CALIFORNIA, USA — Judge orders Secretary of State to put Larry Elder on ballot
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder will be a candidate in California’s upcoming recall election that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office.
Elder scored a swift court victory in Sacramento, where he challenged a decision by state election officials to block him from the ballot.
Superior Court Judge Laurie M. Earl disagreed with a state decision that Elder failed to meet requirements to file recent tax returns.
Forty-two other candidates have been cleared to appear on the Sept. 14 recall ballot.
Radio host Larry Elder faces ruling on recall candidacy
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder is facing a critical court ruling that could determine if he becomes a candidate in the upcoming recall election that could remove California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Elder’s campaign will go into an afternoon hearing in state Superior Court in Sacramento to argue that state election officials improperly blocked him from the contest. Elder says he submitted all the required paperwork, but state officials say his federal tax returns were incomplete.
“It was almost as if you had a professor in college and he told you to turn in your term paper, he wanted two copies, one had 150 pages, the other one for whatever reason you turned it in with 143. Now he had the full set, he could’ve easily found out the seven pages but chose not to give you an ‘F’ and flunked you the entire course. That’s basically what happened here,” Elder said.
The state on Wednesday is scheduled to release the final, certified list of candidates vying to replace Newsom in the Sept. 14 election.
WATCH: Larry Elder explains his issues getting his name on the recall ballot | Extended Interview
Faulconer criticizes Newsom on crime
Following suit with the California GOP, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer released a statement criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approach to tackling crime in the state.
Faulconer’s statement, recorded on Facebook, comes in response to Newsom’s press conference from LA, Wednesday morning, on combatting crime and, more specifically, retail theft.
In his remarks, Faulconer claims the governor, “supported decriminalizing theft and gave early release to tens of thousands of violent criminals.”
California GOP responds to Newsom presser on crime prevention
California Republican Party leaders issued a statement following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press conference in Los Angeles on crime prevention, Wednesday morning.
In the statement, party chair Jessica Millan Patterson called the event a “photo op” and claimed it the governor is finally acknowledging “crime is a major problem in California.”
"Voters can see through his photo ops and on September 14 will replace him with a leader who is committed to returning safety to our communities,” Patterson wrote on Twitter.
Kiley endorses school choice legislation in campaign event in Lodi
Assemblymember Kevin Kiley was at Rio Valley Charter School in Lodi on Wednesday to endorse the 2022 school choice initiative.
Kiley, (R – Rocklin), also used the event to talk about his plan, if elected governor in the September recall election, to “reimagine” the public education system in California.
Newsom talks crime, retail theft with state leaders in LA
Gov. Gavin Newsom was in Los Angeles talking about crime and efforts to reduce retail theft in communities all over California.
Newsom was joined by members of law enforcement and other state and local leaders, to introduce the so-called "retail crime task force."
Court fights mark run-up to California recall election
Several court battles are underway as California moves toward finalizing the list of candidates for the September recall election that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder filed a lawsuit arguing that California election officials improperly blocked him from the contest.
Meanwhile, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is expected to be in court fighting for the right to be called the “retired” San Diego mayor on the ballot.
The courtroom maneuvering is the latest drama in the run-up to the Sept. 14 election. The state Wednesday is scheduled to release the final list of candidates vying to replace Newsom.
Key Dates
- Aug. 16 - First day to vote by mail
- August 30 - Last day to register to vote
- Sept. 14 - Recall election day
California Recall Fast Facts
On July 17, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber released a list of the 41 candidates who qualified to run in the recall election. About 70 candidates initially filed a statement of intent to run with the secretary of state, according to Ballotpedia.
The final day for candidates to file paperwork to run in the recall election was July 16.
The final report from the Secretary of State's office, released on June 23, validated 1,719,943 signatures on the recall petition. The recall effort needed 1,495,709 verified signatures to trigger a recall election. Approximately 441,406 signatures were invalidated.
Only 43 people of the more than 1.7 million Californians who signed the recall petition chose to remove their name from the list.
On July 1, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis finalized the cost of the election at $276 million.
More information on the recall election
Read more ABC10 stories about the recall:
- Six things to know about the Newsom recall candidates’ tax returns
- Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer's gubernatorial campaign plans lawsuit over ballot designation
- California Secretary of State randomly draws order names will appear on recall ballot
- Everything you need to know about the candidates in the Newsom recall election
- What your need to know about the Sept. 14 recall election