Ritu Jha–
The demand to recall California District 10 State Senator Aisha Wahab is building pace by the day. The California Secretary of State’s office approved petitions for circulation for the recall of Senator Wahab on December 15, and the first rally was held Dec 23 at the senator’s constituency in Fremont, Calif. More rally signature rallies are planned for Dec 30 in Milpitas and Dec 31 in Santa Clara.
Senator Wahab, an American with Afghan ancestry, had introduced in early 2023 SB 403, a legislation that would have put caste in the state’s discrimination list. The historic legislation would have revised California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, Education, and Housing codes by adding caste as a protected category under “ancestry.”
ALSO READ: indica’s comprehensive coverage of SB 403
Senate District 10 covers Alameda and Santa Clara counties. “The petitions must be submitted to the election official in the county in which the petitions were circulated. They may be submitted on multiple occasions at any time during the 160-day circulation period that ends Thursday, May 23, 2024,” stated the notification issued by the Secretary of State’s office.
The man behind her recall is Ritesh Tandon, a congressional candidate from California District 17, who is running against the incumbent Congressman Ro Khanna.
Tandon, who will be running as a Democrat in the March 5 primary, said he is focused more on Wahab’s recall than his own election.
“For each form we submitted, we had to collect 600 signatures. The committee scrutinizing the petitions can reject 300 signatures. We have distributed more than 1500 forms and instead of the 42,800 signatures required, we aim to collect close to 75,000 to 80,000 signatures. District 10 has over 503,000 registered voters. But, we are reaching out to select people who we think will sign the petitions. We hope to reach out to 120,000 people by May 2024.”
He said if the signatures are late even by a day or two, “the cause suffers.”
Senator Wahab did not respond to a request for comment.
Tandon told indica, “It’s not a matter of District 10, it’s a matter of fighting for what is right and wrong. Because I too suffered owing to this. We are campaigning against what she has done to Americans.”
Surprisingly though, Tandon’s ‘Recall Wahab’ campaign has caught the interest of both the Republicans and Democrats. “There are elected Democrats and Republicans who are supporting the recall campaign. Some of them also want to run for Senator Wahab’s seat. Both parties are united on this recall campaign because they know who they are we are dealing with.”
According to the Recall Wahab website: “Aisha Wahab has failed to effectively represent her constituents. The accountability of our elected representatives is a paramount concern for the people. Regrettably, Senator Wahab has proven incapable of fulfilling her duties and has performed inadequately while in office. When public officials violate the public’s trust, abuse their power, and fail to meet the expectations placed upon them, it becomes the obligation and legal right of concerned community members to remove such a failed representative. Senator Wahab has profoundly disappointed those who entrusted her with their votes.”
“We are deeply committed to achieving our goals,” Tandon said. “It’s essential to have lawmakers who are dedicated to serving all Americans and understanding the diverse needs of our communities. Those who are influenced by special interests should be replaced. Additionally, lawmakers who have voted on issues like SB 403 without fully understanding them are next in line for a recall.”
“We observed that Indian communities struggled to set up a meeting with Wahab during SB 403. She was not ready to listen. My congressional campaign is going okay, but my first priority is to recall Senator Wahab,” Tandon added.
Besides SB 403, another contentious bill is SB 573 which aims to prevent legislative staff from becoming lobbyists within a year of leaving the Capitol. Insiders said that this bill could potentially force legislative staffers to remain in a toxic environment and limit their future opportunities. Then, there is SB 460, which seeks to prohibit housing providers from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal history. It would prevent landlords from making decisions based on an applicant’s criminal history. Currently, criminal history and credit scores are two main criteria used in such decisions.
Tandon said, “SB 404 is a Child Marriage Ban bill. Originally, it was introduced to end all child marriages under the age of 18, without exceptions. Currently, 46 out of 50 states allow child marriages with parental consent or in cases of pregnancy. Over 85% of these marriages involve minor girls marrying older men. However, SB 404 does not fully protect minors from the abuse of forced child marriages. It could allow abusers to legally marry their victims, potentially preventing criminal charges and trapping minors in a legal predicament.”
The angst against the California senator is not limited to the bills as the Recall Wahab campaign website alleges: “Senator Wahab, as the chair of the Public Safety Commission in the California Senate, has displayed a concerning lack of action in response to the escalating crime rates. Her absence and lack of accountability are evident in her failure to respond to the significant threats that pose a serious risk to the safety of her constituents. Despite the urgency of the situation, Senator Wahab has not taken any meaningful steps to address these issues or provide a response to the concerns raised by the public.”
The site adds: “Senator Wahab’s track record reveals a troubling lack of response and action in several critical areas: The tragic shooting death of two young children on I-880 received no response from Senator Wahab. She has failed to present a comprehensive plan to address the prevalent issues of sideshows and street racing, which involve numerous vehicles and pose a significant threat to public safety. There has been no investigation initiated by the senator into the alarming incidents of vehicle fires in Oakland, CA, and other cities. She has been noticeably absent from Committee Meetings, raising concerns about her commitment to fulfilling her responsibilities as an elected official. Consistently, Senator Wahab has neglected to meet with her constituents, demonstrating a lack of accessibility and engagement. Senator Wahab has displayed inconsistency by flip-flopping on key issues that she had previously promised to address.”
“Ironically, State Senator Wahab, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, has remained silent and absent in addressing pressing issues that matter to all. Instead, she has focused on collaborating with special interests and introducing bills that could lead to profiling and increased bullying in schools, neglecting genuine public health and safety concerns. Recalling State Senator Wahab is the only viable option available to restore the people’s faith and trust. It is crucial for the safety and well-being of our community, particularly our children. By holding her accountable, we can reclaim effective representation in Sacramento.”
Referring to the death of a one-year-old Chinese boy, Jasper Wu, who was killed during a rolling gun battle on Interstate 880 in Oakland in November 2021, Tandon blamed Senator Wahab of not doing anything in the case. Tandon also met with Senator Wahab on the killing of five-year-old girl Eliyanah Crisostomo on Interstate 880 in Fremont. But, the meeting went in vain. The California Highway Patrol and Fremont police said the three suspects – Humberto Anaya, Kristo Ayala, and Emmanuel Sarango – shot at a man in Fremont on that Saturday because he was wearing red. Just 15 minutes later, the same suspects fired multiple times at an SUV on I-880 driving southbound, allegedly flashing gang signs before shooting. Eliyanah and her family members, all on their way to a birthday party, were traveling in the SUV. A bullet struck Eliyanah in the chest, killing her.
“The Senator did not give time to anybody to address the issue. When she did agree to meet me in Sacramento, I went there along with my team members but she merely spared 15 minutes before she canceled the meeting. We drove for almost 3 hours to meet her, but when we told her that she was wrong in her approach and also asked her to remove the word caste from SB 403, she cut the meeting short,” Tandon said.
Though Wahab did not respond to indica’s request for comment, she had stated earlier that signing the petitions would waste tax dollars, and that constituents should oppose the recall campaign “orchestrated by fringe political extremists.”
She stated that since she was elected in 2022, she has vastly expanded affordable childcare investments, and access to affordable healthcare. “I have tackled inflation and the skyrocketing cost of housing, by introducing the Stable Affordable Housing Act, which would put the state on a path to build 1.2 million affordable homes over the next 10 years,” she said.
Apart from SB 403, as chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, Senator Wahab worked with law enforcement to advance significant bipartisan legislation to reform California’s criminal justice system to end human trafficking.
