TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to draft a resolution in opposition to the Recall Election of the Governor of California.
DISCUSSION
The State of California has scheduled the Gubernatorial Recall Election for Tuesday, September 14th. The California Department of Finance estimates the recall election will cost state and county election officials $276 million to administer. The costs are much higher than previous recall elections because every voter in the state will receive a vote- by-mail ballot, in addition to options to vote in-person.
Over the past year and a half California has faced unprecedented challenges. The state continues to grapple with the economic and social ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. As new variants arise, the future of the pandemic remains uncertain. In the face of this global crisis, it is irresponsible for the state and counties to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a politically motivated recall election.
During this pandemic, California adopted the biggest economic recovery package in the state’s history. The money being used on the recall election could have been better utilized to strengthen that recovery package, by assisting people with rent relief, unemployment, and covering healthcare costs, or by addressing some of the state’s ongoing issues such as homelessness, wildfires, or infrastructure.
Since 1911, when California began approving recalls, 179 recall attempts have been made against state officeholders, and every governor since 1960 has faced as least one. Recall elections have become highly politicized, used as a tool to undermine the will of the people and remove someone from office who was fairly elected by a majority of voters, rather than as a tool to remove someone who is unfit for office.
The recall ballot will have two questions:
1. Should the elected official be removed from office?
2. If the official is removed, who should take their place?
If more than 50% of voters answer “y...
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