Watch the Returns with Special Guests:

• Recall Illuminare
• Elected Officials
• Media Pundits

Date: Tuesday, October 7th
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: Sacramento Hyatt Regency A, B, C

Big Screen TV's Hors d'Oeuvres No Host Bar

Co-Hosted by Gilliard,...(MORE)

Click here to see Congressman Darrell Issa's Ad for Rescue California ...Recall Gray Davis. ...(MORE)

Every day, thousands of absentee ballots -- votes that could prove key in determining who will lead California -- are flooding into county registrars' offices across the state.

In Santa Clara County alone, more than 2,000 ballots arrived Monday as dozens...(MORE)

With the campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis entering its final full week, a poll released Sunday showed the Democrat could lose office by a wide margin, and put Arnold Schwarzenegger way ahead of everyone else trying to become governor.

Read...(MORE)

The Sacramento directory offers no listing for Charlotte Goland, and so I have no choice but to show up, unannounced, at the address on her check. I don't usually hunt down strangers in their homes, but unusual times call for...(MORE)

(SANTA MONICA, CA) – United States Congressman Darrell Issa, who contributed $1.8 million to Rescue California to qualify the recall election, today endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor.

“Today, I am asking the people of California to cast a YES vote to...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — With the questions made available ahead of time, the first debate of the recall campaign was billed as a scripted event that would allow Arnold Schwarzenegger to avoid the tough scrutiny voters expect of their gubernatorial candidates.

It...(MORE)

Arnold Schwarzenegger received the endorsement of former gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon Thursday, who said it was time for Republicans to unite behind their front-running candidate in the Oct. 7 recall election.

"I am here to endorse Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor....(MORE)

The vigorous verbal jousting over California's gubernatorial recall election before an 11-judge federal appeals panel this week was -- in a departure from common practice -- televised, giving viewers a rare peek into judicial workings...

Read the...(MORE)

(09-24) 21:42 PDT (AP) --

Here is a transcript of Wednesday's debate between the California gubernatorial candidates, sponsored by the California Broadcasters Association at California State University, Sacramento.

The participants were Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante,...(MORE)

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court Tuesday reinstated California's Oct. 7 gubernatorial recall election, rejecting a three-judge panel's decision to put it off for months and handing a defeat to supporters of Gov. Gray Davis.

Unless the U.S. Supreme Court...(MORE)

Fifteen days before Californians are due to vote in an unprecedented recall election, 11 federal judges convene in a San Francisco courtroom today to decide if the vote should take place on schedule or be postponed.

Under a...(MORE)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California judge on Monday ruled Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the front-runner to replace Gov. Gray Davis in a recall vote, must return to Indian tribes large donations that skirted state campaign laws.

...(MORE)

We are pleased to announce that the Merced County Republican Party has opened a Countywide Recall Headquarters Materials Distribution Center.

Your Party aggressively solicited each of the front running campaigns for their Candidate’s campaign materials.

Presently Schwarzenegger Campaign materials...(MORE)

Increasing the likelihood that California's on-again, off-again recall will proceed on schedule, a federal appeals court Friday agreed to quickly reconsider a ruling that delayed the election until at least next spring.

In a three-paragraph order, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES - Gov. Gray Davis appeared with the Rev. Jesse Jackson on Thursday to tell the people of South-Central Los Angeles, as he has told so many others before them, that the recall is nothing more than a Republican...(MORE)

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today agreed to re-examine an earlier ruling that would have delayed the California recall election, a decision that could allow the vote to take place in a little over two weeks.

The court,...(MORE)

In the California recall crystal ball, the future could look like this: Bill Simon Jr., the last man to lose to Gov. Gray Davis in a normal election, could be back in the running. State Senator Tom McClintock, the...(MORE)

Read the appeal here. (Adobe Acrobat Reader Required)

Rescue California to Release Brief to 9th Circuit Press Conference at 2:30 PM TODAY

(Sacramento, CA) – Rescue California Chief Strategist Dave Gilliard, Legal Counsel Tom Hiltachk and Recall Proponent Ted Costa...(MORE)

With fewer than three weeks until a scheduled Oct. 7 election, state elections officials report nearly 400,000 Californians have already voted, although the election may be put off until March.

That growing mountain of absentee ballots could be tossed out...(MORE)

For 25 years, every statewide office-holder in California from U.S. senator to insurance commissioner has been elected with punch-card ballots. But on Monday, a trio of federal judges said those ballots can't be trusted.

In the six counties still using punch...(MORE)

The court decision that could delay California's recall until March raised a host of practical questions Monday — among them, whether a ballot that includes the recall and the presidential primary might prove too massive to process, and how counties...(MORE)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said on Tuesday that it would reconsider a controversial decision by a three-judge panel of the court to postpone the Oct. 7 California recall election.

The appeals court said that...(MORE)

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante may have distanced himself legally from that controversial $3.8 million in Indian gaming money he took to run for governor - - but it turns out the greenbacks haven't gone too far.

Last Sunday, in an...(MORE)

AUBURN, Calif. — Recall fever has spiked in this onetime Gold Rush town in the heart of Placer County.

Just a half-hour hop up the hill from the state Capitol, this conservative bastion is philosophically a world away from Gov. Gray...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO ¡V A few hours after a powerful rally where he tried to calm public criticism over the massive flow of Indian money into his campaign, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante gathered Sunday with tribal leaders and collected another $500,000 check.

The...(MORE)

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- Before the lights went out in California two years ago, Michael Butler usually paid about $150 a month for electricity. Now, his bill tops $250.

"This state is a total mess," said Butler, a marketing executive. "It's just...(MORE)

....With just a few words tucked in the middle of his speech, Bustamante demonstrated that despite the image, despite the build-up, despite the resume, his knowledge of state government and its problems is woefully thin.....

Read the article at sacbee.com...(MORE)

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's fundraising came under more fire Thursday when the Democrat's own party leader took a surprising swipe at him, saying his actions are creating a ``bad impression,'' and a Republican legislator sued to force him to obey...(MORE)

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A panel of federal judges said Friday it would not postpone California's gubernatorial recall vote, removing one of the last legal barriers to the Oct. 7 election.

The decision came in two lawsuits that argued Monterey...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO, CA: California Democrat Party Chairman Art Torres said today that Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante’ acceptance of over $2 million from Indian gambling tribes “does not pass the smell test”. He is only half right.

