Is Another Recall the Best Way to Fire Newsom?
California voters and elected officials are pushing back against the failed policies and leadership of Gov. Newsom. Lately, there have been some successes thanks to hard-driving Republicans in the California Legislature and the House of Representatives.
As Newsom moves forward with his quixotic campaign to be the 48th President of the United States, the task is upon us to inform the nation about the real status of California’s economy, safety, and schools. I would argue we should continue to shine a light on the failed results under his leadership e.g. homeless policies, deadly and destructive wildfires, taking away parental rights and authorities of local school boards, boys in girls sports and bathrooms, the high cost of living, and the release of violent offenders into our communities…the list goes on and on. But, is it worth our time and resources to engage in yet another Recall?
There have been numerous failed attempts to recall Gavin Newsom, frustrating volunteers, voters and donors. There are many reasons for the failures, including inept sponsoring organizations and individuals who were more interested in building donor lists for future elections than building a successful coalition to oust Newsom. Each loss resulted in disheartened volunteers and voters who lost interest in turning out for important primary and general elections.
Here’s the list of failed attempts to Recall Newsom:
Filed by Erin Cruz and 69 others (March 15, 2019)
Failed to qualify for the ballot
Filed by Erin Cruz and 137 others (August 2, 2019)
Failed to qualify for the ballot
Filed by James Veltmeyer and 99 others (August 26, 2019)
Failed to qualify for the ballot
Filed by Orrin E. Heatlie and 124 others (February 13, 2020)
Failed to qualify for the ballot
Filed by Orrin E. Heatlie and 124 others (February 21, 2020)
Qualified for ballot: Recall election September 14, 2021
Recall failed – 38.1% in favor; 61.9% opposed
Filed by Carla Canada and 9 others (June 3, 2020)
Failed to qualify for the ballot
Filed by Anne Dunsmore and 455 others (March 25, 2024)
Failed to qualify for the ballot
Now we have a 2025 campaign, filed by Randy Economy. If you’re game to dive in and support another attempt to Recall Newsom, below are some important resources to help you get involved:
Campaign Website: Saving California
Petitions Now Available: Download a Petition
Calendar for Circulation: Download Secy of State Advisory
Deadline to File Petitions: September 4, 2025
Number of Valid Signatures Needed: 1,311,963 (12% of votes cast in last Gov election)
I believe that any serious recall can help shine a light on Newsom’s unpopularity, impacting his ability to secure the Democrat’s nomination for President in 2028. But is it necessary? Newsom seems to be doing the work for us with his unsuccessful podcast, hypocritical finger pointing on homeless and child predator issues, deadly water policies that impeded firefighting in Southern California, and loss of support from Congress for the boondoggle High Speed Rail project (thank you Congressman Kevin Kiley).
The fact is that Democrats have implemented a number of barriers to prolong and thwart successful recalls. For example, a recall election may be conducted within 180 days from the date of certification of sufficient signatures in order to consolidate with the next regularly scheduled election. The last day for County Election Officials to certify the number of valid signatures is December 5th. Then there is a series of bureaucratic delays to assess the cost of the election and to appropriate funds. So the successful gathering of signatures to recall Newsom could put the matter on the June ballot!
Our efforts and resources would be better spent supporting a Republican candidate for Governor who can beat the dozens of Democrats who are lining up to run in June and make it to the November General Election. If you’re going to get on someone’s donor list, make it one of them!
To learn who is running for Governor and other offices in 2026, check out Ballotpedia or Statements of Intention filings on the Secretary of State’s Cal-Access site.
Other resources: