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RECALL CERTIFIED; DAVIS FACES VOTERS Secretary of State Kevin Shelley announced Wednesday that the drive to place the governor's fate before voters had produced more than 1.3 million valid signatures -- far more than the 986,874 needed. The upcoming vote "could be one of the most important ballots our citizens ever cast," he said. For nearly a week, the substance of his announcement wasn't in doubt, only the timing. Shelley moved swiftly. About 90 minutes after the deadline for counties to report signature counts, he revealed the results. He praised election officials across the state and in his office. "All of us were very aware that we were making history and setting precedent," he said. "Advocates wanted us to go faster or slower depending on their position. My position has always been first and foremost that we proceed carefully and get it right." Shelley, weighing in on a key outstanding issue, said voters also should pick Davis' replacement if he is removed from office. The alternative is that Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante would assume the post. Shelley and Bustamante both said the final decision on that might come from the state Supreme Court. The announcement of the signature count sets the stage for Bustamante to determine the election date. He has promised to do so within 24 hours of Shelley's announcement, which means word should come today. The election must be held on a Tuesday between 60 and 80 days after Shelley's certification. That makes the possible dates Sept. 23 or 30 or Oct. 7. Davis branded the recall drive "a hostile takeover by the right." He vowed not to become the state's first, and the nation's second, recalled governor. "I'm going to fight like a Bengal tiger," he said, "and one of my greatest strengths is people have underestimated me since I was born." Gov. Lynn Frazier of North Dakota was recalled in 1921. In California, voters added the recall option to the state constitution in 1911. Before the drive to oust Davis, there had been 31 attempts to remove a governor. None had qualified for the ballot. The initiator of the latest effort, Ted Costa, director of the anti-tax group People's Advocate, said his job was done. "We have come to the end of our road," he said, "and now it's the beginning of the road for all those who seek to replace the governor and put their plan out to get the state out of this mess." Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, who bankrolled most of the signature-gathering drive with $1.7 million of his own money, promised a vigorous campaign to become the next governor. "Now that the recall election is official," he said, "it is time for the state's voters to elect a new governor who will see a new and better course for California." Issa probably won't be the only Republican hopeful. • Businessman Bill Simon, the party nominee in the 2002 gubernatorial election, said he will decide soon whether to run. "I want to sit down with my wife and look her in the eye," he said. • State Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, opened an exploratory committee Wednesday and promised to make a decision within a week. Unlike other potential GOP candidates, he said, "The one thing that distinguishes me is 20 years in California's public arena fighting for the reforms necessary to restore the state's finances and its economy and its public works."
• Arnold Schwarzenegger's consultant said the actor had made no decision. "Arnold is discussing his candidacy with his family," George Gorton said. "He is weighing the pros and cons of a candidacy and has made no determination
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