“It does not pass...(MORE)

Pressure is growing on the state's Fair Political Practices Commission to close a loophole in election law that Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante is using to accept a $1.5 million political contribution for his recall campaign for governor.

But the commission,...(MORE)

California's politicians and pundits are totally consumed by the historic recall election that's looming just five weeks hence -- with good reason.

Get the rest of the story at the Sacramento Bee.

...(MORE)

THE LEGAL EAGLES in charge of the ACLU obviously have decided to ditch the pretense that they care about all Americans' civil rights. Only schoolchildren -- and very naive ones at that -- believe that pose anyway.

So the ACLU...(MORE)

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante reported Friday receiving a $500,000 contribution from a Riverside County Indian tribe as he faces questions about his use of a campaign finance loophole that may allow him to skirt new political spending laws.

The contribution...(MORE)

Bustamante's idea to regulate fuel would mean long lines at pumps, they say.

Click Here for the article on sacbee.com ...(MORE)

These days, it's not easy being a Californian. Recall madness has made us the laughingstock of the country. From Jay Leno and David Letterman to Fox News and CNN, the mantra has been: "California has gone insane!"

As a lifelong Californian...(MORE)

For Republicans, the drive to recall Gov. Davis has produced an unexpected windfall in Fresno County: a surge in registration that has given the party an unprecedented lead over its Democratic rival. With the Oct. 7 recall election just six weeks...(MORE)

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- His arms folded across his chest, Ray Brewster stood back and watched with bemused interest as beachgoers clamored for a glimpse of actor-turned-candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The 43-year-old computer technician had driven over from his gym after hearing about...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis' tenuous acceptance of Cruz Bustamante's candidacy has boxed the lieutenant governor into a delicate political position, as he tries to argue that he is the best alternative, should the unpopular incumbent be recalled.

On one hand, Davis' recent...(MORE)

Despite a voter-approved measure that was supposed to keep big money donations out of California politics, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante is exploiting a gaping loophole in the law that will allow him to collect up to $4 million in large...(MORE)

Irvine, Calif., August 26, 2003 -Taco Bell Corp. announces the first installment of its Taco Poll results with former frontrunner Arnold Schwarzenegger leading with 54 percent of votes with his crunchy beef taco. The Grilled Stuft Burrito holds a strong...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES -- Republican Bill Simon dropped out of the California recall race on Saturday, boosting the position of GOP front-runner Arnold Schwarzenegger amid calls from party leaders to consolidate behind fewer candidates.

"I strongly believe that the desire of Californians...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gray Davis has flipped his position on a number of controversial issues- moves that critics say are intended to raise contributions and support from key interest groups as he struggles to hold on to his job.

Davis' reputation...(MORE)

As Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante gains endorsements and support, he also must confront the downside of being a front-runner in the Oct. 7 recall effort against Gov. Gray Davis: attacks from all sides.

Recall organizers say they will target him in...(MORE)

California voters are closely divided on whether to recall Gov. Gray Davis and concerned about how the election will be conducted and its lasting impact on the state, according to a new Los Angeles Times poll.

The survey, which ended Thursday...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — In his 10-year Capitol career, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante has relied on many of the same sources to finance his campaigns as Gov. Gray Davis, tapping organized labor, gambling interests and clients of his lobbyist-campaign consultant.

Bustamante's fund-raising pales...(MORE)

Nearly 90 percent of California's voters are closely following the state's landmark recall election, a level of interest far beyond that seen for last year's governor's race, according to a poll released today by the Public Policy Institute of California....(MORE)

It was advertised as a speech from the heart, even a confession. What Gray Davis delivered Tuesday night was a challenge to the face, a raw meat summons to the faithful.

Though he made a bow to an occasional shortcoming, the...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES - A federal judge on Wednesday refused to delay the Oct. 7 recall election, rejecting arguments by a civil rights group that punch-card voting machines used in at least six counties won't accurately tally votes.

U.S. District Judge Stephen...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Trailing in the polls and struggling to maintain a unified front among Democratic Party mainstays, Gov. Gray Davis will open a new phase of the fight for his political survival today with an address aimed at confronting the...(MORE)

They didn't get off to a good start.

Less than four months into Gov. Gray Davis' first term, his lieutenant governor stood on the steps of the Capitol and denounced Davis' legal strategy to deal with Proposition 187, the ballot measure...(MORE)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the leading Democrat seeking to replace Gov. Gray Davis, proposed on Tuesday raising taxes by $8 billion to help the state's ailing finances -- while Davis readied a major defense of...(MORE)

SAN FRANCISCO - The Justice Department on Monday signed off on the Oct. 7 election to recall Gov. Gray Davis in response to warnings from a federal judge, who questioned whether the voting rights of minorities would be upheld.

The election,...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis is now less popular in California than Richard Nixon was during Watergate, and nearly six in 10 of those likely to go to the polls Oct. 7 said they'll vote to recall him.

A Field Poll released Thursday...(MORE)

A federal judge said Friday he may postpone California's Oct. 7 recall vote, and he ordered Monterey County to refrain from mailing out overseas ballots until issues raised by two civil rights groups are resolved.

U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel's...(MORE)

Labor leaders who have been Gov. Gray Davis' staunchest allies are having reservations about his ability to survive a recall election and will consider their options at an Aug. 26 convention that could decide his fate.

Those options could include supporting...(MORE)

After not filling a judicial vacancy in months, Gov. Gray Davis began churning them out the day the election to recall him was certified, records show.

Davis has appointed 15 judges since July 23, the day the secretary of state announced...(MORE)

As many as 500 of the 3,000 officials and workers appointed by the governor -- including the influential heads of nearly a dozen state agencies -- could be replaced immediately if Gray Davis is recalled on Oct. 7, experts say.

The...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis and his minions have been working overtime to convince Californians that the budget crisis isn't his doing, well aware that it is a major source of voter anger as he faces a historic recall election.

Davis' version of...(MORE)

Nearly two-thirds of California voters are willing to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, and nearly three-fourths of them say action hero turned Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger should be taken seriously, according to a poll released late Sunday.

The poll, conducted by...(MORE)

Scores of Californians took the once-in-a-lifetime shot to run for governor Saturday in the state's unprecedented recall election as Democrats successfully whittled their own field to one major backup candidate in case Gov. Gray Davis is ousted.

Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi,...(MORE)

The California Supreme Court on Thursday turned down attempts to derail the ouster vote on Gov. Gray Davis, drawing praise from recall proponents and shifting the spotlight to the federal courts.

