Orange County voters weigh recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom

More than 1.8 million ballots were mailed out to Orange County voters Monday for the statewide recall election against California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Election day is Sept. 14, but voters can drop their ballots in any of dozens of drop boxes at any time. There will also be a number of vote centers that open as the election gets closer, where people can hand in their ballots in person.

Coastal cities vote centers opening on Sept. 4, among 64 throughout the county, include the Huntington Beach Central Library, Murdy Community Center, Costa Mesa Senior Center, Fountain Valley Recreation Center and Newport Beach Civic Center.

Voting centers at the Edison Community Center, Golden West College, the Fountain Valley Recreation Center, Coastline College and the Laguna Beach Community Center will all be open as of Sept. 11.

Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley said he expects a good turnout, though possibly not the kind of turnout the county saw in 2003, when Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, was recalled and Republican actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected to replace him.

“In Orange County back then we had almost 62% turnout for a recall, and that’s unheard of,” he said. “That was very high. I think we may say in the high 30s or 40s in terms of turnout [this year], but it’s hard to predict. We don’t know what may happen between now and Election Day.”

Polls show the recall election tightening up in recent weeks. Newsom was elected in a landslide in 2018 but has faced criticism from state Republicans about the way he handled the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues.

Voters are asked to answer two questions on the ballot: should Newsom be recalled, and which candidate should succeed Newsom if he is recalled? According to a poll from SurveyUSA released Aug. 4, YouTube influencer Kevin Paffrath leads among recall candidates, followed by talk radio host and attorney Larry Elder. Paffrath is a Democrat like Newsom, while Elder is a Republican.

Gavin Newsom addresses his supporters after winning the race for Governor of California at Exchange LA in downtown Los Angeles in 2018.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

State Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) represents District 37, including Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach has kept an eye on the recall effort.

“The consensus among everyone I’ve talked to, Republicans and Democrats, is that it all depends on turnout,” Min said. “If there is a low turnout, then there is a good chance that the governor is recalled. If there is a high turnout, or medium-to-high turnout, the governor will win.”

In October 2020, 46.1% of the state’s more than 22 million registered voters were Democrats. There were 24.2% registered Republicans, and 24% who listed no party preference.

According to information from the O.C. Registrar’s office, Newport Beach is the local city that skews most Republican. It has 28,486 registered Republicans and 15,751 registered Democrats.

Huntington Beach has 53,343 registered Republicans and 41,674 registered Democrats. Fountain Valley is also majority Republican, with 14,590 registered to that party and 11,952 registered Democrats.

Costa Mesa, however, has 22,883 registered Democrats and 19,630 registered Republicans. And Laguna Beach has 7,892 Democrats and 5,205 Republicans.

Min said he sees the recall as partisan politics, and “a total abuse of the recall process.”

“I don’t think recalls should just be there to relitigate elections that you’ve lost,” he said. “That’s why we have elections in the first place. In the case of the governor, he’s about to go up for reelection next year. The recall here just seems to be an attempt to try to play politics with a device that unfortunately is ripe for abuse. I have not heard a compelling justification for why the governor should be recalled, other than people disagree with some of his decisions.”

Other local leaders would disagree. Rep. Michelle Steel, a Republican, represents California’s 48th district which includes Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.

Steel, a former Orange County Supervisor, said in an emailed statement that Newsom has pushed “an agenda of reckless spending and high taxes that is crushing California families.”

“His handling of the coronavirus is an epic disaster, permanently damaging our small businesses, 50% of which won’t be reopening and hurting our children’s future by needlessly keeping schools closed for more than a year,” Steel said. “Despite all this and people fleeing the state in droves, the governor continues doubling down on his far-left, high tax policies. It’s time voters hold him responsible and elect a governor who will focus on lowering the tax burden on our hardworking families.”

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