In California, a recall election seeking to remove Natalie Rubalcava from her position as the District 3 representative on the Anaheim City Council was defeated by voters with 53.9% of the vote on June 4, 2024, according to the unofficial results.
The recall effort began in August 2023. Recall supporters initiated the effort after the release of a public corruption investigation report. The report alleged that Rubalcava received names and contact information from Anaheim First, a resident advisory group created by the Chamber of Commerce, and used that information for campaign purposes. The report also alleged that Rubalcava gave operational directions to a city employee in violation of the city charter.
In response to the recall effort, Rubalcava said, “Recall elections are supposed to be reserved for special circumstances when an office holder violates the public trust. This recall is being put forward by an organization that spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to defeat me in 2022. I think the voters of Anaheim’s 3rd city council district are going to see this recall for what it is and reject it.” Rubalcava took office in 2022.
Recall supporters needed to collect 5,123 signatures to put the recall on the ballot. They submitted 9,123 signatures for review on January 17, 2024, and a sufficient number were verified to allow the recall to proceed.
According to our most recent recall report, Ballotpedia covered 300 recall efforts against 437 elected officials in 2023. Of the officials included in recall efforts, 17.85% were removed from office in a recall election. This was the highest percentage of officials removed from office since 2018.
Additional reading: