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How Recall Election Candidate Larry Elder Saved Our State

All is well enough in the state right now because Californians came out to vote on September 14.

Published

3 years ago

September 26, 2021

Christy Price

Larry Elder speaking at the 2016 FreedomFest at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada./ Photo Credit Gage Skidmore

COLUMN

Thank you, Larry Elder. Do you sense my sarcasm?

All is well enough in the state right now because Californians came out to vote on September 14.

And they came out to vote not because they loved or hated Gov. Gavin Newsom.

They came out to vote because they feared Larry Elder would win a rigged election.

That’s right. Democrats and a majority of voters feared the election was rigged FOR Elder.

As of Tuesday morning, all 18,185 precincts have reported with all mail-in and provisional ballots yet to be counted.

But we have a good indication of the result: Landslide.

The No vote on the recall was 6,983,950, or 63%.

The Yes vote to recall was 4,094,118, or 37%.

So far, Donald Trump is the only one on election night to claim the vote was rigged in California. But even Elder showed some sense of restraint (which must have taken a herculean effort) when he didn’t declare the election was rigged against him. You think he’s going to find 2.9 million dead people voting to make up that margin of defeat?

But as I said, the fact is the election was rigged—but for Elder.

If the Yes vote had won, the winner of the second question, the one with the list of 46 candidates would have replaced Newsom. All it took was the candidate with the most votes, and as of Tuesday this week that would be Elder with oddly 2.9 million votes. That’s all it would have taken to be the new governor of California.

That would have been a bona fide theft of the governor’s office. A January 6^–style result under cloak of the official ballot. So much for majority rule. The recall was all set up for the right person—if Yes on Recall had won.

Fortunately, it didn’t.

I said a month ago after interviewing Newsom that considering the real consequences of this recall election, it would not be hyperbolic to say this could be the single-most important election for voters in California, maybe ever.

I meant it. For voters who believe in social justice, diversity, living wages, freedom of choice for women, etc. etc., there was a real threat of setbacks to all of that if the governorship changed hands.

Back when I saw him, Newsom looked weary, a bit concerned. His odds to beat the recall was practically a coin flip.

But Newsom got a boost when the Republican attempt to nationalize the election backfired. The national GOP essentially made the recall a referendum on Trump with Black conservative Elder the uber-proxy.

And then once you got to know Elder, it was over.

As a former talk host, I know what Larry was up to. Be a provocateur. Excite and polarize. Hence, being anti-vax, anti-climate, anti-minimum wage, anti-abortion lit up the phones. But scared the heck out of the voters.

They showed up. And voted No for real, by about 2.9 million votes. Ironically, as of this latest count, it’s the same number of votes Elder got on (the moot) question 2. So, he doesn’t leave with nothing. Just a worthless consolation. Winner of the also-rans that couldn’t win its own rigged recall election. But he did his job. He scared us all into voting against the recall.

Christy Price

Posts by Christy Price

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Oakland Post: Week of January 1 – 7, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 1 – 7, 2025

Published

17 hours ago

January 2, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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Racially Motivated Violence Against Black Teen Prompts $10 Million Claim Against LAUSD 

In December, a second altercation, on a video shared with news media, showed 4 to 6 boys attacking a Black student and using racial slurs. The video also shows a person in a safety vest trying to stop the fight and telling them to “handle it after school.” Then, the video ends. 

Published

4 days ago

December 30, 2024

Oakland Post

(Left to right) Civil Rights Attorney Caree Harper comforts the victim’s mother as she becomes emotional when describing the attacks on her son while her attorney Bradley C. Gage listens. Verdugo Hills High School on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Tujunga, CA. (Solomon O. Smith /for California Black Media)

By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media

A distraught mother and her legal team announced a $10 million lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on Dec. 16, alleging that her son was the target of bullying because of his race.

“CS DOE is a 14-year-old African American student at Verdugo High School. He is a Ninth Grader,” reads a statement the plaintiff’s attorneys shared with California Black Media (CBM).

“Almost from the first day of class (in August 2024), CS DOE was targeted by Latino students who called him racial slurs, physically attacked him and threatened to stab him.”

The family’s identity has not yet been released to the public due to safety concerns, according to their attorneys Bradley C. Gage and Caree Harper. The student’s mother is identified only as A.O. in the complaint.

