Since 1913, there have been 179 recall attempts of state elected officials in California. Eleven recall efforts collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and of those, the elected official was recalled in six instances. 

Attempted Official
55 Governor
2 Lieutenant Governor
7 Attorney General
1 Secretary of State
1 State Treasurer
1 State Controller
2 Insurance Commissioner
2 Member of the Board of Equalization
30 Member of the State Senate
50 Member of the Assembly
1 Supreme Court (entire membership)
27 Supreme Court (individual justices)

Recall attempts that have qualified for the ballot

  • 1913     Senator Marshall Black (R-Prog.) - 28th Senate District (Santa Clara County)
  • 1913     Senator Edwin E. Grant (D) - 19th Senate District (San Francisco County)
  • 1914     Senator James C. Owens (D) - 9th Senate District (Marin and Contra Costa counties)
  • 1994     Senator David Roberti (D) - 20th Senate District (Los Angeles County)
  • 1994     Assemblyman Michael Machado (D) - 17th Assembly District (San Joaquin County)
  • 1994     Assemblyman Paul Horcher (R) - 60th Assembly District (Los Angeles County)
  • 1995     Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R) - 67th Assembly District (Orange County)
  • 2003     Governor Gray Davis (D)
  • 2007     Senator Jeffrey Denham (R) - 12th Senate District (Madera, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, and Stanislaus counties)
  • 2017     Senator Josh Newman (D) - 29th Senate District (Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties)
  • 2020     Governor Gavin Newsom (D)

Successful recall attempts

  • 1913     Senator Marshall Black (R-Prog.) - Herbert C. Jones (D-Prohib.) elected successor
  • 1914     Senator Edwin E. Grant (D) - Edwin L. Wolfe (R) elected successor
  • 1994     Assemblyman Paul Horcher (R) - Gary Miller (R) elected successor
  • 1995     Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R) - Scott Baugh (R) elected successor
  • 2003     Governor Gray Davis (D) - Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) elected successor
  • 2018     Senator Josh Newman (D) – Ling Ling Chang (R) elected successor

Complete List of Recall Attempts