Netflix CEO Reed Hastings contributed tens of thousands of dollars to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s campaign in an effort to remove the Democrat from office as he approaches the required number of signatures to trigger an election in the middle of year.
Hastings was listed for two donations to Newsom’s 2022 campaign, according to a document on Friday, for $ 32,400 and $ 29,600.
Hastings’ wife, Patricia Ann Quillin, donated identical amounts.
Netflix is based in California, where Hastings and Quillin are said to also live.
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Meanwhile, the campaign to revoke Newsom has reached more than 1.4 million subscriptions. While only 1.5 million are needed by mid-March to trigger a special election, the campaign expects them to comfortably exceed that number.
“We are in the red zone on the 10-yard line,” said Randy Economy, a senior consultant and official campaign spokesman, in a statement this week.
It is not uncommon in California for residents to seek recalls, but they are rarely voted on and even less successful. Several others launched against Newsom have disappeared.
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However, people may be particularly unhappy this year with Newsom, who has faced criticism for a series of recent events, including for violating his own strict restrictions against the coronavirus, when he attended an indoor dinner late last year. Participants in the expensive restaurant meeting were seated nearby and did not wear masks.
The California governor ended up apologizing for the incident, considering it a “serious mistake”.
The economy suggested that supporters of the movement believe the governor mismanaged the coronavirus situation, adding that many small business owners in the state – such as restaurants and boutiques – have completely lost their livelihoods, while large stores, like Target, have been lost. remains open.
Newsom “put corporate interests before the people of California,” said Economy.
Gray Davis, who was recalled in 2003, was the first recalled governor in the United States since 1921. Davis was finally replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former bodybuilder and actor.
If the recall qualifies, Newsom will be forced to fend off rivals amid a pandemic that has cost the state millions of jobs, emptied government coffers and ruined the lives of nearly 40 million people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.