Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Newsom and GOP Challenger Larry Elder Trade Criticisms At Labor Day Recall Campaign Events In Southern California

Eight days before an election on whether to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the target of the recall effort himself stood before a small crowd in Los Angeles on Monday, and played the role of his own pollster.
“There is not a public opinion poll that hasn’t suggested this: Registered voters are overwhelmingly opposed to this recall …,” Newsom said. “The question is, what will likely voters do?”
Newsom and his leading opponent, Republican Larry Elder, both spent the Labor Day holiday rallying their own bases of “likely voters” in Southern California — and perhaps hoping to engage new supporters before the September 14 election.
“How dare people say we should recall someone who was brave enough to make the hard decisions in spite of the fact that it would hurt him politically?” —@KarenBassTweets pic.twitter.com/bJ6PwwHfLP
— Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) September 6, 2021
Outside the storefront in the Crenshaw neighborhood where Newsom spoke, volunteers prepared to go knock on doors, hoping to spend the holiday reaching out to voters in the Democratic stronghold who may not be fully motivated to vote.
“You have people that are like, ‘oh heck no’ … I’m voting no, I’m not going to let them mess over our community,” said volunteer Simboa Wright, a vice president of the SEIU Local 721 labor union. “But then you have other folks that are just not engaged. That’s why we’re here, to engage those folks.”
A group of a dozen of L.A. County’s most prominent elected Black leaders — including Democratic Congresswoman Karen Bass, City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas and several friendly state legislators — flanked Newsom as he rallied the volunteers.
“How dare people say that we should recall someone,” asked Bass, “who was brave enough to make the hard decisions, in spite of the fact that it would hurt him politically? Because he did what leaders do?”

Later in the day, hundreds of Larry Elder supporters gathered in a baking-hot parking lot of a Thousand Oaks mall to hear the conservative radio host speak.
“No matter how much anyone here is sweating … no one is sweating like Gavin Newsom this very moment,” political commentator Dave Rubin told the crowd, eliciting cheers from Elder’s supporters.
In his speech, Elder — who’s African-American — responded to a critique that Black Lives Matter L.A. leader Melina Abdullah repeated this morning at Newsom’s rally: she called Elder “the Black face of white supremacy.”
“Failure to take advantage of opportunities is a bigger problem (than racism). Knock it off! We believe in MLK’s ‘content of their character.’ Knock it off!”
— Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) September 6, 2021
Aren’t you bothered by low reading and math rates? @LarryElder asks rhetorically.
“The reason for that [criticism],” Elder responded, “is because I dare to say racism is no longer a major problem in America. It’s a lie. It’s what the left does to divide us because they want to scare Black people and guilt trip white liberals into pulling the lever for them.”
In Newsom’s remarks, the sitting governor continued to attack Elder’s policy proposals as extreme. He criticized Elder’s comments suggesting he’d abolish the minimum wage. He also warned Elder would do away with COVID-19 restrictions, such as a vaccination push for state employees and mask mandates in schools.
“This is not just an attack on the current incumbent governor,” Newsom said. “This is an attack on our values; the things we hold dear as a state.”
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
Children asked to waive right to see a judge in exchange for $2,500
-
There’s still a lot to be determined as the refinery, which supplies about one-fifth of Southern California's vehicle fuels, works to restore production and as data is collected.
-
The FCC voted to end E-Rate discounts for library hotspot lending and school bus Wi-Fi.
-
About half the Pacific Airshow’s 2025 lineup has been grounded because of the federal government shutdown.
-
USC says it’s reviewing the letter also sent to eight other prestigious schools nationwide. California's governor vowed that any California universities that sign will lose state funding.
-
Scientists say La Niña is likely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a dry winter in Southern California.