Two important topics previously addressed by this column are the propensity of progressives to change elections rules in order to tighten their grip on political power and the question of whether Governor Gavin Newsom’s performance in office warrants his removal via recall.
As to the former, the last several legislative sessions are replete with examples of bills that seek to stack the deck in favor of progressives. Here are some of the highlights:
• Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, has proposed a constitutional amendment that would flip the meaning of a “yes” vote in a referendum in a confusing manner designed to make referenda more difficult for voters.
• Senate Constitutional Amendment 3 by state Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, would allow an officeholder subject to a recall election to also appear on the recall ballot as one of the replacements. This could result in the bizarre outcome of an elected official being recalled and reelected at the same time.
• An effort by state budget officials to fast-track cost estimates required by law. Progressives openly bragged about this manipulation. State Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Contra Costa, wrote in a public tweet: “Best opportunity to beat this reckless recall of @GavinNewsom is to have an early election. . . No reason to delay and give opposition any more running room.”
• A proposal that would give the target of a recall access to the names and addresses of everyone who signed the petition. Thankfully, this Orwellian proposal was too much even for the California Legislature and the bill was shelved.
• An unconstitutional proposal that would ban paid signature gathering, which would only favor the wealthy and entrenched interests.
As the above reveals, progressives have developed “changing the rules in the middle of the game” into an art form. But it appears they’re not done yet. No matter what the outcome of the recall election, the left will move quickly to curtail the power of recall.
To read the entire column, please click here.