The first video, filmed in August, showed several non-Black students punching and kicking a Black student in a bathroom on campus while yelling racial slurs. The mother claims that the students who attacked her son were not punished, and the administration asked her to move her son to another school for his safety.

“They wanted him to leave the school without giving any disciplinary action towards those students,” said the student’s mother. “He’s not going anywhere. He’s going to finish. I wanted him to at least stay until the December winter break, and then I was going to transfer schools for him.”

Before she could enroll her son in a different school the attacks escalated.

CS DOE, a 14-year-old freshman, left the school but was followed by a car, according to Gage. Several individuals exited the vehicle, one with a “large butcher knife.” A fight ensued and two people were stabbed. The Black student was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon but was later released into his mother’s custody.

The high school freshmen is scheduled to appear in juvenile court on Feb. 1, but Harper says she will reach out to the District Attorney and make the case against charging the young man.

“His mama had to go find him because he was hiding and fleeing for his very life,” said Harper.

According to the boy’s mother, the young student is still traumatized and has not been able to return to the area because it remains unsafe. Racial slurs have also been spray painted on their home.

“I’m sad. I’m devastated, you know,” said the mother. “I still feel like they’re after him. I still feel like they can kill him, possibly.”

The LAUSD and principal of Verdugo High School did not respond to CBM’s requests for comment.

If you are – or someone you know is – has experienced a hate crime or hate incident, please visit CAvsHate.org for more information and to find out what you can do about it.

Oakland Post

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2024 In Review: 7 Questions for the California Association of Black School Educators 

CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools and charter school organizations, public school districts, traditional public schools, and community colleges. The organization’s primary goal is to expand PK-14 educational opportunities for all students in California, with an emphasis on under-represented and under-served Black students.

Published

4 days ago

December 30, 2024

Oakland Post

CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools and charter school organizations, public school districts, traditional public schools, and community colleges. The organization’s primary goal is to expand PK-14 educational opportunities for all students in California, with an emphasis on under-represented and under-served Black students.

CABSE President Satra Zurita and Conference Chair Micah Ali.

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

The California Association of Black School Educators (CABSE) is an organization consisting of elected and appointed school officials, administrators and instructors from across California who are committed to advancing equity for Black students.

CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools and charter school organizations, public school districts, traditional public schools, and community colleges.

The organization’s primary goal is to expand PK-14 educational opportunities for all students in California, with an emphasis on under-represented and under-served Black students.

California Black Media (CBM) spoke with CABSE President Satra Zurita and Conference Chair Micah Ali about this year’s successes, disappointments, and plans for the organization coming into the new year.

Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why?

Ali: I would have to say that two highlights have been the ongoing support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Engie, and other sponsors that have enabled us to bring together like-minded education leaders twice a year to collectively advance innovative and meaningful strategies to achieve change on behalf of Black students across our state.

How did your leadership and investments contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

Zurita: CABSE’s leadership and investment in improving the education system for Black students in our great state has resulted in a long-standing focus on transforming public education and its response to Black students. By pulling from the very wisdom of those educators and leaders who care deeply about Black students and who are showing great promise through their efforts.

What frustrated you the most over the last year? 

Zurita: Continuing to see the deep impact of COVID-19 Pandemic school site closures on students academically and emotionally — especially Black students. This makes our work and our advocacy more vital than ever.

CBM: What inspired you the most over the last year?

Zurita: Seeing our CABSE convenings grow in depth and breadth — our strategies, powerful content and reach.

What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?

Ali: Our Blueprint for Education Equity is a crowd-sourced framework of strategies that have shown great promise for improving the education experiences and opportunities for Black students. In 2024, we developed an equity self-assessment tool for districts to use in evaluating their own efforts on behalf of Black students. Strategies are helping Black students.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?

Zurita: Many Black students across our state are dealing with a host of challenges: homelessness, food insecurity, exposure to violence, not to mention bias remains a pervasive problem. To add to the challenge, educators are worn out, tired, and frustrated. We now need to think about how we can simultaneously inspire and empower students and educators alike. The system needs an overhaul.

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?

Zurita: In 2025, we hope to stand CABSE up as a fully functioning non-profit organization engaged in research and policy design.

Ali: We also aim to deepen the content of our convenings, including adding a Math Track and what we are calling Social Determinants of Education Track to our annual conference and institute, which will address those social contexts that prevent Black students from realizing their potential as students.