Photo illustration courtesy of senior Linnaea Marks.
San Luis Obispo High School Expressions urges all students 18 and over and staff to vote NO on the recall of California governor Gavin Newsom. These times of uncertainty demand it.
Over 32 million voters have received their ballots for the gubernatorial special recall election, and the ballots pose two questions: The first question asks if Newsom should be recalled. The correct answer is a “No.”
As for the second question, we encourage voters to leave it blank. Out of the 46 candidates, we see none fit for the role of governor.
August 30th is the last day to easily register voters, no matter if voters are voting by mail or in person.
However, U.S. citizens age 18 and up may conditionally register at their local elections office after August 30th. Voters can cast their provisional ballots in person any time up to and including September 14th, Election Day. The provisional ballot will be counted when the County Elections office verifies voter registration.
Newsom has emerged as one of the strongest leaders in our nation during the pandemic, distributing more than 7.6 billion dollars from State surplus money for COVID-19 relief. This went to small businesses and to middle-income and poverty-level families.
With the Delta variant causing rising deaths and hospitalizations, with five deaths in SLO County on Tuesday, we need a responsible leader who will take the pandemic for what it is: a deadly virus that has robbed us of loved ones.
Under Newsom, California’s surplus was 75.7 billion dollars, a staggering amount compared to most states, most notable during a pandemic. 27 billion of that surplus went to K-12 public schools and community colleges.
“People were talking last year about a $54 billion shortfall; to then go to a $75 billion surplus is surreal,” said Health Access California executive director Anthony Wright.
Our school district has benefited from the economic surplus Newsom has brought. It would be detrimental to public education to recall him.
This recall campaign costs a whopping 276 million dollars. That could be going to issues our state faces, such as homelessness, education, wildfires, crumbling infrastructure, and COVID-19.
Conservative radio host Larry Elder, the leading opposition candidate, has said the minimum wage should be zero dollars, is in favor of repealing all mask and vaccine mandates, and thinks welfare and fatherless families are greater threats than systemic racism.
Unlike most of his opponents, Elder has also not filed five years of tax returns, only disclosing partial tax returns.
According to polling, Elder could become the next governor with only 19.3 percent of voters backing him.
Newsom is only two and a half years into his term. Let’s face it: he’s not perfect and has made mistakes. But what governor hasn’t? Few governors have inherited the problems that Newsom faces. There’s no evidence of corruption or incompetence, the usual reasons for a recall.
Newsom’s few missteps do not discredit the good he has done for California.
Far-right and alt-right movements such as QAnon and the Proud Boys have been linked to recall efforts. They’ve spurred the campaign by spreading conspiracy theories.
While many supporters of the recall may not be involved with these movements, their base largely consists of enraged Trump supporters that believe the election was “unfairly stolen” from the former president – the Big Lie that drove the January 6th insurrection.
The campaign cannot rid itself of the bile spewed by these extremists–it’s interlaced with Trump’s legacy and rhetoric.
Unfortunately, the Progressive reforms made to the California constitution in the early 20th century make it ridiculously easy to launch recall elections.
Almost every governor since 1939 has faced a recall, although most of them have failed.
“The main problem is that the bar is very low – it only requires 12% of the people who voted in the last election for that office to launch an official recall. Most of the 19 states that even permit the recall of elected officials have a minimum of 20% of voters,” said California historian and Cal Poly professor emeritus Daniel Krieger. “The elephant in the room is whether or not these Progressive reforms dating from 1911 are appropriate to California in the 21st century.”
The recall would not represent the majority of California voters. Issues that matter most to students are on the line right now: healthcare, COVID-19, climate, gun control, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights and protections, and much more.
Expressions urges you to vote NO on the recall of Governor Newsom – for the students and for California.
Sources: nytimes.com, politico.com, projects.fivethirtyeight.com, latimes.com, sos.ca.gov, capradio.com, slocounty.ca.gov
