Possible Recall of Governor Gavin Newsom

Anesh Solanki, Web Manager

Recently, there have been several movements and petitions released in California in an effort to have a recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom. This comes as a result of people believing that Governor Newsom has done a terrible job of maintaining a stable state economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic along with other factors that have angered many.

As the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 arrives, Californians look back on a rough year for their economy. There was an increase in unemployment rates and small businesses began to close down, which resulted in a loss of large sums of money. This economic suffering within the state of California angered and frustrated many people as some people were unable to earn sufficient amounts of money to take care and provide for their families.

Although many are angry at Governor Newsom for his COVID-19 guidelines, there are several other factors that the active petition was built on.

The petition states, “People in this state suffer the highest taxes in the nation, the highest homelessness rates, and the lowest quality of life as a result.”

Due to Assembly Bill 1253, the 13.3% income tax rate was raised to 16.8%. The increased taxes in California has caused a major shift in population. California is reaching record low amounts of people due to the high taxes. Many former Californians have moved to other states solely to avoid taxes and financial issues.

The homelessness rates described in the petition may have sprouted from the COVID-19 pandemic. As people have lost jobs and the prices of necessary resources have fluctuated, many are left with no stable money supply. They face several financial issues, which have unfortunately led to homelessness. Hopefully, homelessness rates will decrease as California progresses through the pandemic.

The petition also argues, “[Governor Newsom] seeks to impose additional burdens on our state by the following; removing the protections of Proposition 13, rationing our water use, increasing taxes and restricting parental rights.”

These issues have all added to the anger and frustration felt by the people who support the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom. People feel that Governor Newsom is restricting their basic rights and feel the need to act on the situation.

According to ABC10, “1.9 million signatures and counting- that’s roughly how many people would like to see a recall election for California Governor Gavin Newsom.”

This data comes on March 7, when there are about 1.5 million signatures that need to be certified in order to go through with the recall.

Despite the recent action in favor of a recall on Governor Gavin Newsom, he is currently focused on COVID-19 and the distribution of vaccines to more citizens in the state of California.