Recall Dan Dow? Now may not be the time — here’s why | Opinion

Dan Dow’s incendiary, anti-Muslim reposts on social media have some voters contemplating a recall drive — especially since the embattled district attorney has three more years left in his term.

(In a one-time-only situation, California DAs and sheriffs are currently serving six-year terms to facilitate moving their races to presidential election years, when turnout is greater.)

Yet local Democratic leadership — which has been at odds with the Republican DA for years — is discouraging a recall effort.

“Recalls seldom work, they’re very expensive and they’re difficult to do,” San Luis Obispo County Democratic Chair Tom Fulks said, adding that the party needs to concentrate on 2026 races for the county Board of Supervisors, city councils and school boards.

“If anybody decides to (mount a recall effort) on their own, we’re not going to be able to help them very much,” Fulks warned.

That may not be what Dow’s opponents want to hear, but it makes sense.

California DAs have been recalled for being too lenient on criminals, but that’s not the issue here. No one is accusing Dow of being soft on crime.

On top of that, “recency bias” — the tendency to give more weight to recent news — could hurt a recall attempt. What riles up voters today may seem less significant when they head to the polls six months later, when the issue has faded from the headlines.

Also, consider the demographics: Democrats do hold a lead in San Luis Obispo County, but it’s slight. And when it comes to ensuring public safety, partisanship isn’t necessarily a good indicator of outcome.

Look at Proposition 36, the tough-on-crime measure on the 2024 ballot that passed by 68% and carried all 58 California counties, despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Rather than encouraging a recall, local Democratic leaders are advising a different strategy: “Human beings affected by Dan Dow’s rhetoric really need to go talk to him and explain why his rhetoric is so disturbing and, to be honest with you, dangerous,” Fulks said.

If nothing changes after that, “then direct political action is the next step,” Fulks continued. “That’s when the picketing starts. That’s when a movement begins.”

DA’s supporters are behind him 100%

Over the past several days, Dow has gotten strong pushback: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) demanded an apology, a retired SLO County Superior Court judge called on him to “retract his incendiary social media reposts,” and the California Public Defenders Association condemned what it called “racist statements.”

Dow is not about to back down. He believes he is speaking the truth about the danger posed by newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as he made clear when he recently spoke at a Cal Pol Turning Point USA meeting covered by Mustang News.

“My intention behind the retweet is I read it and it resonated with me that New York has made a fatal decision by electing a communist and avowed Marxist that is against law enforcement, and he wants to basically tear down the Judeo-Christian foundation of liberty,” Dow said.

His supporters agree.

“Love Dan Dow!!!” one person wrote on Facebook. “We need more people like him, to fight for us. And less of the lying media, who don’t tell the whole story...”

Another urged The Tribune to focus on his “long-standing record as a dedicated and fair public servant protecting the public in San Luis Obispo County.”

Dow’s office has strong record of achievements

We agree that under Dow’s leadership, the District Attorney’s Office has a solid record of achievements, perhaps none more remarkable than the successful prosecution of the killer of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart — more than 25 years after her disappearance.

Yet Dow goes beyond what he was elected to do. He sows division in the community by promoting his conservative political and religious agenda and disparaging those who disagree with him.

That is not his mission, which he describes as to “bring justice and safety to our community by aggressively and fairly prosecuting crimes and protecting the rights of crime victims.”

If Dow wants to go beyond those parameters to weigh in on all manner of political issues, he is in the wrong position.

Perhaps he should seek a partisan political office. Or a position in the Trump administration, because San Luis Obispo County doesn’t need a pastor, or a pundit or a politician in the DA’s office.

We need someone 100% committed to criminal justice for all — regardless of race, faith, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.

If Dan Dow cannot deliver it, there are three years to find someone who can.

This story was originally published November 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.