Green Party position on CA Recall Election Reform

What should be the Green Party position on CA Recall Election Reform?

The California State Legislature is holding hearings and is likely to place one or more constitutional amendments on the November 2022 ballot to change California's recall election law for statewide officials. The legislature may also pursue changes by statute where possible.

The GPCA Platform (see below) speaks strongly in favor of the rights of initiative, referendum and recall. If the GPCA does not take positions on the changes being recommended, it will lose a chance to have a voice in the debate. Please review these background materials what types of changes are being considered and respond to our survey about what kind of changes you may want to see - or not see.

Please review this background material below:

- California Elections Code - Division 11 Recall Elections
- GPCA Platform: Initiatives, Referenda and Recall 
- Articles
- Columns
- Videos
- Polls
- Audio

California Elections Code - Division 11 Recall Elections
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayexpandedbranch.xhtml?tocCode=ELEC&division=11.&title=&part=&chapter=&article=

GPCA Platform: Initiatives, Referenda and Recall 
​http://www.cagreens.org/platform/initiatives-referenda-recall

ARTICLE: California Politics: Who wants to fix recall elections? 
By John Myers, Los Angeles Times. October 29
https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2021-10-29/california-politics-who-wants-to-fix-recall-elections-ca-politics

ARTICLE: News Analysis: As recall campaign closes, Californians might be ready to change the system.
By John Myers, Los Angeles Times. September 13
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-13/news-analysis-californians-might-be-ready-to-revise-recall-election-rules

COLUMN: There are some drastic ideas to overhaul California’s recall. Be careful, says one expert.
By Mark Z Barabak. Los Angeles Times. September 28, 2021
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-09-28/expert-warnings-california-recall-election-reform

COLUMN: A Green Argument Against This Recall, But Not Others. Why California should retain its recall process, but amend it to make it more democratic, with more voter choice.
By Michael Feinstein. Independent Voter Network. September 13, 2021
https://ivn.us/posts/a-green-argument-against-this-recall-but-not-others

COLUMN: Don't fix the recall; fix all elections.
By Joe Mathews. San Francisco Chronicle. August 28, 2021
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Don-t-fix-the-recall-Fix-all-elections-16415276.php
https://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/joe-mathews-dont-fix-the-recall-fix-all-elections/article_ecaca500-06a9-11ec-a2ca-ef81ecf153a9.html

COLUMN: California’s Recall Was Worth Every Penny. When It Comes to Supporting Democratic Infrastructure, $276 Million Is a Bargain
By Joe Mathews. Connecting California, Zocalo Public Square. September 28, 2021
https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2021/09/28/california-recall-276-million/ideas/connecting-california/

COLUMN: Are recall system changes reforms or power grab?
By Dan Walters. CalMatters. September 14, 2021
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2021/09/california-recall-system-chang...

OTHER ARTICLES AND COLUMNS: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=california+recall+election+reform&atb=v112-1&i...

VIDEO: Little Hoover Commission Hearing on California's Recall System (Part 1). October 14, 2021
Discussion starts at 21:30 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lSWxy4ZNrw&t=1005s

VIDEO: Little Hoover Commission Hearing on California's Recall System (Part 2). October 28, 2021
Discussion starts at 23:30 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nta2clR-6Mo&t=1110s

VIDEO: Joint Hearing Assembly Elections And Senate Elections And Constitutional Amendments. October 28th, 2021
Discussion starts at 34:00 mark  
https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media/joint-hearing-assembly-elections-senate-elections-constitutional-amendments-20211028/video

VIDEO: After the Vote: Recall Elections in California, California Humanities.  October 26th, 2021
Discussion starts at 5:30 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcV92GXJl9M

POLL: Berkeley Institute for Governmental Studies Poll. September 13, 2021
Release #2021-18 Voter Views about the Recall Election Process and Possible Reforms
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kt7w3ts

POLL: Reforming The Recall? California Voters’ Perspectives On The Process.
By Thad Kousser, Professor and Co-Director, Yankelovich Center for Social Science Research. Cassidy Reller, UC San Diego PhD Candidate https://yankelovichcenter.ucsd.edu/_files/reports/Reforming-The-Recall-California-Voters-Perspectives-On-The-Process-FINAL.pdf

AUDIO: KQED Statewide Election Special: The 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall. September 15
https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101885504/statewide-election-special-the-2021-california-gubernatorial-recall
https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101885507/statewide-election-special-the-2021-california-gubernatorial-recall-2