Gavin Newsom Recall Effort Reaches Enough Signatures to Qualify for Ballot

The California secretary of state said Monday that the effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom has garnered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The recall effort gathered 1,626,042 valid signatures, which exceeds the 1,495,709 signatures required; the number is expected to grow, since counties have until April 29 to confirm the validity of remaining signatures. After that, California residents have a 30-day period to withdraw their signatures; a recall election will then be held unless a sufficient number of signatures are withdrawn. Then, the Department of Finance will have 30 days to estimate the cost of the recall election, and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee will have 30 days after that to review the cost before the lieutenant governor sets a date for the recall election. The recall ballot requires more than 50% of voters to vote "yes" to remove Newsom; the replacement candidate with the most votes is elected governor. This comes after former Olympian and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner announced a run for governor should Newsom be recalled. Others in the running include businessman John Cox, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and former Rep. Doug Ose. The story received wide coverage from across the political spectrum. Coverage from the left tended to focus on the details of the recall process, while outlets on the right and center highlighted polls predicting the outcome of the recall effort.