California Recall Now Has Entertainment Component with New Recall Song

No respectable recall election of a California Governor would be complete without an entertainment component, or in this case, a song.

The Globe spoke with guitar playing comedian Evan Wecksell, who has written a catchy new song about California’s upcoming recall election. It’s real, it’s relevant, it’s accurate and hits on all recall issues, and nowhere in the song is the Governor’s name mentioned. But we all know who Wecksell is singing about.

Good looking kid grew up in San Francisco, hard working mom and well-connected dad

Asked him ‘boy whatcha wanna do with your life

He said, ‘I wanna be the worst governor we’ve ever had

Homeless capital of the country

Billions of dollars poorly spent

Walking city streets full of encampments, but to him that’s just affordable rent

Evan Wecksell also ran for California Senate in Senate District 25 as a write-in candidate in the primary on March 3, 2020. The Libertarian Party asked Wecksell to run against Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge). Initially it appeared Wecksell would advance as one of the top two candidates to the General Election. But at the last minute, a Republican write-in candidate entered the primary and beat out Wecksell by a small margin.

“I ran because I had too much sanity to share,” Wecksell said. And he doesn’t regret it.

As for the song, Wecksell said he’s had the Governor swimming around in his head for over 18 months. “I’m a comedian who plays guitar, and a fan of BonJovi,” Wecksell said. “I didn’t want it to be depressing, but there’s no shortage of material for this.” But he didn’t use all of the material he had. One thought he left out was “his COVID response is second to 49,” because the syllables just didn’t work.

Wecksell said he knows the song has a shelf life but says he can milk it well into October. “The song is a comedic leaflet, and a way to get skeptics to listen.” He also noted, “I am the only song out there about AB 5.”

Assembly Bill 5, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), drastically limited Californians’ ability to work as independent contractors and freelancers. At a meeting in February 2020 with Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, “one actor said the real ‘gig’ economy is in Los Angeles, home of the entertainment industry, where they all have many ‘gigs.’ Musicians, actors and creative artists cobble together lots of gigs and can make a good living at it. AB 5 has already caused many of those businesses which hire them to notify them that the 1099 independent contractor arrangement cannot continue,” the Globe reported.

Wecksell said he fought hard against AB 5, and noted that even wrestling is an independent business hard hit by AB 5. “Lorena Gonzalez will eventually term out,” Wecksell said, “but no one is as fang-filled as her!”

Wecksell said he had a chance to meet and interview Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Granite Bay), who authored the book, “Recall Newsom: The Case Against America’s Most Corrupt Governor.” Wecksell asked Kiley, “is the book about recalling all of the good times you’ve had with Newsom?”

Wecksell noted that despite the serious troubles in California, and even in some states across the country, “a realignment is coming.”

Here are a few more choice lines from “Recall that Man:”

“Special interests line his pockets.”

“Now off to the French Laundry with his lobbyist friends.”

“First leader to enact a small business ban.”

“Get back your smile and recall that man.”