Since the Secretary of State’s last report (March 11, 2021), 1,188,073 signatures for the Gavin Newsom Recall petition effort have been verified by the office. That was over a month ago, and with only 1,459,709 verified signatures required to trigger a Recall election, and a validation rate of over 80 percent, it looks like that number will be reached, if it has not been already.

Officials are expected to have the final tally by the end of April.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s critics almost certainly have qualified a recall election for the ballot, a remarkable feat in the heavily Democratic state.​ https://t.co/QUQOapzm4j

— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) April 20, 2021

Newsom and his cronies have tried and failed to paint the Recall effort as a Republican, white supremacist coup. This effort was roundly mocked, and deservedly so. Newsom’s bush league of Democrat operatives are still on a tear, attacking any powerful Recall supporter, like Assemblyman Kevin Kiley.

This is also not going as planned.

So you’ve signaled @KevinKileyCA as a threat.

This account, assuming mostly an extension of the Dem State of CA, HAS TO have better ways of dealing with a recall, such as learning about and being empathetic towards your constituents’ grievances!

— Adam (@BuzzBirth) April 21, 2021

POLITICAL HIT. MUST DESTROY ANYONE WHO DOESN'T GO ALONG. Don't let the fact stop you.

— MandyRR (@rr_mandy) April 21, 2021

Can you say, “Tone Deaf”, boys and girls?

Then, the California Legislature, through State Senator Josh Newman, made an effort to intervene by pushing through SB 663, which would allow the target of a recall to obtain the list of voters who signed, in order to convince them to withdraw their signatures.

Newman and the bill sponsors claimed it would not affect the Newsom Recall, but everyone saw through this naked power play by a bitter political hack who had previously been recalled (and should have never been elected again).

No one was fooled, and the outcry, not only from the leads and organizers of the Recall Newsom campaign, but from California constituents who are sick of an elite party that makes end-runs around the will of the people, was fierce.

Stop the DOX! SB 663, the public DOXing of private citizens who sign recall petitions! Protect our privacy!!!

Legal battles ahead!

Help fund the fight at https://t.co/NIvSSmEKVP pic.twitter.com/kb3P9RBYFQ

— #recallgavin2020.com (@recallgavin2020) April 18, 2021

This is so wrong. Nasty, dirty, vindictive politics… Can they get much worse or dirtier than this?

— Beachcomber (@KatyRemington1) April 15, 2021

The outrage over the moving goalposts was heard loud and clear. Lo and behold, Newman decided to withdraw the bill, claiming privacy concerns.

Good news. Sen. Josh Newman has withdrawn his bill, SB 663, for now. It would allow the target of a recall to get the list of voters who signed the recall petitions and urge them to withdraw their signatures. It was the subject of this column on Sunday: https://t.co/jrXS4XNZf9

— Susan Shelley (@Susan_Shelley) April 20, 2021

While it's true the bill would *not* have applied to the Newsom recall, it nonetheless gave Newsom recall supporters a talking point with which they could criticize both the governor and legislative Democrats in one fell swoop. Newman says he'll bring the idea back later.

— John Myers (@johnmyers) April 21, 2021

Sacramento and the legacy media, who have been running point for Newsom since the Recall efforts began, are making peace with inevitability. It was indeed a huge effort, and there still needs to be the official announcement that the Recall is over the finish line. Either way, the hard work of finding a candidate who will not be more of the same, or who will not make things worse—if that is even possible—is underway.

To run in a recall election for governor, a candidate has to pay $4,200 to officially register. Not a very high bar, which is why you get the mixed bag of serious contenders, publicity seekers, and gadflies.

The declared candidates: Angelyne, a model who rose to prominence in the 1980s after she was featured in a series of billboards around Los Angeles. She is sometimes sighted zipping down the 101 freeway in her Pepto Bismol-colored Pontiac Firebird. Then there is porn star Mary Carey. Carey ran in 2003 for the Gray Davis Recall, and according to Fox News, she already has a website where she is hawking merchandise related to this gubernatorial bid. Carey is running on the tag line: “Finally a politician you want to be screwed by!!!”

Real catchy.

Former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya, who poured money into the Recall effort, has said he will run and has a campaign website up. One of Chamath’s platform positions is a guaranteed $70,000 a year teacher’s salary. With the anger toward the California Teacher’s Union and teachers’ refusal to return to the classroom, I’m pretty sure that will go over like a lead balloon; along with his candidacy.

Then there is failed Democrat Presidential candidate, billionaire Tom Steyer. Steyer spent over 100 million for television ads during the presidential campaign, only to come in third place in South Carolina, which is when he chose to end his run. So, obviously, he has more money than common sense.

It has also been rumored that former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is contemplating another run for the governor’s chair, though no reports have officially confirmed this. Villaraigosa is sporting a new look that is less “Rico Suave”, and more “Dos Equis’ most interesting man”.

Check out Tony Villar's new hairdo
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Receives the COVID-19 Vaccine https://t.co/u3A8LRtFLX via @YouTube

— John and Ken (@johnandkenshow) April 16, 2021

Could this be a sign? Time will tell.

On the GOP side, there are a lot of “formers” who amount to not much in terms of policy, presence, or excitement. Former Olympic athlete and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner reportedly is considering a run. Two weeks later, she is still mulling over the decision. From the anemic reaction she has received since her announcement, I am betting it will be a pass.

It’s a no from us, Cait. pic.twitter.com/RhTuaOOAba

— Equality California (@eqca) April 14, 2021

Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who is as exciting as warm milk, is also running. He is despised by real conservatives who saw him give away the formerly Republican stronghold of San Diego to the progressives, and he’s despised by the progressives because he supported Donald Trump.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Yes! We want a further left party!

— Thermo DynaMick (@LftRevRockstar) April 14, 2021

Then there is businessman John Cox, who lost to Newsom in 2018. Enough said.

Finally, you have former U.S. Representative Doug Ose, who I had to look up to even know who he is. I suspect that will be what the majority of California voters do as well, if they look him up at all.

Where is Ric Grenell?