Politics

After Winning Recall Election, Newsom Says “Let’s Get Back to Work”

According to preliminary results, just under 65% of the voters have said “no” to recalling Newsom in the special election that is estimated to have cost California taxpayers $276 million.

Published

2 years ago

September 15, 2021

Isabelle Price

Governor Gavin Newsom Speaking, Photo courtesy of California Black Media

It looks like Gov. Gavin Newsom will remain in the office he won in 2018 after he secured an insurmountable lead in votes counted so far in Tuesday’s gubernatorial recall election.

Several media outlets projected shortly before midnight Tuesday that the attempt to remove Newsom from office failed.

About an hour after thanking Californians for keeping him in office, Newsom tweeted, “Now, let’s get back to work.”

Larry Elder, a conservative Republican Los Angeles-based talk show host, who was the leading candidate vying to remove Newsom from office conceded the race. A total of 46 candidates were on the ballot to replace Newsom.

“Let’s be gracious in defeat,” Elder said after the results started pouring in and it was obvious he had no chance of winning. “We may have lost the battle, but we are going to win the war.”

According to preliminary results, just under 65% of the voters have said “no” to recalling Newsom in the special election that is estimated to have cost California taxpayers $276 million.

With about 67% of all votes counted on September 14, only a little over 35% voted ‘yes’ on the recall.

Reactions on social media included the following:

Kevin Mullin (D-San Mateo), Assembly Speaker Pro Tem tweeted, “A $276 million waste just to reaffirm 2018’s results with an election coming in 2022. The CA recall process must be reformed including elevating the Lt. Guv in the event of a recall. But to avoid partisan power grabs the Governor/LG should be a ticket of the same party (like NY).”

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis wrote, “Thank you California for recognizing that @GavinNewsom is exactly where he needs to be, in the Governor’s office! His commitment to the people of California is unwavering and I look forward to his continued leadership of our great state!”

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA 37) tweeted, “Proud of our governor. Proud of our people. Proud of California.”

Newsom told supporters, although Californians voted “no” to the recall, he wants to focus on all the things they were saying ‘yes’ to by their votes.

“‘No’ is not the only thing that was expressed tonight,” Newsom said. “I want to focus on what we said ‘yes’ to as a state. We said ‘yes’ to science. We said ‘yes’ to vaccines. We said ‘yes’ to ending this pandemic. We said ‘yes’ to people’s right to vote without fear of fake fraud or voter suppression.”

The gubernatorial recall was the fifth statewide vote Dr. Shirley Weber has overseen since she was appointed Secretary of State on January 19. Throughout the process, Weber, a former assemblymember who represented the 79^th District in San Diego County, says she worked hard to make sure that voter fraud or the talk of fraud of would not interfere in the results of this election.

“We worked hard to secure our elections. There’s no evidence of fraud or miscounting,” Weber said on CNN. “As Secretary of State, we’ve been even-handed in how we’ve handled every issue. I was sued by the governor as well as by others because of some of the decisions we made that were fair and just.”

Weber’s office has 30 days to certify the recall election once all of the votes have been counted. If there are any discrepancies, Weber said those issues will be addressed.

“I like to say to those that continue to challenge this issue of fairness and so forth, I always say, ‘where’s the evidence?’” Weber said. “We are willing to accept the evidence as it is not just to simply (claim) open-ended allegations of fraud and deceptions. Those things are easy to say. But we have yet to get evidence of fraud and deception.”

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California Black Media

California to Roll Back Grant Program That Helps Low- and Middle-Income Residents Build ADUs

The California Housing Finance Agency’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Grant Program may receive only $25 million in new funding instead of the $50 million investment lawmakers initially proposed after negotiations with Gov. Newsom. The state had previously allocated $100 million to increase the housing inventory and address the homelessness crisis, but these funds were depleted months ago.

Published

10 hours ago

September 28, 2023

Oakland Post

Homeowners with enough space can build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) to their property, either as an add-on to an existing building or a standalone building like the one above. Photo courtesy CBM.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and

Edward Henderson

California Black Media

The state had previously allocated $100 million to increase the housing inventory and address the homelessness crisis, but these funds were depleted months ago.

Since its inception, the program has provided up to $40,000 toward pre-development and non-recurring closing costs associated with the construction of the ADUs, an innovative, affordable, and effective living option for low-to-middle-income residents.

The predevelopment costs the grants cover include site prep, architectural designs, permits, soil tests, impact, fees property survey and energy reports.

One of the hurdles for ADU construction has been the reluctance of California lenders and major banks to offer ADU loans. Although CALHFA provides a $40,000 grant to qualified homeowners, the overall cost of an ADU can range from $300,000 to more than $400,000.

Funding for the program is in flux because of a disagreement between CalHFA and lawmakers over how to use it.

Lawmakers and Newsom signed a budget bill that would restore the $50 million funding in July only to see another budget bill in August take the money back. Now an amendment will put half of the money back to restart the program this month.

