Will California voters like ‘Newsom recall, the sequel’ any better?

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff:

Here we go again: Conservative activists who worked on the failed recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 have launched another attempt, arguing that conditions in California only worsened in the two-and-a-half years since then as Newsom’s attention shifted to national politics.

Rescue California, one of the main political committees behind the 2021 recall, announced Monday that it was pursuing a campaign to remove Newsom from the governor’s office before he terms out in early 2027.

“We’ve got to do it again, because he’s a better governor when he’s under a microscope,” Anne Dunsmore, a fundraiser and campaign manager for Rescue California, told CalMatters. “We cannot do this trajectory for three more years.”

Newsom defeated the 2021 recall, which was fueled by anger over his response to the coronavirus pandemic, by nearly 24 percentage points. Then he won a second term a year later by almost the same margin, suggesting overwhelmingly liberal California voters have little appetite to toss the governor.

But Dunsmore said she has been frustrated to watch Newsom tout California’s success in the national media and become a surrogate for other Democratic candidates across the country when the state is losing population, smash-and-grab robberies are out of control and there is a high rate of homelessness among veterans. She said extending health coverage to undocumented immigrants while California is facing a budget deficit estimated to be tens of billions of dollars was a breaking point.

Dunsmore said she hopes the recall campaign will either force Newsom to refocus his attention on solving California’s problems, or damage what many presume are his ambitions to run for president in the future.

• Dunsmore: “He cannot own any bragging rights on a national level. If he stays home and fixes these problems, he’ll be a political rock god. I have no problem with that.”

Prominent California Democrats immediately circled the wagons on Monday, dismissing the recall petition as political gamesmanship by Republicans. In a fundraising email, Newsom asked supporters to help him keep “some anti-science, anti-woman far-right conspiracy theorist from becoming governor of California.”

• Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click, in a statement: “We are taking it seriously. These Trump Republicans are targeting Gov. Newsom because he is out there defending democracy and fighting for the reelection of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. He’s not going to be distracted from that fight. Democracy’s on the ballot, and he’s going to keep fighting.”

Rescue California could begin gathering signatures on its recall petition within a matter of weeks. The committee needs about 1.31 million valid signatures from registered California voters to qualify for the ballot, some 180,000 fewer than last time — though that attempt only qualified after a judge granted proponents additional time to collect signatures.

Dunsmore brushed off the notion that another recall campaign would primarily be a financial boon to political consultants and said her team “learned so much about what we went through two years ago,” including how to qualify their petition at less cost.

She blamed the failure of the 2021 recall on voters’ distaste for Larry Elder, the libertarian radio host who was the leading replacement candidate, and suggested things could go differently with a more viable alternative to Newsom on the ballot.

“The job now is to find someone who’s qualified,” Dunsmore said.

Rep. Adam Schiff’s campaign mantra — that he’s led in protecting democracy and is the best equipped to get things done in the U.S. Senate — seems to be working. He’s ahead in the polls leading up to the March 5 top-two primary. 

In the last of three interviews with top U.S. Senate contenders, CalMatters reporters on Monday asked Schiff about the Gaza war, his ads on Fox News and more. While he gave us only about 30 minutes over Zoom — compared to an hour for fellow Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee — Schiff still addressed a wide range of topics. (Republican Steve Garvey has declined an invitation.)

Unlike his two leading Democratic opponents, Schiff hasn’t called for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, explains CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu. And even though many Californians may not agree with this approach, Schiff argues that “most people want to see the same resolution.”

When asked about his campaign ads airing on Fox News despite calling on advertisers to boycott the network last year, Schiff said his campaign must “respond to what others are doing in the race.”

Read more interview highlights in Stella’s story. You can watch the interview on video. And catch up on the other Senate interviews in one convenient place, along with stories on the most common voter questions.

Speaking of the primary: With balloting underway, voters ages 18 to 34 have only made up about 2% of the submitted votes as of Feb. 23, according to political analyst Paul Mitchell. To learn about the issues younger voters care about, the nonprofit Power California conducted a statewide poll of 1,557 Californians, ages 18 to 30. 

The survey, released today, found that across its four racial demographics (Black, Latino, AAPI and white), affordable housing and homelessness were the top issues. Protecting women’s reproductive health was also a big concern for Black and AAPI Californians, while lowering healthcare costs was one of the top issues for Latinos.

Analyzed by political affiliation, lowering healthcare costs was also the top issue for “decline to state” voters, while homelessness was the priority for both Democratic and Republican voters. Democrats also listed affordable housing and climate change as concerns, while Republicans cited crime and police brutality.

Of the four California regions (Central Valley, Los Angeles, Bay Area and “rest of state”), Los Angeles was the only one that didn’t list homelessness among its top three priorities — ranking affordable housing, health care costs and climate change higher. Meanwhile, reducing crime was an important issue for Central Valley and Bay Area voters, and Californians from the rest of the state regarded protecting reproductive health and student loan forgiveness as other top issues.

In an unusual show of bipartisanship, key Democratic and Republican state senators gathered Monday to announce a package of 14 bills that aims to address the state’s fentanyl crisis and rise in retail crime.

Introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, the series of bills includes nine fentanyl-related measures and five bills on theft. At the press event, the Santa Rosa Democrat said that lawmakers were “setting aside politics” and coming together for “data-driven” solutions. 

• McGuire: “We’re going to be working together… to get solutions across the finish line…. There are too many lives at stake. Together, Democrats and Republicans, we’re going to build a safer California.”

But while Senate GOP leader Brian Jones of San Diego gave a few words at the press conference — saying that “for years, Senate Republicans have been calling for action” — the only Republican carrying legislation is Redlands Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, who authored two of the package’s fentanyl bills.

• Jones: “Over the next few months, Senate Republicans are eager to collaborate with our Democratic colleagues and make sure these bills are effective and meaningful and continue to work in a bipartisan manner to fix California and make California safer.”

A couple of the bills propose to increase punishment, such as the ones from Democratic Sens. Josh Newman of Fullerton and Dave Min of Irvine that would enhance penalties for “large-scale resale schemes” and for criminals who start fires to steal, respectively. 

Most, however, address the issues either through expanding treatment for those who are addicted to fentanyl or enhancing law enforcement tools for theft. Groups on the political left, including Californians for Safety and Justice and the Prosecutors Alliance of California, praised the package. 

And despite the thank yous and calls for partnership exchanged by the Senate party leaders at Monday’s event, signs of disagreement still trickled through. Specifically on Proposition 47, the measure approved by voters in 2014 that Republican lawmakers and some Democrats say has made it more difficult to hold criminals accountable for retail theft.

When discussing the rise of retail theft, Jones said California has seen a “steep increase… since the passage of Prop. 47.” But a few moments later, while answering questions from the press, McGuire said he did not believe the state “needs to touch Prop. 47 to be able to help make our communities safer — full stop.”

Also at the Capitol: Democratic Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry of Davis promoted her bill Monday that would grant up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave for public school employees. Joined by members of the California Teachers Association and the Legislative Women’s Caucus, Aguiar-Curry said that under current state law, teachers either “schedule pregnancies” based on the school calendar or “try to get by with less pay.” Newsom struck down a similar measure in 2019, citing budget costs.

A trend in workforce development: Unions and employers partnering to train needed workers. It’s happening at a Los Angeles hospitality industry academy funded mostly by state and federal grants, but how well is it working? CalMatters economy reporter Levi Sumagaysay has the answer.