Democrats push for changes to California recall efforts

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom handily survived this week’s recall election that could have removed him from office. But his Democratic allies in the Legislature already are seeking changes that could make it harder to mount such a challenge in the future. Those reforms could include raising the standard to require wrongdoing on the part of the officeholder, increasing the number of signatures needed to force a recall election, and changing the process that could permit someone with a small percentage of votes to replace the state’s top elected official. Republicans say they will seek to ensure the proposals protect voters’ ability to hold politicians accountable.