Paying for recall in more ways than one

Imagine walking into the polling station to vote on the recall, and the attendant says “that’ll be ten bucks.” You say, “no way, I just won’t vote.” He says: “it’ll cost you ten bucks anyway.”

The $279 million price tag of this recall exercise is what the 5.6 % of the CA voters that forced this recall effort cost the rest of us. What we are paying for is the chance to throw out a man elected by 62% of the voters in the last election, and bring in any one of 46 contenders, who could win with less than 10% of the vote. An editorial and an article in the E-R discussed the attempt to recall Governor Newsom.

The AP article listed these reasons Newson might be voted out: frustration at the pandemic, job losses, closed schools, routines interrupted, taxes, rising food and gas prices, water shortages, drought, wildfires. And fraud problems at the unemployment agency and not wearing a mask at the French Laundry restaurant. Which of this long list could any other governor have avoided? Only perhaps the unemployment agency and the unmasked dinner.

The tepid “no” recommendation in the E-R criticizes these undemocratic recall conditions, but also notes that for the GOP, the recall “rules work in their favor.” And what does that mean? That they work against democracy. And your 1 in 46 chance of getting something better is not great. Do not support extreme minority takeover. Reject the recall.

— Jim Anderson, Chico