"I think (the state justices) used great wisdom and that...(MORE)

The California gubernatorial recall campaign squared off into two major competing camps Thursday, as actor Arnold Schwarzenegger sought to define the coming race as a contest of leadership while Gov. Gray Davis and his supporters argued that experience should be...(MORE)

Support for California Gov. Gray Davis (D), who faces a recall election on Oct. 7, eroded dramatically yesterday as the wall of Democratic Party solidarity he had hoped would protect him collapsed in the wake of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision...(MORE)

Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante announced late Wednesday he plans to run in the state's gubernatorial recall election, becoming the first prominent Democrat to abandon Gov. Gray Davis' efforts to keep fellow party members off the ballot. Bustamante's announcement...(MORE)

After being boosted by Sen. Dianne Feinstein's decision to stay out of the recall election, California Gov. Gray Davis' strategy of a united Democratic front was crushed Wednesday night when Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante decided to enter the race.

Bustamante will...(MORE)

For Gov. Gray Davis, who has endured budget crises, sinking approval ratings and a fast-moving recall drive, Wednesday morning's announcement that Sen. Dianne Feinstein would not run against him offered something rare: good news.

But the celebration was brief. By day's...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis' firewall collapsed Thursday as two prominent Democrats joined the race to replace him in the Oct. 7 recall election, and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican who helped make the recall a reality, dropped out one day...(MORE)

California Supreme Court declines to intervene in gubernatorial recall. ...(MORE)

The unified front of the Democratic Party in California was shattered today when two prominent Democrats openly defied Gov. Gray Davis, announcing that they would join the race to replace him should he lose the recall vote on Oct. 7.

Mr....(MORE)

Arnold Schwarzenegger ended the suspense Wednesday and said he would run in California's recall election, awarding Republicans his marquee value in their campaign to oust Gov. Gray Davis. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein ruled out a run, labeling the election "more...(MORE)

Arianna Huffington, political commentator and syndicated columnist, made it official this morning. She is running for governor of California.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein issued a statement today that she will not run for governor.

In a well-publicized appearance on the ``Today...(MORE)

Amid the anxious chatter of Democrats statewide who fear Gov. Gray Davis can't win an Oct. 7 recall election, Davis' near-term strategy remains focused on two things - staying close to Sen. Dianne Feinstein and even closer to organized labor.

So...(MORE)

There were more signs Monday that California Democrats fear losing the governorship unless a prominent party member runs in the replacement election.

With a Saturday candidate filing deadline looming, 17 of 25 Democratic state senators met privately in Sacramento to debate...(MORE)

California Democrats showed signs of growing unease Monday over the election to recall Gov. Gray Davis, with state lawmakers meeting behind closed doors to discuss a possible Democratic alternative and Sen. Barbara Boxer saying Democrats should field another candidate if...(MORE)

Launching his first legal challenge to the recall election, Gov. Gray Davis will ask the state Supreme Court today to delay the vote until March 2 and let him run as a replacement candidate.

"What's happening in California is not just...(MORE)

About 100 union organizers and activists gathered Saturday morning to learn how to use traditional "get out the vote" methods — including precinct walking, voter registration and phone banks — to fight the recall of Gov. Gray Davis. But they...(MORE)

Republicans spent Tuesday waiting for confirmation from former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan that he intends to enter the recall election, while two congressional Democrats from California called for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to put her name up as a...(MORE)

The first significant crack in Democratic Party unity over the gubernatorial recall surfaced Tuesday, as two congressional Democrats publicly expressed doubts the party's unpopular Gov. Gray Davis can survive the October election -- and called on Sen. Dianne Feinstein to...(MORE)

As contradictory rumors continued to swirl about whether actor Arnold Schwarzenegger will run for governor in the Oct. 7 recall election, a trio of local green groups went on the attack Monday, painting GOP candidate Darrell Issa as an environmental...(MORE)

As the most accomplished fund-raiser in California history, Gov. Gray Davis has never had trouble finding enough money for his political campaigns.

The question he faces now, with his popularity at an all-time low and having just come off an election...(MORE)

AS THE DRIVE to oust Gray Davis takes the state where it's never been before, the governor's rhetoric is also entering new territory.

To survive, he needs liberals to turn out for the state's first gubernatorial recall election, which will be...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Coming to a small media market near you: The campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis, featuring a "fishhook" that could allow Inland California to prevail over the voters in coastal urban cities who usually determine statewide elections.

California's interior,...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - Backers of the drive to recall Gov. Gray Davis blame the Democrat for everything from California's economic downturn to its energy crisis. They say he drove jobs from the state and lied about the size of the budget...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - With California's political landscape rocked by a recall earthquake of historic proportions, the central question has become: Can Gray Davis survive as governor?

Democrats, who hold a commanding 44-35 percent edge in voter registration, find themselves in a...(MORE)

Like a starting gun at a 50-yard dash, the decision to hold an Oct. 7 recall election against Gov. Gray Davis has shot the incumbent and those angling to replace him into a sudden-death race to the finish.

Days into this...(MORE)

The California Supreme Court refused Friday to stop the recall election of Gov. Gray Davis, a decision both sides said signals that legal disputes will take a backseat to the sprint toward the Oct. 7 vote.

The court, by a...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES, July 25 — Gov. Gray Davis of California has 74 days to defeat the movement to recall him or face being only the second governor in American history to be removed from office by referendum. His strategy for...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO, July 25 — As a numbers game, it would seem that the Republicans have the simpler partisan task in the Oct. 7 recall election on Gov. Gray Davis.

They must keep the Democrats and Mr. Davis, who won re-election eight...(MORE)

Even as he campaigned to save his job Friday, Gov. Gray Davis vowed to continue exploring legal means to derail the recall against him after the California Supreme Court declined to halt the Oct. 7 election.

Meanwhile, the uncertain field of...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante on Thursday set Oct. 7 as the date of California's first gubernatorial recall election, giving candidates barely two weeks to decide whether to join the frenetic race to replace incumbent Gov. Gray Davis.

The tight...(MORE)

It is being called the perfect political storm -- a confluence of events, personalities and politics that combined to bring about this historic moment in California, a vote to recall a governor.

Never before has the state faced this combination...(MORE)

Sacramento -- The first statewide recall election in California history qualified for the ballot Wednesday, forcing Gov. Gray Davis to fight to keep his job in an election that only months ago was considered sheer fantasy.

