An effort is underway in California to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Those seeking to recall Newsom still have a ways to go. They have to collect signatures from 12% of the California population — or 1,495,709 people — by March 17, and then those signatures have to be validated. If they succeed, an election would be held later this year.

But before we get ahead of ourselves — why do some people want to recall Gavin Newsom?

The recall petition was introduced in February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic took over life in California. So the reasons stated on the petition don’t actually have anything to do with Newsom’s handling of coronavirus.