Are the days of Gavin Newsom as governor of California numbered? Not if his planned stunt to halt a recall vote has anything to do with it.
Politics
At least 1.6 million Californians have signed a petition ordering the recall of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Their reasons for wanting to kick him out of office a year early and replace him with someone else are varied.
Many who signed the petition did so because they’re unhappy with Newsom’s support of higher taxes, his failure to deal with homelessness, and what they consider to be a “low quality of life” within the state. Other signators came from those who believe Newsom’s handling of the coronavirus and reopening of the state too soon back in early 2020 (causing a deadly 2nd wave) was horrendous.
However, the nail in the coffin came when Gov. Gavin Newsom was preaching to Californians to wear masks and social distance — but was caught attending a birthday party where Newsom and everyone else was maskless and no one was following social distancing norms.
Californians successfully recalled Gov. Grey Davis in 2003 and believe they have the votes to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021. However, the governor is not willing to go quietly and has a sly trick up his sleeve.
On Monday, Newsom began a statewide tour promoting the whopping $75.7 billion surplus he has amassed in California. Now, he wants to share the wealth and give every resident a little piece of the pie.
To put it bluntly, Newsom wants to save his own butt by playing Santa Claus and handing out wads of $600 checks to Californians for them to use however they see fit. He also wants to give an additional $500 to families with dependants — and even wants to pay everyone’s utility bills.
Gavin Newsom “is facing the largest windfall in state history after having steered the state successfully through a global health crisis that shut the world economy down,” former gubernatorial aide Susan Kennedy said. “He’s going to get a lot of credit for that with voters if he keeps the state open and handles the surplus well.”
“It’s going to look like a stunt,” blasted Republican consultant Dave Gilliard (who is working in support of the recall), and “I don’t think they’re going to give [Newsom] a whole lot of credit for it.”
If the recall is successful, a new election to replace Newsom will take place sometime in the fall. (Interestingly, former Olympian and former male Caitlyn Jenner is among the candidates hoping to get the governor’s job). However, Newsom has a few more months and a truck filled with 75 billion cash reasons to convince Californians to let him keep his job.
Stay tuned…
NPR: A year after slashing spending to fill a record-breaking deficit spurred by the pandemic, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is eyeing a massive surplus and hopes to send out a second, larger round of stimulus checks to residents. “It’s a remarkable, remarkable turnaround,” Newsom said in an interview with All Things Considered Monday. California’s progressive tax structure means the state budget suffered early in the pandemic but quickly rebounded, bolstered by capital gains taxes and high-income earners who’ve seen their wealth grow over the past year. Newsom, who will likely face a recall election later this year, announced a plan to send billions of dollars back to taxpayers. If approved, the state would give $600 checks to workers who earn up to $75,000 annually, with $500 bonuses for tax filers with dependents and undocumented families. Newsom said 80% of the state’s workers and two-thirds of all residents would benefit from… Read more »