Election Day is less than a month away. While California is an environmental state, California is in danger of replacing Governor Gavin Newsom with a climate delayer at best or an extremist denier at worst.
How? Because there is low public awareness that the recall election is even happening on Tuesday, September 14. According to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, likely voters in the recall election are almost evenly split between keeping or recalling Governor Newsom.
The good news is you don’t need to wait until Election Day to vote NO on Recall. Ballots are being mailed to registered voters across the state ahead of the election. In fact, you might have already received yours and can vote TODAY.
We know from the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that policymakers must act fast to reduce carbon emissions and avoid the worst-case climate scenarios. With worsening wildfire seasons, heavy drought, and pollution burdening our communities, California can’t afford to go backwards.
What’s at stake?
The office of California governor has a wide range of tools at their disposal for climate action.
If Governor Newsom is recalled, his replacement will have the ability to roll back the Governor’s executive orders and actions, which include the historic fracking ban and the state’s clean energy transition. Any of the candidates would prevent any significant climate legislation from passing through the rest of their term. The threat to veto would essentially gut California’s legislature the ability to make any meaningful climate progress.
The governor also has the power to make appointments to environmental agencies, boards, and commissions, including the CA Air Resources Board & CA Public Utilities Commission. The state has passed a lot of climate goals to get the ball rolling, but California can’t achieve them unless regulatory groups can work together to execute them. Appointments made by any of the recall candidates would oppose critical policies and put a stop to their implementation.
On the federal level, the governor along with California’s regulatory boards have played a key role in defending environmental protections. Governor Newsom and his administration fought back against the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks. Now, he is working with the Biden Administration to lay the foundation for more climate action in California. A climate denier in the Governor’s office would actively undo our state’s climate leadership.
We have the opportunity to keep California moving in the right direction. The recall election is on Tuesday, September 14, so here’s what you need to know:
- All registered voters should have already received a ballot in the mail. Make sure your address is updated and that you’re registered to vote here.
- NOTE: If you live in Assembly District 18 (Oakland/Alameda,) there is a Special Election on Tuesday, August 31 to fill the Assemblymember vacancy on a different ballot. This means you should have received TWO ballots in the mail, so make sure you return your ballots for both this special election and the recall.
- On the ballot, Question 1 will ask you whether Gavin Newsom should be recalled and Question 2 will ask you to vote for a replacement. Vote NO on Q1 and return your ballot as soon as possible with Q2 blank.
- Once you fill out your ballot, you can drop it off in the mail, an official mail ballot drop box, or at a vote center. Your ballot must be returned or postmarked by Election Day, September 14.
- Voting in-person is available for the recall. On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. Click here to find a local vote center or to check if your county offers early in-person voting.
- You can register to vote all the way through Election Day. California offers same-day registration, so all eligible voters can vote with a provisional ballot on Election Day at a vote center if they’re not already registered.
At the end of the day, the office of California governor can affect climate action in many ways across the state, country, and world. We can’t backwards, and we won’t go backwards. So make a plan to vote, and make sure you and your loved ones vote NO on recall!
