Rematch: Recalling Gavin Newsom

SACRAMENTO—On February 26, 2024, the California Governor’s office was served a Notice of Intent (also called “notice of intention”) in a second attempt to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. 

Governor Newsom has seven days to respond according to Elections Code section 11023: “within seven days after filing a notice of intention, the officer sought to be recalled may file with the elections official, or in the case a state officer, the Secretary of State, an answer, in not more than 200 words, to the statement of the proponents.” 

This second recall effort is led by Anne Dunsmore of Rescue California along with Rebuild California, which also led the first recall attempt in 2020. Rebuild California comprises members such as chair Orrin Heatlie, a retired sergeant who served 25 years in the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, and vice chair Mike Netter, a former senior executive for multinational retail companies.

Heatlie believes the most important reason to recall Governor Newsom is “to save California from financial ruin,” and secondly, because the country cannot afford him if he were to run for federal office. “This government has three more budget cycles this term. And we can’t afford him,” Heatlie said. 

Netter agrees that Governor Newsom’s policies are “unsustainable.” He shared that “hardworking people, corporations, and large and small businesses are closing their doors and leaving California.” 

Susan Walsh, a Nevada County resident and ardent supporter of both recall attempts, said, “as an activist, I am so happy and thrilled. I’ve got 100% confidence in this recall.” She noted that people have been contacting her frequently since the Notice of Intent was served yesterday. “People are asking me, is this real? Is this happening?” She assures them that this is a genuine effort and that Rescue California has improved the process: “All the bugs have been worked out and we’re good to go. The framework is in place.”

Why is this recall attempt different? 

A major difference, according to Heatlie, is that over 400 people signed as proponents for this recall. “They come from all walks of life, the entire political spectrum. There are lifelong Democrats, Independents, No Party Preference, and Republicans alike. This is a concern for all Californians and the nation as a whole, regardless of their background, race, or ethnicity.”

Another difference, according to recall supporters, is that Governor Newsom now has Presidential aspirations. “This is a danger and our country cannot afford to have him as President,” Heatlie said, adding, “we need to sound the alarm for the rest of the country loud and clear.” 

When would the recall be on the ballot if the petition is successful? 

Once the petition is approved, the proponents will have 160 days to reach the required minimum number of petition signatures to place the recall on the ballot for voters. The goal is for the recall vote to be on the November 2024 ballot. 

To qualify a recall of the Governor for the ballot, the petition “must be signed by electors equal in number to twelve percent of the last vote for the office, with signatures from each of five counties equal in number to one percent of the last vote for the office in the county” (California Constitution, Article II, Section 14). When Gavin Newsom and Brian Dahle ran in 2022, the number of votes cast equaled 10,933,018 (or nearly 11 million). Rounding up to the nearest whole number, twelve percent equals 1,311,963 (or a little over 1.3 million). Proponents will most likely try to get much more than that to allow for signatures rejected by the Secretary of State. 

The Rebuild California team says that the official petition for circulation is pending approval, which they expect in mid-March. Once approved, California electors (registered voters) can place an order to have petitions sent to them by visiting RescueCalifornia.org. 

In 2020, the attempt to recall Governor Newsom failed: 38.1% voted in favor of the recall and 61.9% opposed (Source: “Complete List of Recall Attempts,” Secretary of State). 

When was the last successful recall? 

The recall process in California was formalized as law in 1911 through Proposition 8 (Senate Constitutional Amendment No. 23). Proposition 8 introduced the recall of public officials, allowing the governor, state senators, assembly members, and other elected officials to be removed from office early by a public vote. Proposition 8 was approved by voters in the same election that voters approved Proposition 4 (Senate Constitutional Amendment No. 8), granting women the right to vote. Both Propositions, supporting the opportunity to recall and supporting women’s right to vote, were sponsored by Republican senators. 

According to the Secretary of State, Since 1913, there have been 180 recall attempts of state elected officials in California, fifty-five of which have been made for the office of governor. There were eleven recall efforts that collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and the elected official was recalled successfully in six of those instances. 

There have been several unsuccessful attempts to recall various officials. However, two decades ago, Governor Gray Davis was successfully recalled during his second term in office. The resulting 2003 gubernatorial election replaced Governor Davis, a democrat, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, a republican. The ballot language read, “Shall Gray Davis be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?” with 55.39% of voters (nearly 5 million voters) voting “Yes” to remove him from office.