The same group that blew $276 million in taxpayer money on the 2021 attempt to recall Gavin Newsom, only to get clobbered by 25 percentage points, has served papers for their attempt to recall Newsom yet again.

You may have memory-holed the dimwitted failure that was the 2021 attempt to recall Califrnia Governor Gavin Newsom. But as a reminder: the recall attempt drew a Looney Tunes gallery of potential replacement candidates, which included Caitlyn Jenner, the obligatory porn star, and the highest vote-getting candidate was an AM radio talk show host. None of that mattered, as Newsom crushed the recall by nearly 25 percentage points, the whole thing wasted $276 million in taxpayer money, and the extra slush fund it helped Newsom create probably helped him cruise to reelection by 20 percentage points in 2022.

And yet, here we go again. Politico reports that the organizers of the previous recall have served papers to try to recall Newsom again. It’s the same organization called Rescue California that was behind the last recall attempt, and they served papers of their intent to recall Monday, which is a precursor to collecting signatures to make the ballot.

Again this all seems like a wild waste of time and money.

“Gavin Newsom has abandoned the state to advance his presidential ambitions, leaving behind a $73 billion budget deficit and a public safety, immigration and education crisis,” Rescue California campaign director Anne Dunsmore said in a statement to Politico. “This may be our last opportunity to rescue and restore our state, while we highlight for the rest of the country the destruction Newsom has left in his wake.”

As the Chronicle notes, this is now the fifth attempt to recall Newsom since he took office in 2019 — the Secretary of State's office actually counts six previous recall filings, so this would be the seventh. And yes, someone tries this just about every year. And it hasn’t been working, people!

That said, Team Gavin is not blowing this off. “We are taking it seriously,” Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click said in a statement to Politico. “These Trump Republicans are targeting Gov. Newsom because he is out there defending democracy and fighting for the reelection of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. He’s not going to be distracted from that fight. Democracy’s on the ballot, and he’s going to keep fighting.”

This time, the recall crowd will not have the French Laundry dinner during COVID scandal to make hay of. Plus they got a deadline extension on gathering signatures in early 2021 thanks to COVID-19.  Nothing of that caliber is likely to happen this time, with COVID restrictions now effectively a thing of the past.

So for this effort, they would need about 1.4 million signatures by May to get the measure on the November 2024 ballot. Though if they don’t make the deadline, they can try for a future election. Which given their track record, they would probably try to do.

Related: Caitlyn Jenner's Celebrity Got Her 1% of the Vote, and She Says She 'Can't Believe' So Many People Voted Against the Recall [SFist]

Image: SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference on February 01, 2023 in Sacramento, California. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Attorney General Rob Bonta, state Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) and other state leaders announced SB2 - a new gun safety legislation that would establish stricter standards for Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) permits to carry a firearm in public. The bill designates "sensitive areas," like bars, amusement parks and child daycare centers where guns would not be allowed. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)