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Anthony Rendon recall, California State Assembly (2017-2018)
| California State Assembly recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2018 Recalls in California California recall laws State legislative recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Anthony Rendon, a member of the Democratic Party, from his elected position representing District 63 in the California State Assembly was launched in July 2017.[1] Proponents had until February 20, 2018, to collect the 22,963 valid signatures needed to trigger a recall election. Recall supporters announced they were ending the effort on February 9, 2018. They said they would instead focus on defeating Rendon in his 2018 Democratic primary election.[2]
The recall effort was launched by single-payer healthcare proponents after Rendon, who serves as speaker of the California State Assembly, blocked SB 562 — a bill that would have established a single-payer healthcare system in California. It passed the California State Senate on June 1, 2017.[3] Rendon announced on June 23, 2017, that SB 562 would be held in the state Assembly's rules committee until further notice.
From 1913 to 2017, 125 recalls were launched against state officials in California including 76 against state legislators. Eight made it the election phase and four legislators were recalled.[4]
Timeline
- February 20, 2018: Last day for recall proponents to submit signatures to county election offices.
- February 9, 2018: Recall supporters announce that they are ending their signature collecting effort.
- September 12, 2017: Recall proponents were authorized to begin collecting signatures.[5]
- July 31, 2017: Veronica Osuna and 59 others filed paperwork with the California Secretary of State to begin the recall process.[5]
- July 28, 2017: Rendon was given notice by recall proponents that a recall election against him was being pursued.[1]
- June 23, 2017: Rendon issues a statement saying SB 562 will be held in the California State Assembly's rules committee until further notice.
- June 1, 2017: The California State Senate passes SB 562, The Healthy California Act.
Background
Anthony Rendon (D) was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2012. In September 2015, he was elected as speaker of the Assembly in a unanimous vote by Assembly Democrats.
SB 562, The Healthy California Act, was introduced in the California State Senate on February 17, 2017, by Sens. Ricardo Lara (D) and Toni Atkins (D). SB 562's purpose was to establish a single-payer healthcare system in California, where the state would pay all medical expenses using tax revenue. Common elements in an insurer-based healthcare system, including premiums, copays, and deductibles, would have been eliminated. The measure's main supporter was the California Nurses Association (CNA), which, according to Policy Director Michael Lighty, did not help initiate the recall effort against Rendon.[1][6] The CNA endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.[7]
SB 562 passed the Senate's Health and Appropriations committees on April 26, 2017, and May 25, 2017, respectively. It passed the full chamber on June 1, 2017, in a 23-14 vote, with Democrat Steve Glazer joining all 13 Senate Republicans in opposition.[3]
According to the Los Angeles Times, some Democrats, including Gov. Jerry Brown (D), voiced concerns about SB 562 because it did not provide a funding mechanism to cover the $330 billion to $400 billion in state spending it would require.[6] Planned Parenthood of California and labor groups such as the Service Employees International Union expressed concerns with the legislation as well, including its financing and its interaction with healthcare programs offered by county governments.[8]
On June 23, 2017, Rendon issued a statement announcing that SB 562 would be held in the Assembly Rules Committee until further notice. In the statement, Rendon said that while he supports a single-payer system, he opposed SB 562 because it did not address issues related to funding, delivery of care, or cost controls. Moreover, he said it did not consider the role that the administration of President Donald Trump (R) would have to play for a single-payer system to be implemented. He also said that the bill could be brought back during the 2018 session if the state Senate addressed the issues he identified.[9]
Following Rendon's announcement, the CNA released a statement in opposition to his move on SB 562. The statement said that Rendon was acting in the interest of insurance companies and was disregarding the popular support for single-payer healthcare in California.[10] The CNA later sent out mailers in Rendon's district criticizing him for opposing the bill. On June 28, 2017, demonstrators aligned with the CNA went to the state capitol to protest against Rendon's decision.[11]
The recall effort was launched by proponents of single-payer healthcare. Stephen V. Elzie, a law professor at the University of Southern California, filed the notice of intent to recall that was sent to Rendon. According to Elzie's website, he is "a founding member and an organizer with the movement to recall California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, launched in response to Speaker Rendon’s decision to shelve SB 562, which would begin the process of establishing a single-payer healthcare system in the state."[12]
In response to the notice to recall, Rendon spokesman Bill Wong said, "Assemblymember Rendon trusts in the fair-minded voters of his district to see through the misleading and false allegations made by the recall's petitioner, who doesn't even live in Southeast Los Angeles."[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
The California Constitution gives citizens the right to recall state and local officials. To recall a state official, proponents must first file a notice of recall with the California Secretary of State. This notice must have the same number of signatures that are required to file to run for the office that is targeted in the recall. Proponents must also notify the official they seek to recall of their intent.
Once the filing has been completed, proponents have 160 days to circulate the recall petition and gather the necessary signatures to trigger an election. For state legislators, proponents must gather the number of signatures equal to 20 percent of the total votes cast in the last election for the office. County officials certify the number of signatures collected and submit the results to the secretary of state. If the number of signatures is sufficient, the secretary of state submits the results to the governor. The governor publishes a notice for a recall election within 60 to 80 days, provided that there are at least 180 days before the next regularly scheduled election in the jurisdiction. If there are less than 180 days before the next regularly scheduled election, the recall election will be consolidated with the scheduled election.[13]
Ballots in the recall election have two components. The first component asks whether or not the official should be recalled. If the answer is yes, voters complete a second component where they select from a list of replacement candidates. If a majority of voters agree to recall the official, then the replacement candidate with the most votes wins the office.
See also
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- Political recall efforts, 2018
- State legislative recalls
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Los Angeles Times, "Single-payer healthcare supporters take first step to launch recall against California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon," July 28, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Campaign to recall Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon fizzles," February 13, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 California Legislature, "SB-562 The Healthy California Act," accessed August 1, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Recall History in California (1913 to Present)," accessed August 7, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 California Secretary of State, "Current Recall Efforts," accessed August 7, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Los Angeles Times, "California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon shelves single-payer healthcare bill, calling it 'woefully incomplete'," June 23, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "California nurses union is all in for Sanders. But can it tilt the outcome on its home turf?" May 8, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "California Assembly leader Anthony Rendon's decision to shelve single-payer healthcare angers progressive activists," June 26, 2017
- ↑ Anthony Rendon: Speaker of the Assembly, "Speaker Rendon Statement on Health Care," June 23, 2017
- ↑ National Nurses United, "Statement by CA Nurses on Decision By Assembly Speaker Rendon to Block Healthcare Reform," June 23, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Single-payer healthcare advocates protest at Capitol with a message for California's Assembly speaker: 'Shame on you!'," June 28, 2017
- ↑ USC Gould School of Law, "Stephen V. Elzie," accessed August 2, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Procedure for Recalling State and Local Officials," accessed May 4, 2017
