SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The unsuccessful special election to remove California Gov. Gavin Newsom from office cost state and local governments more than $200 million, according to a final tally released Thursday by state elections officials.
The total cost of the statewide Sept. 14 recall election — in which voters overwhelmingly rejected the effort to oust Newsom — was a little more than $200.2 million, according to a letter sent to state and legislative officials by Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who noted that expenses were slightly below original expectations.
“This was a substantial cost to taxpayers and a significant disruption to governing the state,” Weber, a Democrat who opposed the recall, said in a statement. “This price tag confirms that it is necessary to revisit the recall process and to pursue effective reforms.”
