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Recall picks up steam It spreads and multiplies on Internet chat rooms and conservative talk radio, outside the sliding doors of Target and Wal-Mart, in strip mall parking lots and offices, until it becomes a force in itself. "I don't want to sound esoteric here," said Todd, standing outside a Target store near Fashion Gal Plus and the Bible House, "but there is almost a revolution going on." Or something like it. It is becoming increasingly clear, say organizers, that because of people like Todd, along with hundreds of thousands of registered voters signing petitions across the state, California is about to witness the first gubernatorial recall election in state history. It is happening faster than anyone predicted. As of Tuesday, organizers said they have collected nearly 700,000 signatures, more than half of their 1. 2 million target, although only a fraction have been turned over to the secretary of state. The vast majority of the signatures are coming because U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, a San Diego County Republican who wants to become governor, is using his considerable fortune to hire people to gather signatures, produce radio spots and send out 1 million pieces of mail to Republicans. Issa's money is fueling something that was not seen in the past 31 failed attempts to recall a governor: momentum. Just a few weeks ago the recall was considered a longshot. But now a constant buzz is making life easier for the paid petition-gatherers who are part of the ground war to remove Davis from office. CHANGE OF HEART Outside the Elk Grove Target store, retiree Sally Forsythe stopped to sign the recall petition without hesitation. Forsythe said she voted for Davis in the past two gubernatorial elections but now blames him for refusing to release details of contracts California signed with power companies during the energy crisis, which she said turned out to be too expensive. "I see the man who has had the most training to be governor in the state of California ever, and he didn't learn and he panicked, and in his panic he didn't want to reveal to the rest of the state what he had done," said Forsythe, 58, echoing Davis' own 1998 campaign slogan of being "the best- trained governor in waiting." Ruben Robles stopped to sign as well. For him, it's personal. He spoke about Davis' "corrupt nature" and his "multiple heads." But Robles also recently left the Davis administration after a shakeup in the Office of Criminal Justice Planning. Now, Robles is getting Davis back. "This is to get rid of Daddy's old boss," Robles, 34, said sweetly to his daughter as he leaned over to sign the petition. "He makes promises with some people and smoke-and-mirror deals with others, " Robles continues. "Maybe that's old business. But put his decisions under a microscope, and he just hasn't been good for California." People signing the recall petition had long list of grievances they blamed on Davis, not just the current budget deficit or the energy crisis. One Caltrans worker who declined to give her name blamed Davis because Assembly members and state senators drive "$125,000 cars" and force staff members to pick up their dry cleaning. FEELINGS OF BETRAYAL Others were more focused, believing that Davis misled them during the 2002 election.
"I don't think it came out before the election about how bad things were," said Donald Wolfe, 40, a real estate appraiser and Republican who signed up last week. "He knew how bad
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