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Issa makes it official: He's running The millionaire car-alarm magnate from Vista (San Diego County), whose personal contribution of $800,000 to the recall campaign has had the single largest impact on the fast-growing drive, told GOP faithful Saturday that "we Republicans should be united" in the effort to oust Davis. He urged Republicans to hold a convention to pick a single candidate to be an alternative to Davis, saying that any GOP contender who hopes to be governor "cannot be a candidate that has a social agenda." "That candidate has to be a candidate willing for three years to be hated, be hard, be difficult, be cantankerous, be 'veto' and 'veto' and 'veto' if necessary to straighten out this state," Issa told a meeting of moderate Republican faithful in the picturesque Santa Barbara County town of Solvang. But the suggestion of a unified front could be a matter of debate among the GOP. Bill Simon, the 2002 gubernatorial candidate who lost to Davis by 4 percentage points, said Saturday that while he welcomes a convention, grass- roots voters must decide their gubernatorial favorite. "Let the people decide," said Simon, who has said he is "definitely" interested in making a run should the matter qualify for the ballots. Issa's rallying the faithful also came amid signs that Davis and Democratic leaders are intensifying their efforts to beat back the recall effort, which has gained dramatic momentum in recent weeks. Republicans say they could have as many as 400,000 valid signatures submitted to county registrars by Monday and that they are almost certain to collect the 900,000 signatures needed by Sept. 2 to put the matter before voters. As the California Legislature missed today's deadline to pass a state budget, Davis made an appearance Saturday at a meeting of the State Labor Federation in Sacramento where labor leaders gathered to develop a strategy against the recall effort. Carroll Wills, a spokesman for Taxpayers Against the Recall, said Issa's efforts prove "this is not about California's future. This is about Darrell Issa's future." Issa on Saturday formally launched what was described as the first full day of his run for governor by opening the breakfast for moderate Republicans in Solvang, personally overseeing collection of petition signatures at a Huntington Beach shopping mall, and then surveying the validation of recall petitions in Costa Mesa before later addressing 700 at a dinner of Orange County Republicans in Costa Mesa. Recent developments suggest that Issa's appeal that a single GOP candidate be offered as an alternative to Davis might be ignored. In Costa Mesa Saturday night, Simon also addressed the crowd -- and was frequently approached by well- wishers as his wife, Cindy, looked on. Republicans gathered at the gala also chatted excitedly about the field of possible contenders, including actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assemblyman Tom McClintock of Granada Hills (Los Angeles County). Despite the momentum of the campaign to oust Davis, the White House reminded state Republicans that there are other goals -- financial and political -- to be met. President Bush plans to visit California June 27, and Los Angeles financier Gerry Parsky -- who likely will play a lead role in Bush's California re- election campaign -- told The Chronicle his first priority is getting Bush re- elected.
"He's committed to California, the president's job approval rating in California is at 60 percent, and he's committed to completing
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