1st Edition
California’s Recall Election of Gavin Newsom COVID-19 and the Test of Leadership
About the Authors
Preface
1. California: The Perpetually Restless Society
2. Gavin Newsom: Innovator or Illusionist?
3. Becoming Governor: Newsom's Ambitious Agenda
4. The Plague of Covid-19
5. The Newsom Recall Movement Grows
6. The Recall Campaign
7. The Struggle to Govern California
Biography
Larry N. Gerston is professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University.
Mary Currin-Percival is associate professor of political science and director of the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at San Jose State University.
Garrick L. Percival is professor and chair of the political science department at San Jose State University.
Praise for California’s Recall Election of Gavin Newsom
"The authors have done a tremendous job of not just offering a comprehensive and insightful overview of the recall itself, but more importantly of putting this event in the proper political, historical and societal context. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand California — where we’ve been, how we got here and where we’re headed."
-- Dan Schnur, former Chair, California Fair Political Practices Commission
"The true story of California's Recall Election is stranger than fiction. This book has lessons to teach, and we have much to learn."
-- Anjuli Verma, University of California--Santa Cruz
"Timely. Well-researched with excellent contributions. This book is a perfect example of how the politics of the Golden State affect us all. This latest California political earthquake – only the second ever recall of a Governor in that state – is just the latest example of the weaponization of democracy in our era of ‘Protest Politics.’Gerston and colleagues provide a rich, must-read about this growing dynamic in our politics."
--David McCuan, Sonoma State University
“California's 2021 recall was propelled by forces as distant as the state's Progressive past, as recent as the pandemic, and ultimately defeated by the unique political character of its target, Gavin Newsom. This book from three leading experts on California politics weaves all strands of this recall and this governor together, and long after most Californians have forgotten 2021's election, readers can use it to contemplate what kind of democracy our state has become.”
--Thad Kouser, University of California--San Diego
