A recall attempt to knock California Gov. Gavin Newsom out of office is underway as he faces sharp criticism for his handling of the Los Angeles wildfires – with opponents labeling his leadership as a “series of catastrophic failures.”
Organizers against Newsom vowed to file papers in the next two weeks in hopes of jumpstarting the process that could lead to the Democrat’s ouster in the middle of his second term in the governor’s mansion.
The state leader – along with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass – is fighting for his political life as the wildfires have torched more than 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and killed at least 24 people.
“Under the reign of Governor Newsom, living in California has become impossible for average people through years of poor policies which have increased the costs of living, increased crime, increased drug use and homelessness, increased the cost of burden [sic] on small businesses and communities, while decreasing our professional standards, education standards, the disappearance of billions of taxpayers’ dollars to failed pet programs, and our public services,” one recall organizer, Randy Economy, said in a statement.
“This was most recently demonstrated by the woefully unprepared and incompetent response to the fires currently ravaging the Los Angeles area.”
He told Newsweek on Monday plans for a recall were in the works before the wildfires started, but the chaos has “shortened our time frame and changed things.”
A notice of intent needs to be filed first and then recall supporters must collect about 1.3 million signatures in five months, according to the outlet.
Economy, who led a recall against Newsom in 2021, started the organization “Saving California” in late 2024 which boasts of a mix of professionals, working families and community advocates.
“Governor Gavin Newsom’s governance has been marked by a series of catastrophic failures, particularly his mismanagement of the recent wildfires, which have led to unprecedented displacement and destruction,” Dr. Houman David Hemmati, another organizer, also argued.
“Wildfires are a common and well-known issue in California. The fact that Governor Newsom has not been able to come up with any plan or prep after six years as governor and eight years as lieutenant governor shows that he is completely unprepared and lacks the compassion and will to lead California any longer,” Hemmati added.
Newsom, 57, easily survived the 2021 recall vote in a state where Democrats hold a clear advantage in voter registration over Republicans.
A spokesperson for Newsom dismissed the latest attempt to throw the Dem out of office, insisting to Newsweek the governor is “100 percent focused on the fires, ongoing rescue efforts and the recovery process – not politics.”
“Readers still should have the context that the same group of far-right Trump acolytes have launched six different recall attempts against the governor since he’s taken office, each of which have failed spectacularly,” the spokesperson Nathan Click said in a statement.
“Even Republican Party leaders have criticized these repeated attempts as a brazen campaign finance ‘grift,’ and the recall organizers have been sued by their own donors for pocketing funds raised previously.”
Meanwhile, an online petition calling for Bass, who was in Ghana when the fire erupted last week, to be removed from office has grown to nearly 130,000 signatures.
“We . . . urgently call for the immediate recall of [Bass] due to her gross mismanagement and failure to effectively respond to the devastating 2025 fires in and around the city,” part of the petition reads.
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