Barbara Lee

Black Women’s Group Holds Gov. Newsom’s Feet to the Fire on Senate Appointment

On Sunday, the California Black Women’s Collective (CBWC), a coalition of women from different professional backgrounds, issued a statement responding to remarks Gov. Gavin Newsom made to NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press.” When asked what he would do if 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein were to step down due to her failing health, the Newsom said he would appoint a short-term caretaker to replace her.

Published

10 hours ago

September 28, 2023

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, wearing a pink hat, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta lead the Oakland Pride Parade. Photo by Gene Hazzard.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and

Edward Henderson

California Black Media

When asked what he would do if 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein were to step down due to her failing health, the Newsom said he would appoint a short-term caretaker to replace her.

“Interim appointment,” Newsom told Todd. “I don’t want to get involved in the primary. It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off. That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) is running for U.S. Senate to replace Feinstein against two other Democratic contenders: U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA-30) and Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA-47).

In 2021, when Newsom appointed Sen. Alex Padilla to replace former Sen. Kamala Harris, he promised to appoint a Black woman to the U.S. Senate.

Kellie Todd Griffin, founding convener of CBWC, said she expected Newsom to keep his promise.

“I fully expected that he will keep his word. We ran a respectful campaign, “Keep the Seat,” that highlighted the need for a Black woman to be appointed as well as provided two highly qualified options with Hon. Karen Bass and Hon. Barbara Lee. He appointed Senator Padilla instead,” said Griffin.

“His commitment after that act was clear and a promise to appoint a Black woman if there was another opportunity to appoint to the U.S. Senate arises. The notion of a caretaker is not what was promised nor is it expected to be acceptable,” Griffin continued. “Appointing a caretaker has not happened since the 1930s in California history.”

Lee, who is the only Black woman in the race, said in a statement, “Black women deserve more than a participation trophy. We need a seat at the table. I am troubled by the governor’s remarks.”

Last week, Lee also made headlines when she led members of the California Congressional Delegation in writing a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) urging a swift investigation into the allegations of violations of federal labor law by the Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point and related entities.

On Labor Day, the members urged NLRB to investigate the hotel’s use of automated management practices — together with the company Instawork — to punish workers who participate in strikes or honor picket lines, as well as look into incidents of violence and property destruction against striking workers.

Both sets of issues are subject to pending unfair labor practice charges

“The conduct alleged above is profoundly troubling and raises serious concerns about the ability of workers at this property to exercise their core labor rights,” said Lee in the letter. “We ask that the NLRB investigate these issues thoroughly and prosecute the companies involved for all violations of the National Labor Relations Act.”

This is the second time Lee has written a letter concerning the Laguna Cliffs Marriott. In July, a letter was sent “regarding reports of racial exclusion and problematic employment practices.”

The most recent letter was signed by Lee and Representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), Mike Levin (D-CA-49), Lou Correa (D-CA-46), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34).

On Sept. 4, President Biden announced that he intends to nominate Lee to serve as a United States Representative at the 78^thSession of the UN General Assembly, scheduled to take place in New York City from Sept. 18-26.

Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee Adds Bernie Sanders Political Staff to Growing Campaign Team

Two members of the Bernie Sanders for President 2020 team have joined Barbara Lee’s campaign for Senate, the Lee campaign announced reently. Robert Dempsey and Anna Bahr, who served as national states director and deputy national press secretary for the Sanders presidential campaign in 2020, respectively, are joining the Lee campaign as campaign manager and senior advisor.

Published

12 hours ago

September 28, 2023

Oakland Post

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee & U.S. Sen. Bernie Saunders. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

Two members of the Bernie Sanders for President 2020 team have joined Barbara Lee’s campaign for Senate, the Lee campaign announced reently.

Robert Dempsey and Anna Bahr, who served as national states director and deputy national press secretary for the Sanders presidential campaign in 2020, respectively, are joining the Lee campaign as campaign manager and senior advisor.

“My message in this race is simple: working people deserve a progressive fighter who will fix an economy that is rigged against the middle class and the poor, prioritize climate, racial and economic justice and truly represent the chronically overlooked working people of the Golden State,” said Lee.

“There is a strong progressive movement in California that Sen. Sanders mobilized successfully, and we are building on the grassroots movement he energized to connect with Californians about the issues that matter most to them.”

Dempsey and Bahr join a campaign team that already includes Katie Merrill as general consultant, Jack Lofgren as national finance director, David Graham-Caso as communications director, Julianna Ridgeway as digital director, Sean Dugar as political director, Chris Keosian as scheduling director, Julio Esperias as Los Angeles organizer and Denisha DeLane as faith community outreach director.

The campaign team also includes media consultants Raghu Devaguptapu and Orrin Evans at Left Hook Consulting, as well as a polling and research team made up of Dave Metz of FM3, Shakari Byerly of Evitarus, and Terrance Woodbury of HIT Strategies.