Recall threat looms in CA as Gov. Newsom's ratings plummet

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's ratings have slipped below the 50 percent mark on Tuesday, down to 46 percent from a previous high of 64 percent over public disapproval of his poor handling of the pandemic.

A poll conducted by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed clearly the declining public opinion of Newsom. His inability to deal with the pandemic acceptably was cited as the number one reason for the drop.

According to Fox News, specific issues singled out in the survey are things like vaccine distribution, and confusing and inconsistent rules for the state's famously strict stay-at-home orders.

An eye-popping 1.4 million plus Californians want to do more than just express their disapproval of their governor. They have put their names on a petition to having him recalled.

This leaves the recall effort at roughly 98 or 99 percent of their 1,495,709 signature goal, with several weeks to go to obtain them (the deadline is March 17). If this happens, a special election will be called where Newsom could conceivably be thrown out before the end of his term.

"These results should provide a strong warning to the governor. If the recall election does go forward, the state’s response to the pandemic needs to be seen as more successful for the Governor than it is now for him to be confident of the election outcome," commented Eric Schickler, one of the poll's co-directors.