WTF California: Newsom Prepares for Recall Fight, Antioch Investigation Clarified

On this episode of WTF California, new polling data shows Gavin Newsom’s recall effort is real, however, by 2022 he may have a tough time with re-election. Bill would make 988 an emergency line for those seeking mental health assistance. We also get an update on the investigation of Antioch Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker–the cost is shocking. The City of Oakland is having issues keeping up with public records request and communities across California are offering mortgage relief.

Show Overview

• New poll shows recall effort lacking enough support to succeed, but mixed bag for Newsom
  A new poll of California voters found not enough support for the recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom to successfully remove him from office, but a majority of respondents said they would support another candidate when Newsom’s first term is up in 2022. Asked if they would vote to recall Newsom, 38% of voters said they would, 42% said they’d vote to keep him in office, and 18.9% were undecided. Another 6.1% said they would not vote in a recall election.
• Breaking: 58.3% of Californians would reject Gavin Newsom in 2022 election
  California — The Nexstar Media Group’s six California Television Stations along with Emerson College published a poll this morning that found that 58.3% of Californians want someone other than Governor Gavin Newsom in the 2022 election.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom launches campaign against likely recall
  LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom established a political committee Monday to begin raising money to defend his seat in a potential recall election, the strongest acknowledgment to date that he expects to be on the ballot this year.
• ‘These guys turned it into a military operation’: Lawsuit filed against East Bay police that sicced dogs, rubber bullets on Walnut Creek protesters
  The East Bay police departments who sicced police dogs, fired rubber bullets and sprayed tear gas at kids and young adults during last summer’s protests against police brutality last summer are facing a lawsuit in federal court filed by one of the demonstrators who was injured
• Bay Area lawmaker’s bill would make 988 the 911 of mental health emergencies
  State Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has introduced a bill to establish a mental health hotline with the number 988, which she hopes will be easy for people to remember when someone is having a mental health crisis.
• Antioch contracts with law firm show only one investigation of police incident with councilwoman’s sons, her conduct
  On Friday, March 12, 2021, in response to a public records request by the Herald, Antioch City Attorney Thomas Smith released contracts with the outside investigator hired to investigate both the police officers’ incident with District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker’s sons on Dec. 29. She demanded an outside investigation be conducted. According to Smith, the second contract revised the scope of work included in the first. That allowed inclusion of the councilwoman’s conduct at the scene and comments in a later online video about it
• Oakland’s transparency problem: Thousands of public records requests are backlogged
  In more than 6,300 cases, the police department and other city offices either haven’t responded to record requests or haven’t supplied all of the sought-after documents, according to a review of Oakland’s NextRequest portal, which pulls all the requests into one place. The vast majority of open requests — almost 5,400 — were made to the police department, and some have been languishing since 2014. The delay in providing responses and records has prompted two recent lawsuits against the department.
• Bay Area Health Officers’ Statement About COVID-19 Vaccines
  As local health officers, we fully support all three currently available vaccines for COVID-19. All three vaccines are safe and have been shown to be highly effective at preventing symptomatic illness and hospitalization. The clinical trials for all three vaccines demonstrated that they were 100 percent effective in preventing deaths from COVID-19. There is also growing evidence that all three vaccines help prevent asymptomatic illness, too. This means that people who have been vaccinated are not likely to spread of COVID-19 to others who are not vaccinated.
• California AG Suing Nation’s Largest Nursing Home Operator Over Quality Ratings
  SACRAMENTO (CBS SF/AP) — State and local officials, including Attorney General Xavier Becerra, filed a lawsuit Monday against the nation’s largest senior living home operator, alleging the company misled consumers on quality ratings and broke laws intended to protect patients. The suit centers on Brookdale Senior Living Inc.’s 10 California-based skilled nursing facilities.
• Over $75 million in COVID-19 Rent Relief for Contra Costa County Tenants and Landlords – Application Period Opens Today
  Martinez, CA – Starting March 15, 2021, Contra Costa County tenants and landlords impacted by COVID-19 can apply for assistance from the COVID-19 Rent Relief program. Over $75 million is Contra Costa County’s allocation of federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which allocated $2.6 billion to Californians in need of rental relief.
• Fresno city to give out nearly $35 million in rent and mortgage relief. Here’s how to sign up
  Nearly $35 million will be distributed to renters and landlords across the city of Fresno who faced financial hardship and were unable to pay rent due to coronavirus, Mayor Jerry Dyer announced Monday.
• Oakland A’s now selling suites for one bitcoin
  The A’s are now selling suites at the Oakland Coliseum for the 2021 season. The price for some is one bit-coin. The suites seat up to six guests and include a private restroom and free snacks. The cost of one bitcoin recently topped $60,000.

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