Editorial: Give voters a chance to fix California's recall system (via latimesopinion)
. Again they considered raising the number of signatures needed to qualify a recall for the ballot, limiting when recalls can occur and assigning the lieutenant governor to take over if a governor is ousted.Unless state lawmakers act by the end of this month to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot — which now appears unlikely — California will remain stuck with the same ridiculous recall rules.
This system has led to bizarre and undemocratic outcomes in some recalls of state lawmakers. For instance, state Sen. Josh Newman was recalled in 2018 because only 42% of voters chose to keep him in office. But he was replaced by Ling Ling Chang , who topped a six-person field with support from even fewer voters — just 34%. In raw numbers
The replacement procedure would be the same as what happens when state officials resign or die: If a governor is recalled, the lieutenant governor would take over. If another statewide officer is recalled — such as the superintendent of public instruction, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer or attorney general — the governor would appoint a replacement.