Saving California Through Rituals and Recalls

Los Angeles residents rally together to purge the city of evil. Step One: Recall Governor Gavin Newsom. Will they succeed this time?

Last Thursday was one of those gloriously unhinged, “only in Los Angeles” fever dreams. It was my first real outing since the wildfires, cautiously stepping outside despite the lingering toxic air. The city felt on the brink of chaos, with everyone processing the aftermath of devastation in their own way.

At 11 AM, I was standing outside West Hollywood’s iconic retail shop, Kitson, among an angst crowd rallying to expel Governor Gavin Newsom from California. By 3 PM, I was in the Hollywood Hills, waving a broomstick alongside a witch as she performed an energy-clearing ritual in my friend’s living room. Pure West Coast madness—a peculiar charm that keeps me here.

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Kitson: The Recall’s Unofficial HQ

First, let’s rewind and set the stage: a sunny day on Robertson Boulevard, where Kitson’s outspoken and ever-controversial owner, Fraser Ross, had turned his storefront into a bold centerpiece for the recall.

The windows were a political spectacle: Karen Bass “MISSING. HAVE YOU SEEN ME?” graphic tees flanked by a pyramid of Gavin Newsom toilet paper rolls and cushy Prozac pillows. It was a perfect snapshot of modern LA— a place where SSRIs have become essential for surviving the nightmare the once-Golden State has become.

Outside Kitson, journalists, activists, and concerned citizens crowded the sidewalks. The mood was tense but hopeful—angry voices yearning for a better California.

I arrived in a black pleated leather skirt, tights, and a fuzzy jacket—preparing for the usual post-apocalyptic LA weather—only to be greeted by blazing sun and cranky cameramen bothered that I accidentally walked into their frame.

“Anybody but Gavin Newsom!” former NBC corespondent Bob Jimenez yelled to the crowd.

David Hernandez of Churches in Action and former Bellflower mayor Art Olivier took turns at the microphone, delivering sharp critiques of the Governor. They condemned his ineffective emergency responses, the worsening homelessness crisis, rising taxes, surging crime, and the ever-ballooning cost of living.

One skeptic in a Los Angeles Times hat aggressively started to confront the speakers, questioning their motives. It’s unclear whether she was an LA Times reporter or just a woman in an LA Times hat.

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Interview with “Saving California” Founder Randy Economy

I first heard about the recall from my friend Lindsay Stevens, a California native I met on the campaign trail with Jess. Lindsay said goodbye to San Francisco for good during the pandemic, citing Gavin Newsom’s failures as the reason the city spiraled into rising crime and lawlessness—so bad she no longer felt safe walking her dog Missy Elliott.

When I was forced to evacuate a few weeks ago, Lindsay let me stay at her new place in La Quinta- along with a few surprise guests. After housing six unmannered escapees who forgot to strip their beds, she was extra motivated to make this press conference a success. Since I wasn’t much help around the house, I made sure to make it up to her by showing up to the recall and spreading the word: with a phone on 10% battery and a microphone I failed to plug in properly.

Lindsay let me borrow her fully-charged phone to interview Randy Economy, former senior advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the founder of Saving California, the nonpartisan coalition driving the recall.

During our interview, Randy talks about the time Mayor Karen Bass called him “every name in the book,” what went wrong during the last recall and why he believes this time will be different.

Celebs Support #RecallGavin

Outside Kitson, a table was set up to collect signatures. The first fifty people who signed up received a free roll of Gavin Newsom toilet paper, courtesy of Kitson (retail value $9).

Lindsay urged me to catch Bravo star and real estate agent Matt Altman before he left. I chased him down the street, spotting him carrying a garbage bag stuffed with $250 fleece blankets he’d picked up for $45 at the Eclipse sample sale to distribute to wildfire victims. When I asked to photograph him with the blankets, he declined, preferring to stay under the radar. Refreshing—a celebrity doing a good deed for the cause and not the clout.

You could hear the devastation in his voice as he spoke about friends who lost their homes in the Palisades.

“I just don’t understand,” Altman told me. “We have a beautiful city. Had they left the water on, a lot of my friends would still have their homes.”

I overheard people talking about the “beautiful blonde influencer” in attendance, and soon realized they were talking about conservative influencer, Emily Wilson aka Emily Saves America, who rolled up to the recall in a midriff. I didn’t think I’d like Emily because she has the same name as me and way more followers. But after a 5-minute interview, I was a fan.

