The recall election is an attack on the democratic process

"put in place by people of privilege..." I assume that means people who dine at the French Laundry.

So, Mr. Pollack, let me get this straight. The recall process is spelled out in the CA constitution, yet you feel it’s problematic? Then change the CA constitution. Don’t regurgitate the same hackneyed lies spewed out by the Democrat party that this recall has nothing to do with King Newsom’s performance. As for the recall process being made to protect people from criminals. I believe King Newsom is the criminal and the one protecting criminals. To wit, tremendous increases in crime, especially violent crime across CA. The release of thousands of inmates into the CA wild. Gas taxes and prices rising – seemingly every week – highway robbery. Imposing mask mandates while Newsom and other Democrats ignore these same mandates. Giving away $31billion dollars in EDD funds to criminals. Continuing to fund the train-to-nowhere boondoggle. Keeping public schools closed while his kid goes to an open private school. Idiotic water and electricity policies turning CA into a third-world state. Need I go on?

There’s no law saying voters must vote, so as far as anyone is concerned, if there’s only one vote, it’s a majority, and it counts. As for preserving the voice of the people, I believe the people have spoken. A recall vote. Seems to me, the people bellyaching about the recall process are the sore losers. Why are you afraid of a recall? Vote YES on the recall. BTW, for those voting for SMC assessor-county clerk-recorder and chief elections officer in the June 2022 election, you have a pretty good idea of where this candidate stands. Think about your stances on conspiracy theories, voter integrity, and free and fair elections and make the right choice.

He would be the last guy to vote for as an election officer. The nerve to question decisions made by his ilk in Sacramento are beyond belief. Where was he when we questioned the fairness of the last general election? Elections are only fair in his book when he likes the outcome. Do not vote for this biased amateur.

Mr. Pollack - WOW! Hard to comprehend, but some good will come from your post.........

(1) You lost my vote! and are helping Newsom's recall!

(2) We will save your post and circulate it before the 2022 election so that people are alerted to an example of uninformed "useful idiots" that are slipping through the cracks of the election process. And adding to the demise of our Republic.

Regarding your statement ...."The recall election has absolutely nothing to do with any issues of the governor’s performance and everything to do with the nationwide extremist power grab working to undermine confidence in the election process.".... Newsom's performance IS THE REASON for recall.

Hello, David

Thanks for submitting your op-ed piece. While I don’t agree with your perspective, it’s important that we share our ideas with each other. I’d like to share mine...

You pointed out that only 12% of voters from the prior election are required to move a recall petition forward. However, the petitioners went beyond that percentage and recorded over two million signatures. If 12% is too low, what percentage should be required for a recall? It seems like the current 8% threshold to get an initiative on the ballot to change the state Constitution would work to the benefit of persons (like yourself) who want to change the recall procedure. However, if you believe 12% is too low, how do you feel about only 8% needed to change our state’s Constitution?

You make a point of saying it would be “undemocratic in the extreme” if a slim majority voted to recall Governor Newsom. How? I don’t know what will happen on September 14, but every person eligible to vote on the recall measure has the legal right to mail in a ballot, drop off their ballot or vote in person… or they can stay home. Can you explain what is “undemocratic” about giving every person who can vote the personal choice to either cast a ballot or decline to do so? Regardless of the outcome of the recall vote, the balloting which will decide the outcome is a democratic process.

You also opined that you want the “state’s governor elected by and held accountable by a majority of voters, not a random person who cannot even get the full support of any of the major political parties.” Two points to make here… first, most Californians are unaware that the person elected to the office of governor in our state was successful 14 times without achieving a majority of the votes cast… 14 times. They enjoyed a plurality but not a majority. (BTW… the same thing has happened 13 times in presidential elections over the years.)

Secondly, your assumption… “The recall election has absolutely nothing to do with any issues of the governor’s performance and everything to do with the nationwide extremist power grab working to undermine confidence in the election process,” is just false. The recall is about leadership. Governor Newsom, in my view, is a likeable person, but he has not provided the leadership needed to tackle California’s problems. The litany of failures was highlighted in another reader’s posting. I don’t hold our governor’s personal COVID gaffes against him. They might have been poor judgment, but everyone makes mistakes. I do find our governor’s claims that his COVID policies would be based on transparency and science as he withheld COVID data from the public to be a serious breach of trust… that’s very poor leadership.

OK... maybe three points... You object to the election of someone "who cannot even get the full support of any of the major political parties." Does a candidate for statewide office or any office have to be aligned with a political party? I switched my political affiliation from the Democratic Party to NPP almost 20 years ago (in those days it was called "Declined to State") and the number of NPPers in California has grown dramatically over the years since I switched. Would an NPPer be a less worthy candidate simply because he or she would not have the "full support of any of the major political parties"? And which recall candidate, who has declared him or herself to be a Democrat, has the Democratic Party endorsed?

Next, how exactly does your list of DNC/MSM talking points fit into a discussion of our state’s recall? How are you connecting the events of January 6, changes to election procedures in southern states, legal challenges to last November’s election results, etc. to September 14? Where is the nexus between an ultraconservative agenda… somewhere out there… and the ousting of a governor in a state with a 2 to 1 Democratic Party advantage over Republicans? More importantly… which Republican candidates, in your opinion, are connected to an extreme right-wing ideology?

Hiram Johnson… we’ll leave that topic for another day.

You make a good point that if a governor is recalled, maybe we should let the lieutenant governor finish out the recalled governor’s term. Maybe that can be added to a future statewide ballot as a Constitutional amendment.

You will vote against the recall. Someone voting against the recall because they believe Governor Newsom is doing a good job is OK. Voting against the recall and claiming that the recall is undemocratic purely because it has been initiated by folks who have a different point of view is not OK. David, I’m wondering what your op-ed piece would look like if a Republican governor was the object of a recall petition.

Circling back… you said, “The recall process was made to protect the people from criminals.” What makes the recall petitioners and voters who support the recall criminals? Lastly… you appear to decry the current recall effort by saying recalls were not created for a “group of vocal minorities to manipulate the process.” In other words, you are saying someone’s voice only counts if they are part of the majority. If that’s the case, how could anyone in the minority stand up to the tyranny of the majority?