ACS Northern California: The California Recall: Recap and Reform

Please join the ACS Sacramento and Bay Area Lawyer Chapters for "ACS Northern California: The California Recall: Recap and Reform." The ability to recall an elected official has always been a potent, yet deeply controversial, power, and nowhere has that been truer than California, where a shocking recall in 2003 propelled actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Governor's office. This year, Governor Gavin Newsom fended off another attempted recall by the state's GOP. Recall attempts now seem like a regular occurrence. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón are both facing recall attempts.

After the defeat of the Newsom recall, many called for reform. According to a UC Davis study, two-thirds of California voters believe that the recall process needs an overhaul. Starting in October, the state legislature began holding hearings on the subject, hoping to bring a constitutional amendment in time for the 2022 election. In this panel, we will hear from a leading critic of the Recall process in California, UC Berkeley Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, who has challenged the constitutionality of the California Recall, along with Assemblymember Marc Berman, the chair of the Assembly Committee on Elections, which recently heard testimony on the reform proposal.

Hon. Marc Berman, Assemblymember, California State Assembly; Chair, Assembly Committee on Elections

Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and the Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law; Member, ACS National Board of Advisors

Jessica Levinson, Professor of Law, Director of Loyola Law School's Public Service Institute, and ACS Faculty Advisor, Loyola Law School

Crystal Strait, Board Chair, ProtectUS; Political Strategist and Advisor

1 hour of CLE credit is Approved for this event.