CALIFORNIA, USA — Newsom taking credit for Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal workers
President Joe Biden announced a new mandate requiring millions of federal workers to get vaccinated or face rigorous safety measures.
And shortly after the president’s announcement, Gov. Gavin Newsom insinuated that Biden was following California's lead.
“CA is leading the nation once again. Earlier this week, we announced that all CA state employees would need to show proof of vaccination or get tested regularly to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We applaud the federal government for doing the same,” the governor’s office wrote on Twitter.
Federal workers will be required to attest they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else face mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and other new rules. The newly strict guidelines are aimed at boosting sluggish vaccination rates among the four million of Americans who draw federal paychecks and to set an example for private employers around the country.
Majority of Californians want to overhaul recall process
With a little more than six weeks to go until the gubernatorial recall election on Sept. 14, most California voters can agree on at least one issue: the special election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is a waste of money.
According to a survey by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), 69% of likely voters in the state say it’s a waste of money, divided mostly along party lines.
Still, one popular change both Republicans and Democrats can agree on is that there needs to be a change in the definition on the basis for holding a recall in the first place. Current law in California allows an elected official to face a recall for any reason.
The same PPIC poll found that 60% of voters – including 4 out of 10 Republicans – support increasing the threshold so that a lawmaker can only be recalled for illegal or unethical behavior.
California ACLU against Newsom recall
American Civil Liberties Unions in California issued a joint statement opposing the recall effort against California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The executive directors for the ACLU Northern California, Southern California, San Diego, Imperial Counties, and the board chair of ACLU California Action issued their statement on Thursday.
“The forces behind this recall would turn back the clock on hard-won advances that expand, not contract, rights,” said Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California.
The ACLU said one of the main issues recall proponents invoke – Newom’s response to the coronavirus pandemic – is really an attempt to overturn the 2018 election.
“The pandemic is only a smokescreen,” said Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California. “It’s the convenient hook that sponsors of this recall have latched onto.”
This is the first time the ACLU in California has taken a position on a recall attempt in the state. The ACLU says their statement is not a partisan action.
Kiley asks voters to ‘take a chance’ in latest campaign push
Assemblymember Kevin Kiley is asking California voters to “take a chance” on him in making him the next governor.
“Gavin Newsom's replacement as Governor would serve one year before facing voters again. Ask your friends and neighbors to take a chance on change,” Kiley said in the caption of his latest campaign ad, posted to his Facebook page.
Kiley is set to hold a rally in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Key Dates
- Aug. 3 - Republican recall candidates debate
- Aug. 16 - First day to vote by mail
- August 30 - Last day to register to vote
- Sept. 14 - Recall election day
California Recall Fast Facts
On July 17, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber released a list of the 41 candidates who qualified to run in the recall election. About 70 candidates initially filed a statement of intent to run with the secretary of state, according to Ballotpedia.
On July 21, Weber signed off on the finalized list of candidates who'll appear on the recall ballot. The number grew to 46 after a judge ruled that candidates should not be required to submit tax forms for a recall election.
The final day for candidates to file paperwork to run in the recall election was July 16.
The final report from the Secretary of State's office, released on June 23, validated 1,719,943 signatures on the recall petition. The recall effort needed 1,495,709 verified signatures to trigger a recall election. Approximately 441,406 signatures were invalidated.
Only 43 people of the more than 1.7 million Californians who signed the recall petition chose to remove their name from the list.
On July 1, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis finalized the cost of the election at $276 million.
More information on the recall election
Read more ABC10 stories about the recall:
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