsom’s unfortunate mistakes.

Newsom and his campaign team portray the recall’s main supporters as right-wing extremists and anti-vaccination activists. There’s some truth to that, with people like former Yolo County Sheriff’s Deputy Orrin Heatlie — who suggested microchipping immigrants as if they were stray animals — leading the campaign. We’ll no doubt be hearing a non-stop stream of negative attacks on the main supporters of the “Republican recall.”

Yet it is Newsom who put himself — and the people of California — at the mercy of these characters. His poor judgment blew a hole in his credibility right when he needed it the most, leaving him open to a challenge that seemed ridiculous before he ordered his security detail to drive him up to Yountville. While the French Laundry fiasco wasn’t the only driver of the recall, it was a crystal clear symbol of hypocrisy and privilege around which his opponents could rally.

Newsom’s relatively high approval rating, coupled with the California Republican Party’s low voter support, suggests he will win the recall and stay in office. Regardless of the official results, Newsom has already lost in some key ways. He lost credibility, he lost the moral high ground and he very likely lost any future path to the White House.

Hopefully, this recall debacle will sharpen Newsom’s attention and keep him focused on his day job. With drought, climate change, the EDD mess and COVID lurking in the background, Newsom has plenty on his plate. None of it is as sumptuous as the cursed meal for which we all must now pay a steep price, but it’s what Newsom actually signed up for when he succeeded in his decades-long quest to become governor of California.