![Democrats could change 'weaponized' California recall system](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/yTEw3tAczEZHo-isNmNUHOuA3Cg=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LANWGJMR6BC6FIBBLS2W7ZL2OU.jpg)
Democrats could change 'weaponized' California recall system
Hours after California Gov. Gavin Newsom beat back a recall election that could have removed him, his fellow Democrats in the state Legislature said they will seek changes to make it more difficult to challenge a sitting governor.
![California's recall ballot is set, but GOP strategy isn't](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/lOtSzcAdK9BhMYi2gRITXVRWPMk=/800x613/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/BFYPUGEBUNAWHKURTIFPEZOYOE.jpg)
California's recall ballot is set, but GOP strategy isn't
California's recall ballot is finally set, but the state Republican party is still determining its best strategy for winning back the governor's office in one of the nation's most Democratic states.
![Former California cop leads GOP dream of Newsom recall](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/eilFZavgH4RTE1CHevoYN6SL41c=/1600x1201/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LLR5VH2EGFHNPGQRFAUQSSJSI4.jpg)
Former California cop leads GOP dream of Newsom recall
The man behind the effort to remove California Gov. Gavin Newsom from office is a retired county sheriff's sergeant who grew frustrated in 2019 with the governor's policies.
![EXPLAINER: Why is California Gov. Newsom facing a recall?](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/bSaGxVEz-fTyM9qpzDnF-uv1qi8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/Z5RYSP4VMZGTDKGTGAPX4ACC64.jpg)
EXPLAINER: Why is California Gov. Newsom facing a recall?
Newsom is facing the possibility that he could be removed by voters in a recall election later this year, in the midst of his four-year term. Gavin Newsom is facing the possibility that he could be removed by voters in a recall election in the midst of his four-year term. Hereโs how it works:WHAT IS A RECALL ELECTION? Unpopular Democratic Gov. The second question would be a list of replacement candidates to choose from, if voters recall the governor.
![Former GOP Rep. Doug Ose enters California recall election](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/zaBh5c4VaxyYIxIqAscqdGDTSi8=/1600x1407/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/T34PH2XX4NHVDJKQD7Q3DJSE2E.jpg)
Former GOP Rep. Doug Ose enters California recall election
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2014, file photo Republican Doug Ose speaks during a debate in Sacramento, Calif. Ose says he's entering the recall election aimed at ousting Democratic Gov. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)LOS ANGELES โ Former Republican congressman Doug Ose announced Tuesday heโs entering the recall election aimed at ousting California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a day after the Democratic governor began raising money to defend his seat in a likely election this year. There were 135 on the ballot in the state's 2003 recall election that removed former Democratic Gov. So far, no prominent Democrat has entered the recall election.
![EXPLAINER: How can California voters recall Gov. Newsom?](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/BM7idkNzXE6_-96waqiOq-sKsVQ=/1600x1252/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/SJZMFQNHO5AS3FATVNAZFLXJN4.jpg)
EXPLAINER: How can California voters recall Gov. Newsom?
It comes about a year after his first coronavirus stay-at-home order and as he faces a potential recall election. Gavin Newsom is facing the possibility that he could be removed by voters in a recall election in the middle of his four-year term. Unpopular Democratic Gov. WHY IS THERE A RECALL DRIVE AGAINST DEMOCRATIC GOV. The second question would be a list of replacement candidates to choose from, if voters recall the governor.
![GOP infighting in post-Trump era threatens California recall](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/d1FDrcN_MjB19kU3WvTsbY-jmzw=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/GQ5IMSN6BVD6JOZPTH6S76LKA4.jpg)
GOP infighting in post-Trump era threatens California recall
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)LOS ANGELES โ California Republicans eager to recall Democratic Gov. The head of the state Republican Party, Jessica Millan Patterson, is being challenged at a GOP convention this weekend by longtime conservative activist Steve Frank, who says the state party is attempting to silence conservative voices. AdโThis is Californiaโs version of the national battle for the soul and the future of the Republican Party,โ said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. But โjust when the Republican Party in California is showing signs of life, itโs deciding to cannibalize itself,โ Kousser added. For long-suffering California Republicans, party infighting could divide their ranks and make it more challenging to oust Newsom.
![Hustler founder and First Amendment battler Larry Flynt dies](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/rm30PAzzhVmI5Iyit_70mtpVJeY=/1600x1366/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6FXFGO3WNBANFIG7HK4DPBGZ3U.jpg)
Hustler founder and First Amendment battler Larry Flynt dies
FILE - "Hustler" Magazine publisher Larry Flynt signs a copy of "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" in his downtown Cincinnati "Hustler" store on April 30, 1998. Flynt, who turned "Hustler" magazine into an adult entertainment empire while championing First Amendment rights, has died at age 78. His nephew, Jimmy Flynt Jr., told The Associated Press that Flynt died Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, of heart failure at his Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles. In an effort to drum up business, he published a newsletter that became Hustler magazine. He and his fourth wife, Althea, moved to Los Angeles and spent most of their time behind their mansionโs 5,000-pound steel door.
