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Newsom to face recall election after state verifies 1.7M signatures against governor

By KTVU staff
Published  June 23, 2021 7:21pm PDT
2021 Gavin Newsom Recall Election
KTVU FOX 2

Here's what's next in Newsom's recall effort

While the movement to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is moving along, it will still take several more months, and steps, to reach a final decision. KTVU Political Reporter Greg Lee has the details.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California’s effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is officially happening after the state verified more than 1.7 million signatures from supporters of the recall petition.

The California Secretary of State’s Office confirmed the move on Wednesday.

Only 43 people withdrew their names from the petition, but there were still more than enough signatures to meet the 1.5 million threshold. 

"A sufficient number of verified recall signatures had previously been reached by recall proponents in April," the Secretary of State’s office announced in a statement. "However, in accordance with California election law, voters were given a 30-day period from April 26 to June 8th to request county officials remove their signatures from recall petitions."

One of Newsom's Republican opponents, Kevin Faulconer, the former mayor of San Diego, called the governor "incompetent" and said Californians are ready for a change. 

"This movement - which is powered by Democrats, Republicans, and independents - is about rebuilding our economy, cleaning up our streets, and getting our kids back in school. I am proud to lead this recall so we can begin the ‘California Comeback’ for families across this state," Faulconer said in a statement.

The next phase of the recall process is now in the hands of the state’s Department of Finance, which is tasked with estimating the costs of a recall, including the costs of holding it as a special election or consolidating it with the next regularly scheduled election.