SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who said publicly in November he is considering a run for California Governor, said he signed a petition to recall Governor Gavin Newsom Saturday.
In a Facebook post, Faulconer also encouraged others to sign. “Every Californian fed up with the governor's hypocrisy and failures should sign the recall petition. Either through a recall or a regular election, it’s time to start holding the governor accountable,” Faulconer said.
The effort to recall Newsom has received 911,000 signatures, according to organizers. The number of valid signatures from California registered voters needed to qualify for the ballot is 1,495,709 by mid-March.
In the Facebook post, the former mayor said he signed the petition because “Jobs are leaving, homelessness is skyrocketing, and the state can’t even do the basics like issue unemployment checks to people who at this very moment are struggling to get by.”
It’s a new year. We need a new governor. I’m signing the petition to recall Gavin Newsom. Jobs are leaving,...
Posted by Kevin Faulconer on Saturday, January 2, 2021
In November, Faulconer, a Republican, told the Los Angeles Times he was considering a run for governor.
Faulconer’s term as mayor ended in late 2020. He was replaced by Democrat Todd Gloria. Gloria, who was sworn-in Dec. 10, did not immediately comment on Faulconer joining the recall movement.
Dan Newman, who represents Newsom in political matters, responded to Faulconer's comment with the following statement: "The Trump train doesn't want to leave the station, but Kevin Faulconer is all aboard," he said. "Faulconer proudly voted for Trump, and now they both refuse to accept the will of the voters -- because they know they can't win elections without changing the rules. So after bungling a local pandemic and homeless crisis, Faulconer is joining other Trump supporters who want taxpayers to waste $100 million on a special election redo, mere months before a regularly scheduled election."
Several previous attempts to recall the governor faded, but the current effort has been gaining momentum with more Californians upset over health orders that have closed school campuses and businesses.
