Governor Newsom revokes election costing California taxpayers $200 million

SACRAMENTO – Last year’s election over whether to revoke California Governor Gavin Newsom cost taxpayers just over $200 million, or about 28% less than state officials’ budgets.

The State Legislature spent just over $278 million for the September 14 election. Of that, $35 million went to the Secretary of State’s office, while the rest – about $243 million – divided among 58 counties of the state.

However, counties spent $174 million to conduct the election, leaving $69.5 million left, according to a letter released Thursday by the secretary of state’s office. Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister’s office spent $26.1 million, leaving $8.8 million left. It’s possible those costs could add up as the office is still processing the expenses.

The election came after more than 1.7 million voters signed a petition demanding Newsom’s removal from office, fueled by anger over his handling of the pandemic and other policies. But on Election Day, nearly 62% of the 12.8 million people voted for Newsom, a Democrat, to stay in office.

Even though recovery is on the budget, it’s still a huge unexpected expense for taxpayers. Some Democrats have said they want to change the process to make it more difficult for future recall elections.

“This is a significant cost to taxpayers and a significant disruption to the governance of the state,” Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a press release. “This price list affirms the need to review the recall process and pursue effective reforms.”