*(Via LA Focus) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate Seat, ending a campaign from progressives in the state to fill the seat with another Black woman. But some Angelenos believe he may have instead turned up the heat on himself and the campaign to have him recalled.
Black organizers had urged Newsom to appoint Representative Barbara Lee or Congresswoman Karen Bass to the Senate hoping to replace Harris, the only Black woman in the Senate, with another.
“Thanks to Governor Gavin Newsom, African American women are no longer represented in the United States Senate, what else can go wrong in 2020? It’s a terribly insensitive decision that will not be well received by African American voters in California and African American women nationwide. Many people believe the Governor will pay a political price for this insensitive decision,” said Kerman Maddox, a political consultant.
His warning —and anger— was echoed by others.
“This is a slap in the face to California. Karen Bass was the most qualified person for that seat. I haven’t seen black people this mad since Hahn fired Bernie Parks—a move that cost him his political career,” said K.W Tulloss, President of the Baptist Minister’s Association. “Black people never forgot it and it seems that folks are even madder this time. In fact, some in the community are so mad that they’re asking where to sign up for the recall.”
“Kamala Harris’ seat got stolen,” said William Smart, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “The thief is Gavin Newsom. There must be ramifications for his actions.”
This article on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s choice to fill the Senate seat of Kamala Harris continues at LA Focus.
