Will Gov. Gavin Newsom be recalled?

Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. Newsom is now facing a recall effort that requires 1.5 million signatures by mid-March. Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0).

More than a third of California voters say they would vote to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, according to a new poll from UC Berkeley. His job approval is now below 50%, compared to above 80% in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The slump is driven by his handling of the state’s recent COVID-19 surge, poorly explained sudden policy shifts on reopening, a slow vaccine rollout, that dinner at the French Laundry, and the fact that millions of Californians are suffering economically while the state apparently paid billions of dollars in unemployment benefits to scammers.

Republicans pushing to recall Newsom will need to get around 1.5 million signatures by mid-March to make it happen.