Should Governor Newsom be recalled? Why you should vote?

Asian Americans Network @ Clubhouse – Should Newsom be recalled? Why you should vote?

Organizers: Ding Ding TV, India Currents
The above is Clubhouse audio recorded by Ding Ding TV on September 10, 2021 @ 9:00pm-10:30am Pacific

Recalling Governor Newsom: the Power of Asian American Votes
Should Governor Gavin Newsom be recalled?

Hate him or love him, we as a community have the power to shift the tides in September’s gubernatorial recall election.

That was our rallying cry in our last insightful event where the Asian-Americans’ Network Club hosted media entrepreneurs and Civic Leaders as we took a deeper look at what you need to know about the California recall, the importance of the Asian-American vote, and why we should vote. This event was presented by Silicon Valley Community Media – Ding Ding TV, India Currents.

We also opened Q&A to the audience with some amazing answers to your most burning questions on the issue as we covered how it’s time to take part in the world we live in and engage the civic community around us by lifting our voices in this month’s recall!

“What is a recall,” you might ask? Simply put, it’s a procedure by which we can immediately end a governor’s term, removing them from office. Casting this vote -or any vote for that matter- is exercising your power to influence the kind of community you want to live in!

Can you feel the importance of our last event yet? Here’s a peek at what we discussed:

The recall isn’t just a California pastime! Yes, governors of the Golden State have remained under fire by repeated recall attempts since the late 60s, but only one has ever fallen to one. Governor Davis in 2003.

So, we dissected the reasons why Gavin Newsom is California’s latest target.
Homelessness. Education. Taxes. Restrictions to parental rights…
The list goes on.

Many would claim the shutdowns as the cause, but in fact, the recall petition was introduced in February of 2020 before California was swept up in the pandemic. The fight with Covid-19 certainly energized the movement, however. Critics cited he was slow-as-a-sloth to reopen the state after flattening the curve. Others claimed he wasn’t forceful enough in his
measures.

What really fueled the fire for Newsom’s Recall movement came later that November. After condemning gatherings during the pandemic, especially indoor gatherings of larger groups, the governor was seen at the Michelin-starred French Laundry, a restaurant where the cheapest dish is $350. Mask-less. With several friends and lobbyists in attendance for the
“private” dinner. A contradiction to everything he had used to publicly combat the virus. But, we took an even deeper look at this issue and what it means to us, the Asian-American community.

It’s nothing new to say that our communities are often overlooked when policies and proposals are being enacted. Whether it’s funding for our schools or development for our seniors.

When we get down to the why of it all? We don’t matter because we don’t vote.

In San Francisco alone, the Asian community makes up 35% of the population!
We have more power than we wield. In many communities, not only the Bay Area, Asian-Americans are the majority. But, we don’t vote.

When it comes to the political sphere in California, be it a Recall or something closer to home, we DO have a voice and we need to use it.

We need to vote.

It will only take 51% of the people who vote to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom. Only 51% of the people actually lift their voices.

We also mentioned how as a community we have to consider: if not Newsom, then who? If not now, then when? If you agree with the recall, which of the 40+ candidates would you select to take over? Many of the leaders in the recall have wild and outlandish views- some don’t even believe in the vaccine.

When you run the numbers, only a small percentage of people will actually take part and influence this vote. 15-18% of people will determine the future of our state. Can we afford to give up our power to sway the recall? Will we allow only a few to dictate the government, growth, and prosperity of our communities?

With the next gubernatorial election held in November of 2022, some would even argue that our best option is to vote “No” on the recall and evaluate better options in January. We encourage you to watch the video, be informed, and connect with us to stay on top of all the important issues to our communities!

Our guest speakers included:

● Vandana Kumar; Owner & Publisher, India Currents
● Dennis Wu; San Francisco Community Alliance for Unity, Safety, and Education
● Joel Wong; President of National Asian-American United

Moderators and producers: Diana Ding, Hong Nguyen-Phuong, Sandy Wang

Our Clubhouse weekly event and organizer is held every Tuesday at 6:30 pm (PST) in the Asian-Americans’ Network Club on Clubhouse. These events are organized by Silicon Valley Community Media, Ding Ding TV, which has been the trusted voice of Silicon Valley Asian-Americans since 2009.

Again, watch the video and subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with all the hot button Asian-American issues!