Newsom fails to govern, needs to be removed from office

By Ryan Sieh | Staff Writer

   The recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom is estimated to take place in November of this year, with over 1.6 million California residents having signed the petition. This is a needed process, as Newsom is not fit to be governor, and should be removed for his countless mistakes.

   The primary reason as to why many residents want Newsom out is because of the many mistakes he made, including the problems that he has created for taxpayers and his lack of strictness when the pandemic first began. 

   Newsom has faced many accusations of hypocrisy in previous years. According to ABC 7, “it was revealed that Newsom attended a birthday party at the Michelin-starred restaurant French Laundry. The gathering included people from several different households and took place in an enclosed area – the type of gathering Newsom had been telling Californians to avoid.” He also had a trip to Hawaii, amidst the pandemic restrictions that he had set himself.

   Even before the pandemic hit, Newsom had multiple complaints from California residents that laws that “he endorsed favor foreign nationals, in our country illegally, over that of our own citizens.”

Not only that, but with California having the highest taxes in the country and the highest rate of homelessness, he continues to lay more burdens on residents by “rationing our water use, increasing taxes and restricting parental rights,” according to some petitioners.     

   According to a March poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, out of 1,174 voters, 56 percent opposed the recall of Newsom and 40 percent supported the recall. The remaining four percent were undecided. Though a 16 percent difference, nearly half of the voters didn’t see Newsom fit to govern the state of California.

   This is only the second time that a governor in California’s history had been entered into a recall election. Newsom is also the fifth governor in the country’s history to be up for removal. 

   The lack of good management and the abundance of poor management is clearly demonstrated in the way Newsom organized the distribution of vaccines, and his substandard and second rate handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the state. 

   Before the vaccine rollout became widely available, constant changes in vaccine eligibility and dates had made it exceedingly difficult for any resident that is within the allowed age to be able to get a vaccine. 

   According to CNN, “For example, the state initially prioritized some essential workers (like those in public transit and at airports), along with the homeless and incarcerated, then shifted to an age-based system in late January, only to abruptly restore those categories of workers in the last week. And the state’s vaccination website, MyTurn, which was designed to make sign ups easy, has faced technical challenges that have made it unusable for many.”

   The Governor’s superintendence during this pandemic and during his term has proven to be nothing short of a nuisance to some of California’s residents, and has made many people’s lives miserable and stressful. 

   With a corrupt and mismanaged unemployment insurance program, the Employment Development Department, which is backed by the state, has caused enough problems already. According to CNN, “The agency itself admitted that it paid about $11 billion in fraudulent claims between March and December 2020, with another $20 billion in claims that were “potentially” fraudulent. It got so bad that a fraudster (and former EDD employee) pretending to be California Sen. Dianne Feinstein got paid $21,000 in benefits.”

Newsom’s recall is one word: irrational 

By Ashley Lau | Staff Writer

   On Apr. 26, election officials informed the general public that the recall campaign of Newsom, with over 1.6 million signatures, had been enough to qualify for the ballot. However, this recall election is unnecessary at the time we are currently in.

   If the recall election were to happen, voters would be presented with two questions at the election. The first asking if they thought Newsom should be recalled as a governor, and the second would ask who should take over Newsom’s position, if recalled. This recall election could take anywhere from 81 million to 400 million dollars, which is money California can spend more effectively.

   Political science lecturer at UC Davis, Isaac Hale explained in an interview with SFGATE, “The counties are already cash-strapped due to the pandemic, so $400 million in collection costs would be a major hit.”

   As of May, 49 percent of Californians said they opposed recalling Newsom, with support for recalling him at 36 percent, and with 15 percent undecided as shown in the poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

   Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way Newsom handled the situation was frequently questioned, but along the way, “Newsom rolled out multiple programs, partnerships and pledges in response to daily fluctuations in infections, hospitalizations, joblessness and deaths,” according to The Sacramento Bee.

   Although many were bashing Newsom’s action of going out to the restaurant, French Laundry, amidst the pandemic as hypocritical, he preached staying home and he came out with a public apology.

   “I made a bad mistake,” Newsom told reporters. “I should have stood up and … drove back to my house. The spirit of what I’m preaching all the time was contradicted. I need to preach and practice, not just preach.”

   In times where a pandemic is still widely active, taking responsibility like Newsom had done creates dependability and trust within the community as he is learning from his mistakes and is now more aware of the example he is setting for the public.

   Along with the vast amount of money that needs to be implemented to start up the recall election the candidates running for Newsom’s spot can not compare with the experience that he possesses. Caitlyn Jenner, a running candidate, has never held elective office nor possesses political knowledge on issues. Jenner’s run for office is nothing more than a publicity stunt. It is about being a celebrity for publicity not equality. In the state California is in we need a governor who can take action amidst the pandemic, not another claim for fame by someone who does not understand how to both understand and handle the situation that California is currently in.

   Since the start of his term in 2019 Newsom has increased low income housing tax credit to $500 million, ended the use of private prisons, created a coordinating council for all public higher education systems, expanded family leaves, gave working, less fortunate people a bigger tax break, helped find a compromise to loosen the state’s tight restrictions on rent control, and now he has a plan to combat homelessness with billions of dollars.

   Serving as the mayor of San Francisco for six years, and as a lieutenant governor for eight years Newsom has both the experience and dedication that California needs to move forward with COVID-19. This recall would take up time, energy, and money that does not need to be spent.