I asked her the hard-hitting question I asked my audience on Instagram last week: “If you had to choose, who would you rather hook up with—Gavin Newsom, Elon Musk, or Mark Zuckerberg?”

“Gun to my head? I’d choose the gun,” Emily said. She wasn’t kidding. I told her that wasn’t the majority’s choice- 70% of my followers chose Elon, sliding in the DMs with graphic fantasies imagining how eccentric the spaceSEX would be.

I squeezed in a quick interview with beloved 80s actress Justine Batemen, who showed up to support the cause, disappointed in California’s “lack of leadership.”

“I find Newsom and Bass to be the most detached and insensitive and the most uncaring of the citizens of any leadership we’ve had so far. I mean, I just feel these people don’t care. That’s the bottom line,” Bateman said.

Midway through the conversation, my phone died. My friend—moonlighting as my camerawoman—failed to yell “cut,” prompting Bateman to offer some straightforward Hollywood advice: “Be more prepared next time.”

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Chaos at The Ivy

Post-rally, we headed to the Ivy, the quintessential Beverly Hills lunch spot, to celebrate collecting over 100 signatures.

“Nothing has changed since 2000—it’s like this place is frozen in time,” Lindsay said as floral china was set on our table, plates once coveted enough for wedding registries.

Things quickly went off the rails. As I was eating a slice of salmon pizza, a woman at my table accused me of being an undercover fed, bursting into tears and claiming me taking a photo at lunch was part of an elaborate plot to ruin her life. Instead of recognizing her meltdown, I snapped back with defensive clap backs. Meanwhile, another woman leaned in my ear, whispering conspiracy theories about Kanye, Farrakhan and Islamic terrorist groups. I stormed out of the Ivy.

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Retail Therapy at Kitson

I sought refuge at the Kitson sale section, where my favorite salesgirl, Jennifer, was working. When I told her what went down, she laughed and said, “Damn, you ladies fully CRASHED OUT at the Ivy,” instantly easing my nerves. I browsed the 70% off rack and bought not one but two oversized sweatshirts that said “EMPATHY” in big block letters— overcompensating for the Ivy disaster.

Fraser popped by while I was cashing out, stuffing my bag with extra Gavin Newsom toilet paper for Jess. I invited him to record a podcast at Jess’s new Laguna Beach office. As much as I wanted to smell Cheryl Hines’ new candle and hear Fraser’s latest tea on Jennifer Garner, I was late for my next stop: a 3 PM energy-clearing ritual with Jaclyn Sienna India, who we joked was the “Ghislaine Maxwell of travel,” on Jess’s podcast last summer. (Don’t worry, Fraser’s saving his Meghan Markle and Garner gossip for the podcast).

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A Witch’s Cure for LA

Up in the canyon, Jaclyn and her husband Freddy were waiting for me to arrive. After moving to LA from New York, Jaclyn has been feeling uneasy in her new home, convinced there’s an unsettling energy that’s preventing her from being able to relax. Determined to restore peace, Jaclyn enlisted the help of a “Good Witch” named Patty Negri, who specializes in “cleaning house.”

Patty arrived with a kit brimming with tools—magic wands, shimmering blue orbs, a jar labeled “fuck-off powder,” and a well-worn drum. She lit an ornate candlestick that looked like it belonged in a Disney fairytale, signaling it was time to begin.

Handing each of us a broomstick, she instructed us to sweep out the bad energy while sprinkling coarse salt into the darkest corners of each room.

Patty handed Freddy a large knife, claiming that knives “cut through energy.” Only a few minutes later, he accidentally dropped it, nearly slicing his finger off. All I could think was, “Freddy got fingered.” Oddly, this happened in the same doorway where Patty's candle had shattered earlier, suggesting that particular spot in the house might harbor toxic energy from previous dwellers.

In the master bedroom—deemed the “darkest room in the house”—we formed a circle as Patty broke into maniacal laughter, claiming laughter was the cure for darkness.

I asked if there was ever a thing as “too much laughter.”

“Too much laughter leads to chaos,” Patty said with a smile.

My entire life in LA finally made sense.

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This morning, Governor Newsom was officially served with recall papers, marking the formal start of the campaign; he now has ten days to respond.

Patty declared Jaclyn’s home clear of negative energy. Will California be cleared of Gavin Newsom?

If not, we’re going to need a lot more salt.

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For more information, check out SavingCalifornia.Vote

*Signature gathering will begin in the next 30 days.