![Political storms swirl around California's Newsom amid virus](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/qL8fMwL3kGvsVTHrBi9-PGNIkh8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/R4QUOOSZRJHPNBJ5IF4357AJCI.jpg)
Political storms swirl around California's Newsom amid virus
Gavin Newsom has gone from a governor in command to one lurching from one political crisis to the next. Some Democrats are now starting to whisper about the need for a backup plan should voters decide the first-term governor needs to go. Newsom last week called the idea that he's making decisions based on politics โnonsense," but he's otherwise sidestepped commenting on the recall. Gray Davis, for lessons as they debate whether its worth standing behind Newsom or finding an alternative. Dan Newman, Newsom's political strategist, said he's not worried about the party turning on Newsom and that facing the ire of voters is part of the job.
![California Democrats see backlash after recall 'coup' claims](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/3JyHFSpl1vWs3UXmlxrRLUzVizc=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/OEEKJJOWK5A6PJUZVSXT6EDVTQ.jpg)
California Democrats see backlash after recall 'coup' claims
State Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks led a group of Democratic officials who described the effort to remove Newsom as a coup and claimed, without evidence, that those involved were far-right extremists. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool, File)LOS ANGELES โ California Republicans on Wednesday seized on a bungled Democratic attempt to link the proposed recall of Gov. The criticism came as the Republican Party of Orange County launched a new round of fundraising appeals for the recall, saying Democrats were attempting to enflame political tensions at a time of national strife. โLinking a legal and constitutionally appropriate (California) recall attempt to the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and ongoing coup attempt is worse than a bad PR call. Unlike a coup, typically a violent and illegal attempt to seize power, recall elections are authorized under state law.
![California governor taps new senior staff amid tough stretch](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/6vTLqzF19tn9yQaL8BSVjSsDMqs=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/5O5DXELAGVC25EXTHJKYOWBARY.jpg)
California governor taps new senior staff amid tough stretch
Myers, a former press secretary to President Bill Clinton, became a senior adviser to California Gov. She joins Jim DeBoo, a California consultant well-versed in the quirks of the state capital and statewide political campaigns, as a senior adviser to the governor. Beyond Myers, Newsom's new additions include DeBoo as senior adviser, making official on Jan. 1 a role he has informally held. Observers say adding him to Newsom's staff signals a desire for sharper political thinking and better connections with the state Legislature, but it could raise questions about special interests' access to the governor. Angie Wei, a Newsom adviser and former chief of staff for the California Labor Federation, is his new legislative affairs secretary.
![California governor demands probe of power blackouts](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/M24CVL5M4fH_ZF3bzXMMxXvX_gw=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LJRQXG37OFEY3H7NLMPMY3IBYU.jpg)
California governor demands probe of power blackouts
The governor warned that customers could again lose power as early as 3 p.m. Monday as spiking temperatures strain the state's power grid. The situation we are in could have been avoided.The state Public Utilities Commission did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The ISO instituted a second, but shorter, rolling outage Saturday evening that cut power to more than 200,000 customers. The last time a California governor faced power outages, he was successfully recalled. California also still faces the threat of power outages to prevent wildfires.
![Joe Biden nears final decision on running mate](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/LNRANhf12uOGW_z68hGl2wVmid8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/7QQ27EDR7FE5PL6ZIVHGTXUQEA.jpg)
Joe Biden nears final decision on running mate
WASHINGTON As Joe Biden nears the announcement of his vice presidential choice, the top contenders and their advocates are making final appeals. That's one week before Democrats will hold their convention to officially nominate Biden as their presidential nominee. As Biden prepares to make his choice, a committee established to vet running mates has provided him with briefing materials. He has pledged to select a woman and is facing calls to choose the first Black woman to compete on a presidential ticket. Too much is at stake for our community and we believe having a Black woman vice presidential candidate is the clearest path to the victory in November that our country needs to move forward, said Rev.
![Joe Biden's search for a running mate enters final stretch](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/u5Ni7KQrtm2kqNTRCc7gA0OpDNI=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TYDQTTXPVZHG3ATFVDZV7TSEJA.jpg)
Joe Biden's search for a running mate enters final stretch
WASHINGTON As Joe Biden nears the announcement of his vice presidential choice, the top contenders and their advocates are making final appeals. Bill Richardson, who was vetted for vice president in 2008. The selection amounts to the most significant choice Biden has confronted in his nearly five-decade political career. On Friday night, Biden held a virtual fundraiser with Elizabeth Warren, who has also been considered as a running mate. The two talked for nearly an hour but did not mention the vice presidential selection process.