California Secretary of State Faces Lawsuits From Governor Hopefuls Kevin Faulconer, Larry Elder as Recall Election Nears

California governor hopefuls Kevin Faulconer and Larry Elder filed lawsuits against Secretary of State Shirley Weber as the recall election nears.

Kevin Faulconer sued Shirley Weber after the California Secretary of State blocked the use of his preferred ballot designation in Governor Gavin Newsom's recall election on September 14.

Faulconer's legal team alleged that Weber's office "unlawfully rejected" his request to be referred to as "retired San Diego mayor," Fox News reported.

They asked a superior court judge to overturn the California Secretary of State's decision before her office sends the certified candidates' list to county elections officials on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Larry Elder filed the suit after Shirley Weber declined to include him in the roster of gubernatorial candidates that will compete for the post on the upcoming recall elections.

Kevin Faulconer Slams California Democrats

Kevin Faulconer, a former San Diego mayor, accused the state Democrats of hiding "important ballot information," as Shirley Weber blocked his desired ballot designation.

In a statement, Faulconer campaign communications director John Burke said: "Clearly Gavin Newsom and his allies are sweating bullets about our campaign."

Burke added that the Democratic party knew that Faulconer would be the biggest threat in ending the "one-party rule in Sacramento."

Kevin Faulconer served as the mayor of San Diego from 2014 to 2020. His lawsuit argued that the "retired San Diego mayor" was the most accurate description of Faulconer's most recent occupation. It noted that the state elections code only prohibits using the word "former," and Faulconer's lawyers said that Weber might have misinterpreted the regulation.

The office of the secretary of state has yet to release an official statement regarding the issue. However, the chair of California's Democratic Party, Rusty Hicks, backed Weber's decision to block the title that Faulconer desired.

Hicks argued that Kevin Faulconer should not be referred to as retired mayor because he continued to work as a government adviser and college professor since he left office.

"The State's elections law and related regulations could not be more clear," Hicks noted.

Larry Elder Sues California Secretary of State

Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder filed suit against California Secretary of State Shirley Weber for leaving him off of the ballot.

On Saturday, July 17, Weber's office released a list of 41 candidates who had submitted the necessary paperwork before the Friday deadline, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The outlet noted that Weber's office sent a letter to Elder that he did not qualify as a candidate because of redaction issues with the income tax returns filed with his candidacy application.

Based on a 2019 law, all gubernatorial candidates in California must release five years of tax returns.

"I provided all tax returns, totaling over 300 pages," Elder said in a statement, adding that the California Secretary of State's action was not only unfair and absurd but also a "dangerous and unconstitutional precedent."

Elder also said the law used to disqualify him was passed by the state lawmakers to force former President Donald Trump to turn over his tax returns if he wanted to qualify for the 2020 presidential ballot, another Fox News report said.

Larry Elder's lawsuit, filed in Sacramento Superior Court on Monday, July 19, asked the judge to order Shirley Weber to include him on the recall ballot.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

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