SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KRON) - Organizers working to recall Governor Gavin Newsom say they're confident they'll get enough signatures for the issue to be left up to voters this year.
The effort is gaining signatures and money with more than a month left before its deadline.
Organizers say they've amassed more than 1.3 million signatures on petitions for a recall, the Secretary of State says the group has until mid-March to collect about 1.5 million certified signatures for the issue to head to voters.
"I absolutely think it's going to happen,” Anne Dunsmore said.
Anne Dunsmore is the campaign manager and finance director for Rescue California, a group helping with the signature-gathering effort.
She says recently issues with California’s Employment Development Department and vaccine distribution have fueled the effort.
"All of these things are putting us at the top of lists we don't want to be at the top of," Dunsmore said.
Dunsmore says the group has raised about $2-million from a variety of donors, including a recent $100,000 contribution from Chamath Palihapitiya -- A billionaire venture capitalist who was once a Facebook executive and now CEO of social capital and chairman at Virgin Galactic.
He recently announced his intent to run for California governor on Twitter.
"I think Chamath running now creates a situation where a lot of other Democrats might start consider running, and I know a few who are, and they don't have to worry about retribution because there's going to be enough of them,” Dunsmore said.
Other candidates financially backing the effort and running for governor if Newsom is recalled include Republican John Cox, who lost to Newsom in 2018 and Kevin Faulconer, the former mayor of San Diego who launched an exploratory committee for a gubernatorial run.
Dunsmore says recent donors don't seem to have a party preference.
"They don't care, Republican or Democrat, it's outcome. Are we going to get rid of this guy before he signs any more bills in October and we hope so,” Dunsmore said.
Meanwhile, Governor Newsom did not have his usual Monday COVID-19 update.
The governor has said in recent weeks he is not focused on the recall effort, but on fighting COVID-19 and vaccine distribution.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/2YyEoPR
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