To the editor: When Maggie Assaele looked at the photo of herself in the Dec. 20 L.A. Times, unmasked and holding a “Recall Newsom” sign, I hope she read Gustavo Arrellano’s column on the same page about pancreatic cancer patient Kim Folsom’s tragic death while looking for emergency medical care at hospitals with no beds available, as well as the pain and anger of her surviving husband, Billy.
To borrow Billy’s term, she and the pictured restaurant customers defying the restrictions on outdoor dining should stop being “maskholes” and start examining their own selfish actions. I am livid at GOP opportunists using these dark days to attempt a recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
SACRAMENTO
Among the many catchphrases coined by Gov. Gavin Newsom during his livestreamed briefings about California’s COVID-19 emergency is his promise to point out “trend lines before they become headlines” a reminder that warning signs often appear long before things reach a crisis point.
It’s an observation that could also apply to Newsom’s political fortunes. As he slogs through an unparalleled crisis, the 53-year-old Democrat finds himself staring at the most unexpected of trend lines: the very real chance of a special statewide election in 2021 in which voters could remove him from office.
Only once has a California governor faced a recall: the 2003 election that cut short the tenure of Gov. Gray Davis. By most measures, the current circumstances make for an ill-fitting comparison whereas Davis had narrowly won reelection the year before and was widely unpopular, Newsom won the governorship in 2018 by the largest margin in modern history and has maintain