September 2017 BayAreaGOP Newsletter Articles
Republicans & Voters Fight Back Against Democrats’ Abuse of Power
Supporters of the recall of Senator Josh Newman (D-SD 29) have filed 66,289 valid voter signatures, 2,696 more than required to launch an election. This should have triggered a 10-day clock for Secretary of State Alex Padilla to certify the count, and for Governor Brown to call an election.
But voters have been on a roller coaster ride as the Democrats continue to put up roadblocks to deny them the opportunity to support or recall Senator Newman. Here is a summary of the activity:
- Recall supporters appear to have successfully gathered signatures to recall Senator Newman prompting Democrats to protect their vulnerable member.
- Democrats hijack a Veterans budget trailer bill to give State officials an undetermined amount of time to analyze the cost of the special election, and to allow voters 30 days to rescind their signature on the recall petitions, effectively delaying the recall vote till June of 2018.
- Voters in SD 29 report that anti-recall operatives are going door-to-door encouraging signers of the recall petition to confirm their signature, when in fact signing rescinded their support for the recall.
- Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. files a legal challenge to the anti-recall legislation, and on August 14, the appeals court delays enforcement of the law due to violation of the single subject rule.
- On August 18, election officials in three counties confirm more than enough valid signatures have been filed.
- The FPPC removes longstanding restrictions on campaign finance limits for elected officials contributing to recall elections.
- Democrats pass and the Governor signs SB 117 on August 24 with similar language to delay the recall in order to get around the single subject violation.
- On August 28, Padilla fails to certify the count and declares he will follow the law according to SB 117.
- Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. files another legal challenge claiming SB 117 violates the due process rights of recall proponents. The court date has not yet been set.
Ling Ling Chang: Former Assemblywoman Seeks Recall Seat
Former Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang has announced that she is running for the seat of Josh Newman, the embattled state senator facing a recall challenge after voting to increase the gas tax. Winning the seat would break the Democrats’ two-thirds supermajority in the state Senate.
Chang said, “During my two years in the legislature I helped stop $32 billion in tax hikes, improved the state’s jobs climate and fought hard to protect the middle class.”
“By contrast, Josh Newman voted to raise gas and car taxes by $52 billion and increased the cost of living for the average SD 29 family by $300 a year”. Chang concluded, “I’m running for State Senate and support the recall because we can’t afford three more years of Josh Newman”.
Ling Ling Chang has an impressive background. After working with technology and non-profits, being active in her community and serving in local government, she was elected to the state Assembly in 2014, representing district 55, which includes parts of Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties.
In the Assembly Chang served as Vice Chair of the Rules Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Business & Professions Committee. She was recognized as one of two “Tech Champions” in the Legislature by the Computing Technology Industry Association. Her top priorities were job creation, making California business-friendly, strengthening California’s education system, and keeping our communities safe. Among other things, she worked to improve STEM education and voted against tax increases.
In 2016 her state Senate seat opened up, and she ran for it with encouragement from outgoing Senator Bob Huff and other Republican leaders. The district, Senate District 29, runs from Anaheim to West Covina along Highway 57. (See the map.) Democrat Josh Newman defeated Chang by a margin of less than one percent.
In a recall election, voters vote on whether to recall the senator. Candidates to replace him run at the same time, but their votes are counted only if there is a majority vote to remove the incumbent senator. If the senator is removed, the candidate with the highest number of votes wins, whether or not it’s a majority. The date of the special recall election has not yet been set.
Ling Ling Chang emigrated from Taiwan with her family when she was three and grew up in Diamond Bar. She worked as a project manager for a health information systems firm. She also worked as Executive Director of United Family Services Center. More recently she was President & CEO of the Youth Science Center, a non-profit education organization that focuses on strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum and education in local schools.
During the same period, Ling Ling Chang was elected to public office: first the Walnut Valley Water District board, where she helped keep utility rates low, and then the Diamond Bar City Council, where she served two terms including a stint as mayor. An advocate for excellence in education, Ling Ling Chang served on the Board of Cal Poly Pomona’s Partners-in-Education. She was also a member of the US Army Los Angeles Advisory Board.
Ling Ling Chang and her husband Andrew make their home in Diamond Bar.
On Sunday, September 17, Ling Ling Chang has Bay Area fundraising events in Menlo Park and Fremont. See the full listings here. You can learn more about Ling Ling Chang’s campaign for State Senate on her website, www.lingforsenate.org.
Click here to view the list of upcoming events on BayAreaGOP.