Official date for California Gov. Newsom recall election announced

State officials in California have officially announced September 14th of this year as the day when a recall election against Governor Gavin Newsom will happen.

It reads: “I, Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of the State of California, by the power and authority vested in me by Sections 15 and 17, Article II of the Constitution of the State of California, do hereby proclaim and order that a special statewide election shall by held on the 14th day of September, 2021 to determine whether Gavin Newsom, Governor of the State of California, shall be recalled, and if the majority vote on the question is to recall, to elect a successor.”

This revelation comes fresh off a dispute between state Republicans and Democrats over a measure to push up the recall’s date. The bill for that was passed, and Assemblyman Phil Ting justified the effort by saying the recall’s supporters wanted this to happen as soon as possible.

According to the Associated Press, some of the contenders seeking to replace Newsom are:

• Former Republican Mayor of San Diego, Kevin Faulconer
• Republican businessman John Cox
• Former U.S. Rep Doug Ose
• Caitlyn Jenner of former Olympic fame, and reality TV thereafter.

It’s the latest step in the petition effort to gather two million signatures that began in June 2020. The people’s personal grievances about Newsom’s performance largely centered around prominent events like the pandemic and policing. On Gavin’s part, he was spotted breaking the restrictions on indoor dining that a collective of restaurants and wineries had to later sue the state to overturn.  

By March 2021 over two million signatures were submitted, and towards the end of the following month those signatures were officially validated.