Secretary of State Kevin...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — The drive to remove Gov. Gray Davis from office qualified for the ballot Wednesday, clearing the way for a campaign unlike any other in California history.

Barring intervention by the California Supreme Court, the certification of the gubernatorial recall,...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES, July 23 -- California Gov. Gray Davis (D) will face a special recall election this fall, after the state's top elections officer certified tonight that the signatures of more than 1.3 million voters who signed petitions were valid....(MORE)

California has had 15 governors since voters in 1911 added recall to the state Constitution as part of the Progressive era reforms of Gov. Hiram Johnson.

Gray Davis is the first one to face a vote for removal.

How did the veteran...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - Gray Davis will face the first gubernatorial recall election in the state's 153-year history.

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...(MORE)

As California's secretary of state certified a historic recall election against Democratic Gov. Gray Davis late Wednesday, movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed his desire to be governor against the pitfalls of a recall candidacy, and Republicans worried that the man...(MORE)

Wednesday, July 23, 2003 - The campaign to oust Gov. Gray Davis from office qualified for the ballot Wednesday with 1.3 million valid signatures, a historic moment that marks the first time a California governor has ever faced a recall...(MORE)

On the surface, one of the darkest days of Gov. Gray Davis' political life appeared much like any other one.

It began with his daily tofu shake with fresh berries for breakfast, and a little treadmill work and weight training...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - Less than nine months after narrowly winning re-election, Gray Davis on Wednesday became the first California governor in history to face a recall -- after more than 1.3 million voters endorsed a Republican-led attempt to oust the unpopular...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - The drive to unseat Democratic Gov. Gray Davis is sending tremors through California's political system, sparking talk of an era of polarized politics and creating a sense of unease reminiscent of the Florida election debacle.

``It's an earthquake,'' said...(MORE)

Sacramento -- The recall campaign against Gov. Gray Davis is producing a dizzying carnival of legal and political scenarios that will reach a critical point this week as a special election on whether to oust the Democratic governor appears certain...(MORE)

With county election officials reporting numbers that make recall balloting almost certain, political strategists are preparing for the first such gubernatorial review in state history to begin this week.

A Times survey of 26 counties Monday indicated that there should easily...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — In a meeting they thought was private but was actually broadcast around the Capitol on Monday, 11 Assembly Democrats debated prolonging California's budget crisis to further their political goals.

Members of the Democratic Study Group, a caucus that defines...(MORE)

Sacramento -- Gov. Gray Davis was in a fighting mood. During a debate last year with Republican Bill Simon, the governor sneered at his rival for not having a state budget plan: "Welcome to the big time, Mr. Simon. The...(MORE)

Gray Davis was a centrist triangulator during the first three years of his governorship, interposing himself as the decisive factor between business and professional groups and an increasingly liberal Legislature.

Davis collected millions of dollars in campaign funds from business executives...(MORE)

The most memorable quote of the past week in California politics came from Sharon Davis, the wife of embattled Gov. Gray Davis. Comparing the flak her husband has taken to the applause for President George Bush -- deficit for deficit...(MORE)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gov. Gray Davis, a longtime political centrist, appealed aggressively Saturday to his Democratic base, hoping to cast the upcoming campaign in sharply partisan terms to survive California's first statewide recall election.

Davis made his second trip in three...(MORE)

Los Angeles -- Supporters of Gov. Gray Davis suffered two legal defeats Friday in their efforts to slow or even prevent a recall election from moving forward this fall as the increasingly bitter battle moves from streetside petition drives to...(MORE)

WASHINGTON -- Green Party gubernatorial candidate Peter Camejo bristles when called a "spoiler" for deciding to run on the recall ballot to replace Gov. Gray Davis. By adding his name, Camejo undermines the Democratic position that only Republicans want Davis...(MORE)

AN FRANCISCO, July 18 — Eight months after California Republicans suffered one of their most humiliating statewide elections, the party's traditionally warring wings are striving to put aside their differences and take advantage of the recall drive against Gov. Gray...(MORE)

County registrars across California are checking recall petitions so quickly that the state is headed for an election before November on the fate of Gov. Gray Davis.

Absent court intervention or delays by the secretary of state, the balloting will be...(MORE)

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe predicted Thursday that no Democrat would run to replace Gov. Gray Davis in a recall election, and said party leaders throughout the country are organizing to support the governor.

McAuliffe, speaking at a downtown Los...(MORE)

Everyone assumes that when California voters decide whether to recall Gov. Gray Davis, they'll also be deciding who would succeed him if, in fact, he is ousted.

However, two words in the state constitution -- "if appropriate" -- introduce another bizarre...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES – A judge dealt a setback yesterday to opponents of Gov. Gray Davis' recall when he declined to hold a hearing on their lawsuit before the earliest possible deadline for scheduling a recall vote.

"I'm not convinced that the...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — As county registrars scrambled Wednesday to update their count of signatures on the petition for a gubernatorial recall election, Gov. Gray Davis accused his foes of illegally importing out-of-state workers to "hijack" California's government.

The governor's accusations echoed a...(MORE)

Elections officials in the 10 counties with the most recall petition signatures are finding the vast majority are valid, making it likely that the measure to unseat Gov. Gray Davis will qualify for the ballot.

Random sampling of one-third of the...(MORE)

Sacramento -- Supporters of Gov. Gray Davis say the recall campaign against him is tainted because two convicted felons illegally collected signatures on recall petitions.

But those same petition circulators, an uncle and niece team from Arizona, ended up working...(MORE)

A majority of voters in a statewide survey say they would remove Gov. Gray Davis if a recall election were held now against the unpopular second-term Democrat.

The nonpartisan Field Poll released Tuesday found likely California voters would recall Davis,...(MORE)

WASHINGTON – Confronted with the likelihood that Gov. Gray Davis will face a recall election, California's congressional Democrats are talking about uniting behind an alternative candidate on the recall ballot.

They are contemplating trying to enlist a prominent Democrat who could...(MORE)

If history and the emerging defense of besieged Gov. Gray Davis hold true, don't count on the governor to stake his political life on rosy TV ads extolling his record.

Just after leaders of the recall-Davis campaign declared Monday that they...(MORE)

Gray Davis, likely the first California governor to face a recall election, desperately needs the state fiscal crisis to disappear, but his popularity -- and credibility -- have plummeted to such low levels that the more he tries to win...(MORE)

Supporters of Gov. Gray Davis said they will file a lawsuit today to stop a recall election against the unpopular Democrat until thousands of men and women who collected voter signatures in support of a recall can be investigated for...(MORE)

Republicans looking to replace Gov. Gray Davis agree it would be better to have a single candidate in a likely recall vote, but they have very different ideas about who that person should be.

"We're more than happy if (Republican...(MORE)

A small faction of Republicans pushing to recall Gov. Gray Davis broke from the main groups behind the effort Thursday and filed a lawsuit seeking court intervention to speed up the counting of signatures on the petition for a special...(MORE)

Washington -- California's state Republican chairman threw his party's all-out support behind the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis for the first time on Wednesday and said party leaders will try to get all but one of the potential GOP...(MORE)

Kevin Shelley is under pressure from a lot of people these days, but he says the only person he owes is his wife.

When she gave birth to their first child in November 2001, he hit the road to run for...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Strategists for Gray Davis conceded Tuesday that a recall election was likely and moved into full campaign mode, expressing confidence that they could convince voters not to oust the unpopular governor.

Even as they mobilized, however, Davis advisors also...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - Allies of Gov. Gray Davis are quietly exploring whether the steamrolling recall campaign might be vulnerable to a court challenge that could derail -- or at least delay -- the historic election.

The step comes after the apparent failure...(MORE)

East Bay elections officials are planning for an increasingly likely fall recall election that will cost taxpayers statewide an estimated $35 million to $45 million.

Backers of petition drives to oust Gov. Gray Davis plan to submit the last of about...(MORE)

Thank You, Ted! Now that the signature gathering effort has concluded, Rescue California wants to congratulate Recall Proponent Ted Costa, as well as Tony Andrate and the entire crew at the Davis Recall Committee, for making history by starting the...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO -- Leaders of a campaign to oust Gov. Gray Davis ended their signature drive Monday, saying they had gathered more than enough to put the Democratic governor's fate in the hands of voters in what would be California's first...(MORE)

California Democrats, from Gov. Gray Davis on down, are gearing up for a historic recall battle they now admit is inevitable.

"If the people want me to present my credentials one more time, I have no fear of the electorate,"...(MORE)

Organizers of a campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis shut down their paid signature-gathering effort Monday, saying they have enough voter signatures to trigger what would be a historic election to remove a sitting California governor.

It took most of the...(MORE)

If California's chief executive faces a recall election, he could pile some blame on a newly transplanted Missourian and a bunch of bused-in Arizonans.

But Gov. Gray Davis would have no beef with William Byrd from Seattle.

"We need your help to...(MORE)

Tragedy struck the day Ted Costa sat in his Citrus Heights kitchen and drafted papers aimed at hurling Gov. Gray Davis from the political ejector seat.

It was Saturday morning, Feb. 1, and images of space shuttle Columbia disintegrating over Texas...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES -- The drive to recall him is nearly unprecedented, but Gov. Gray Davis has turned to a familiar formula to fight it.

Just as he did when he became governor in 1998 and won re-election last year, the...(MORE)

They call Darrell Issa a thug.

They draw on 30-year-old scrapes with the law involving stolen cars and guns.

They say he would roll back abortion rights and fill California with assault weapons.

Last week they implied, based on his campaign once appearing...(MORE)

WASHINGTON — The marathon Medicare overhaul negotiations in Congress had dragged on for hours, and several committee members wandered off for fresh air and sustenance. At 9:30 p.m., finally ready for a vote, aides took a head count and realized...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES, July 4 — California officials were meeting through the holiday weekend to try to address the state's $38 billion budget shortfall and an imminent reduction in the state's already low credit rating.

Gov. Gray Davis vowed to resist a...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - What do you do when you're the governor of the state with the largest deficit in the nation, and you can't get legislators to agree on how to pay for it?

You mingle with the public and you do...(MORE)

The drive to recall Gov. Gray Davis is hurtling toward the ballot, creating the nation's wildest political spectacle since the 2000 presidential election standoff in Florida.

The recall is not only hot political news, it is hot entertainment news, headlined by...(MORE)

Voting officials in California counties have received about 695,000 signatures supporting the recall of Gov. Gray Davis, according to a tally of results compiled Thursday by The Times.

If verified as the valid signatures of registered voters, they would represent about...(MORE)

Amid rising public concern over the state's fiscal breakdown, a majority of California voters supports the removal of Gov. Gray Davis in a special recall election, a Los Angeles Times poll has found.

If the election were held today, 51% of...(MORE)

Backers of the landmark drive to recall Gov. Gray Davis plan to wrap up their efforts over the holiday weekend, confident they have collected enough signatures to force California's first-ever election to oust its governor.

"Our committee will be done...(MORE)

The activists who are trying to recall Gov. Gray Davis from office said Wednesday they had turned in enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, and predicted they will surpass their goal of 1.2 million signatures by next week.

Sacramento anti-tax...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO – Two Wall Street rating services said yesterday that they may downgrade California's credit rating again, prompting Gov. Gray Davis to warn that bondholders' investments could be hurt by a lengthy state budget deadlock.

Standard & Poor's Rating Services and...(MORE)

The University of California might need to boost student fees by as much as 30% for the coming school year and curtail future enrollment growth because of likely state budget cuts, UC President Richard C. Atkinson said Wednesday.

If the full...(MORE)

A group created by organized labor to derail a recall against Gov. Gray Davis on Tuesday showed a willingness to play hardball politics when it attempted to indirectly link a Republican congressman financing the recall campaign to Nazi sympathizers.

At a...(MORE)

An opinion handed down Monday by California elections officials raised the prospect that a recall campaign against Gov. Gray Davis will go to a courtroom before it gets to the voting booth.

In a letter released late in the day, the...(MORE)

Last year's Green Party candidate for governor announced Monday that he will jump into the race to replace Gov. Gray Davis if a Republican-led recall campaign qualifies for the ballot.

At the same time, the San Diego-area congressman leading the recall...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Arguing furiously as the end of the fiscal year approached, California legislators failed yet again Monday to agree on a solution to California's budget crisis, blowing through an important deadline after a day dominated by frustration and finger-pointing.

Afterward,...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES -- Any day now, community colleges here may begin telling faculty members that they cannot be paid and students that summer classes are canceled.

Nursing homes are losing so much state aid that many soon may have to shut...(MORE)

Phillip Porter hooks them in fast with a toothy smile, a cheery "You registered to vote?" and a quick cock of the head toward the "Recall Davis" sign on his table in front of the River Park Target store. If he...(MORE)

Sacramento -- When the 2000 presidential election melted down in Florida, Democrats were admittedly exhausted, caught off guard and outmaneuvered by Republicans. Now, Democrats are applying the lessons they learned 3,000 miles away to the potential recall of Gov. Gray...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis' fate may be determined by, of all people, Ward Connerly.

If a recall election is held this fall, the question of whether Davis should be removed won't be the only the issue voters decide. Right alongside it will...(MORE)

WASHINGTON – For a man who wants to be California's governor, Rep. Darrell Issa professes to know little about topics – gun control and abortion, for example – that have roiled state politics for decades.

In an interview last week, Issa...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - One of the cardinal rules of politics is to know how to count.

A politician must be able to marshal votes to pass laws and to calculate how much cash he needs to win the next campaign.

As the victor...(MORE)

Washington -- The state's 33 Democratic House members appealed Friday to Californians to oppose the recall of Gov. Gray Davis by not signing petitions for the ballot measure.

The Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco,...(MORE)

Sitting at a card table outside a Thousand Oaks office building, state Assembly candidate Mike Robinson queried passers-by in the rapid-fire staccato of a mulish machine gun.

"Recall Davis?" "Recall Davis?" "Recall Davis?"

"Sure, I want to be counted," said...(MORE)

Sacramento -- Opponents of the move to recall Gov. Gray Davis are asking their supporters to intimidate signature gatherers and complain of harassment at stores where recall petitions are circulating, stepping up the political battle taking place in front of...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO – Backers of the campaign to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis from office say they have collected nearly 900,000 signatures - the minimum needed to qualify for the ballot - and plan a victory celebration on July 4 in...(MORE)

Big news from the Secretary of State’s office on the recall. According to a spokesman, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley has interpreted the law to say that county registrars need only be verifying the signatures they received by June 16....(MORE)

OAKLAND, Calif. - Democrats outnumber Republicans 3 to 1 here, but even in this city there's no assurance the party faithful will help rescue Governor Gray Davis from the possible ignominy of being the first California governor to face a...(MORE)

Backers of the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis are roughly 40% of the way to gathering enough signatures to force an election in November, with about three weeks to go, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley reported Tuesday.

Recall supporters had...(MORE)

Democratic presidential contender Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Tuesday in a Bay Area stop that recalling Gov. Gray Davis is "not the way for government to be run," but he did not commit to fighting the recall, should it reach voters.

His...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO – The state officially notified some 1,500 Highway Patrol employees - including 370 uniformed officers - that they could face layoffs after Oct. 31 because of California's unprecedented budget shortage.

"Our hope is that it can be worked out," CHP...(MORE)

Sacramento -- The recall campaign against Gov. Gray Davis has collected almost half of the signatures needed to qualify the measure for the ballot, county elections officials reported, as the deadline for organizers to prove themselves quickly approaches.

The Davis...(MORE)

With the drive to oust him scrambling the state's political landscape, Gov. Gray Davis is mounting a campaign to shift voters' focus from himself to the Republicans who want to kick him out of office.

In a CNN interview on Monday,...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis has portrayed himself as a victim of the national recession, noting that governors in other states also are facing monumental budget deficits and tough choices on taxes and spending.

But Davis is suffering far more.

The Democratic governor's approval...(MORE)

lieutenant governor calls it an "expensive perversion" of the recall process. The state treasurer describes it as an "odious use" of the system.

One after another, at the urging of labor leaders who support the governor, five of Davis' fellow Democratic...(MORE)

The freshly minted "Issa for governor" placards wave, the new bumper stickers and campaign buttons are blooming, and GOP Rep. Darrell Issa bounds onto the podium to the rhythms of "Happy Days Are Here Again."

It wasn't supposed to happen...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — The Davis administration tripled the state vehicle license fee Friday, sending Republican legislators scrambling to mount legal challenges to stop the increase and ballot initiatives to abolish the tax altogether.

The increase will cost the average driver $158 more...(MORE)

WASHINGTON – The economy was in the tank. The state budget was in the red. Republicans were fed up.

So they launched an ambitious drive to recall the governor.

This, of course, sounds much like the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis.

Except...(MORE)

Ingardia Brothers Produce in Costa Mesa paid almost $21,000 in vehicle license fees in 2002 for 42 delivery trucks.

Tripling the payment to $63,000 makes co-owner Sam Ingardia laugh.

"All of a sudden. Wow. No wonder there's a possible recall against...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — The day many California drivers have dreaded is about to arrive: The Davis administration is expected to triple the state's vehicle license fee by administrative order as early as today, generating billions of dollars to help close California's...(MORE)

For Sandra West, it was an easy sell.

The Coronado homemaker spotted the Gov. Gray Davis recall table on her way into Home Depot, made a detour, grabbed a pen and signed eagerly.

"It just seems he has his hand in the...(MORE)

We live in a remarkable moment when technology is turning the impossible into the commonplace. Just as computers and the Internet have transformed the way we shop, communicate and work, it is a matter of time before these innovations transform...(MORE)

CONTRA COSTA ELECTION officials have boosted the Gray Davis recall campaign's claim that the signature-gathering effort is being carefully conducted.

Only registered voters' signatures count. So, recall backers said, they were at first slow to turn in signatures because they were...(MORE)

WASHINGTON - Born along with the initiative and referendum processes in the early 20th century, the recall was designed to help California voters fight back against widespread political corruption.

But the rare times it has succeeded, it has often been a...(MORE)

Desperate times can breed unique tactics. It's happened before with Gov. Gray Davis and it appears to be happening again.

In the winter of 2002, Davis realized that moderate Republican Richard Riordan, the former mayor of Los Angeles, stood a...(MORE)

Four high-ranking California Democrats on Tuesday ruled out candidacies to replace Gov. Gray Davis midterm if a Republican-led effort to recall him proceeds to an election.

The public statements by Treasurer Phil Angelides, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Controller Steve Westly and...(MORE)

DEL MAR - Dressed in a gaudy shirt and fluorescent green shorts, Ron Piper works the supermarket sidewalk like a circus barker, zipping off one-liners that lure in voter after voter:

``Shame on Gray Davis for slashing our schools: Sign the...(MORE)

A proposal by Gov. Gray Davis to boost the fees paid by truck owners is pitting the industry, which says truckers will be driven out of the state, against budget officials, who say the increased revenue is needed to keep...(MORE)

The Orange County Republican Party billed its banquet Saturday night in Costa Mesa as a salute to Flag Day, but the star speaker, Darrell Issa, bounded to the stage and quipped, "This is the farewell party for Gray Davis, isn't...(MORE)

The first sign a recall campaign against Gov. Gray Davis could affect California public policy came last month, when the term-limited Democrat dramatically adjusted his budget plan.

Once adamant about no deficit spending, Davis was prepared to finance billions in debt...(MORE)

WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of thousands of Californians are signing petitions to kick Democratic Governor Gray Davis out of office, spurred on by a campaign bankrolled by a Republican congressman who wants to take his place. Representative Darrell Issa, a conservative...(MORE)

Edna Records says she doesn't like Gov. Davis. So when the recall petition arrived in the mail, the Yucaipa resident signed it and brought it to church.

"Everyone there was willing to sign," said Records, a retired state worker and...(MORE)

Not long ago, the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis could easily be dismissed as a shot in the dark, given fund-raising and signature-gathering difficulties and a general sense that other issues were of more pressing importance. After all, the...(MORE)

Costa Mesa, Orange County -- Hitting the streets to personally solicit support for the recall of Gov. Gray Davis, Rep. Darrell Issa officially launched his own gubernatorial bid Saturday, telling Republicans to unite behind one candidate and stress "the economy,...(MORE)

California's labor market deteriorated sharply in May as the state's employers shed 21,500 jobs — even as the rest of the nation combined gained jobs, according to government data released Friday.

The cutbacks were felt across a wide spectrum of the...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Californians seeking the ouster of Gov. Gray Davis barraged some of the state's biggest corporations this week with hundreds of e-mails to protest the companies' involvement in a group that opposes the recall campaign.

Hundreds of e-mails and phone...(MORE)

California's teetering workers' compensation system will collapse by January if major reform is not enacted by the Legislature this year, State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi said Friday at a town hall meeting in Ventura.

"It's imploding as we speak," Garamendi...(MORE)

A majority of likely California voters support removing Gray Davis from office, according to a new statewide poll that will boost the campaign to oust the beleaguered governor.

The first public survey taken since the rapidly accelerating recall effort received a...(MORE)

Sacramento--I got one of those phone calls from an irate reader. This reader I'd just written about: Gov. Gray Davis.

I'd written Monday about the governor's dearth of leadership in the Capitol's budget calamity. Davis seemed to be shying away from...(MORE)

WASHINGTON – Rep. Darrell Issa is staking his political reputation and future on the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis.

"If I cannot make this recall a success in a timely fashion so that we have a fall election, then I...(MORE)

WASHINGTON – Rep. Darrell Issa is staking his political reputation and future on the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis.

"If I cannot make this recall a success in a timely fashion so that we have a fall election, then I...(MORE)

Elk Grove, Sacramento County -- Mike Todd says there is something "viral" about the work collecting signatures to oust Gov. Gray Davis from office.

It spreads and multiplies on Internet chat rooms and conservative talk radio, outside the sliding doors...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES - Abortion rights supporters said Tuesday that fighting the Republican-led campaign to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis has eclipsed the state's upcoming U.S. Senate race as their top political priority.

In a series of news conferences organized by Davis...(MORE)

On the 12th floor of the Elks Temple building in downtown Sacramento, in a three-room suite of dingy offices with a view of the Capitol dome, about a dozen young Republican operatives, most from UC Davis, are opening mail all...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES - Republican Rep. Darrell Issa has contributed another $200,000 to the campaign to recall Gray Davis, the Democrat he wants to replace as governor, according to records posted on the California secretary of state's Web site Monday.

The latest...(MORE)

The infusion of $650,000 into the campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis by a Republican congressman from North County has political analysts exploring the implications of a potential first-of-a-kind election in California. All previous attempts to recall governors failed. ...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO--The most comical scene in the Capitol this year was at Gov. Gray Davis' announcement of his May budget revision.

I mention this now because the episode was then — and unfortunately continues to be — indicative of the governor's dearth...(MORE)

Sacramento -- Jim Temple's 12-employee Novato auto shop, family owned since 1951, just lost more than $24,000 when his insurance premiums to cover workplace injuries doubled to more than $48,000.

Temple, whose shop hasn't had an increase in injuries, says...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO -- As Republicans wage what appears to be the most-plausible effort to recall a governor in California history, Democratic supporters of Gray Davis steel themselves to make a risky all-or-nothing bet.

Former state Sen. Art Torres, head of the...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO -- For the first time in California history, cities and counties soon may have the state's blessing to impose their own income taxes. Worker wages currently can be taxed only by the state and federal governments, but legislation to expand...(MORE)

Organizers of the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis said Thursday that they had gathered more than 400,000 signatures statewide as of midweek, roughly a third of the total they need to make the ballot in the fall. ...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Wall Street bond ratings released Thursday cleared the way for state government to borrow $11 billion and hobble through summer without going broke — but they also contained fine print that lawmakers were advised to consider.

The message: Get...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - California, one of the last holdouts against a multistate nationwide campaign to collect more sales taxes from online shoppers, would finally join their efforts under a bill passed Wednesday by the state Senate.

The Senate voted 25-13 to make...(MORE)

Sacramento -- There is an easy way to tell when the heavyweight political season begins in California: Jerry Perenchio writes another check.

After donating $5 million to Democrats and Republicans during the last election year, the president of the Spanish-language...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES

The Republican-led campaign to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis has rapidly gained cash and credibility, but it has failed to pick up support from top GOP officials, business leaders or donors.

Some of these people fear the recall could hurt...(MORE)

When warmer-than-expected temperatures prompted California's energy grid operators to declare a power alert last week, they quickly stressed that the warning was not a harbinger of things to come.

Unlike in 2000 and 2001, when the state was mired in an...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - In an unusual public complaint, two state prison investigators alleged Monday that the administration of Gov. Gray Davis is trying to shut down their unit because they aggressively pursued charges of misconduct against prison guards.

The agents contend the...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES

Peter Camejo, who ran for governor as the Green Party candidate in November, said Monday he plans to run again if the Republican-led campaign to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis makes it to the ballot.

Camejo, 63, who heads a...(MORE)

LOS ANGELES

Peter Camejo, who ran for governor as the Green Party candidate in November, said Monday he plans to run again if the Republican-led campaign to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis makes it to the ballot.

Camejo, 63, who heads a...(MORE)

While deepening budget woes have sparked spirited partisan debate in statehouses across America, California is in a class by itself in the refusal of lawmakers to transcend their partisan differences and solve the state's financial problems.

Almost six months after Democratic...(MORE)

Seven months after he won reelection in what could have been the final race of his career, Gov. Gray Davis is mounting yet another statewide campaign — this time to crush a drive by Republicans to recall him from office.

Davis...(MORE)

GOV. DARRELL ISSA. When we elect a governor or president, we must adjust to the new name behind the familiar title. If Democrats and Republicans stay on their current paths, we could be re-tuning our ears soon.

Although the odds are...(MORE)

Even as Gov. Gray Davis tries to negotiate a historic budget deal with Republicans, several GOP lawmakers are actively supporting an organized recall campaign that would remove him from office.

Assemblyman John Campbell, R-Irvine, vice chairman of the Budget Committee,...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis included more money for transportation in his revised May budget plan than he originally proposed in January, and officials credit organized labor's influence for the increase.

Under the Davis budget, the state would still defer --...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - As Democrats crank up a campaign to defeat the recall of Gov. Gray Davis, they face internal chaos because the party's other statewide officeholders are unwilling to rule out appearing on the same ballot.

Two months ago, Art Torres,...(MORE)

State Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-El Cajon, yesterday said the state's workers' compensation crisis may get worse before it gets better.

"We're headed for a meltdown," Hollingsworth said at a forum on the crisis at Grossmont College. "I'm afraid that this will...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — With the deadline to approve California's budget only weeks away, a Republican lawmaker involved in talks over how to close the state's shortfall has donated $10,000 to the campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis.

Assemblyman John Campbell of Irvine,...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - California, the land of movie sequels and second chances, is moving toward a remake of last November's election -- with a new nail-biting twist.

The Republican drive to recall Gov. Gray Davis, which once seemed impossibly far-fetched, has suddenly...(MORE)

Every once in awhile, the citizens of the United States find the courage to stand together and take back control of their government. Such an event is now happening in California.

Thanks to the initial efforts of Ted Costa, leader...(MORE)

After months of downplaying a campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis in the midst of a state fiscal crisis, supporters of California's unpopular second-term Democrat are taking the effort seriously.

A consortium of organized labor, firefighters, teachers, environmentalists and religious leaders...(MORE)

Sacramento -- Just like the NBA, budget negotiations in Sacramento have two seasons - - and the playoffs begin this week.

A $95 billion spending plan is supposed to percolate up out of state Assembly committees as early as today,...(MORE)

Darrell Issa's campaign to recall Gray Davis and replace him as California's governor seemed to come from the blue. Only a few confidants knew the truth.

In mid-April, after the U.S. attack on Iraq, Issa, a junior Republican congressman from the...(MORE)

Ten years after the passage of landmark legislation meant to fix California's troubled workers' compensation system, the $15-billion industry is in turmoil.

The system is so broken that the state finds itself in a perverse predicament: Employers in California pay more...(MORE)

Everyone is talking about California's $38 billion budget gap. But the state has another shortfall that's even bigger: the leadership deficit.

Gov. Gray Davis just might be the weakest chief executive in recent history. He is a genius at reflecting...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — A company controlled by Rep. Darrell Issa has donated nearly $450,000 to an effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis, a filing made public Friday shows.

Political aides to the Vista Republican said earlier this month that Issa planned to...(MORE)

For a 24-year-old salesman without a full-time job, Marcus Hicks has found a pretty good way to make ends meet.

As serious shoppers got a jump-start Friday on Memorial Day sales, Hicks was raking in at least $30 an hour, 75...(MORE)

Citing the state budget crisis, the University of California has enacted a last-minute fee increase for UC students attending summer school.

At UC-Berkeley, 8,000 students who already had registered for summer classes and paid their fees learned Friday that they will...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO—The failure of state lawmakers to close California's historic budget gap is about to exact a hefty price:

Taxpayers should expect to pay up to $271.6 million in interest and fees — enough to build 35 elementary schools or pay 5,000...(MORE)

Though California's energy crisis has passed, a Bay Area business group released a study Thursday saying that electricity shortages could return in a few years if the state does not invest in its power infrastructure and develop a cohesive energy...(MORE)

Nearly four years ago, Gov. Gray Davis signed a little-noticed piece of legislation that allowed state agencies, cities and counties to boost the retirement benefits of their employees, particularly peace officers and firefighters.

Now that law, debated for only a few...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — Faced with record-low approval ratings, a recall movement and entrenched legislative opposition to his budget, Gov. Gray Davis campaigned Wednesday for his spending plan at a town hall meeting of nearly 200 Californians moderated by ABC news anchor...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis, chastising a Republican congressman funding an effort to oust him from office, said Tuesday that the recall movement against him is a misplaced use of the constitutional replacement procedure.

In an interview with The Bee editorial board, Davis...(MORE)

Big surprise. Another crisis has unfolded on Gov. Gray Davis' watch, and instead of leading, he once again punted the ball down the field. His latest "solution" to a budget deficit projected to be as high as $38 billion is...(MORE)

State Treasurer Phil Angelides took issue Monday with Gov. Gray Davis' proposal to raise the sales tax to pay off part of the state's deficit, saying voters would be more likely to support higher taxes if they were invested in...(MORE)

Sacramento -- The budget plan released last week by Gov. Gray Davis "precariously" balances for one year and then dooms the state to $7 billion-plus deficits in each of the next five years, according to a review issued Monday by...(MORE)

Numerology is the pseudoscience that seeks occult meanings in numbers, but one needn't be an adherent to find significance in the recurring appearance of $8 billion in the state's budget crisis.

That was how much, more or less, Gov. Gray Davis...(MORE)

(SACRAMENTO): Rescue California today named several Honorary Chairs of the Rescue California-Recall Gray Davis committee. As Honorary Chairs, these community leaders will take an active role in the recall campaign. The following individuals were named today:

Senator Rico Oller –...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — With Gov. Gray Davis' proposed state spending plan on the table, leaders of both political parties are quietly searching for compromises that would secure a balanced budget before California runs out of cash.

So far, leading Republicans and Democrats...(MORE)

State and local officials have yet to realize how much their high-tax, high-regulation policies are hurting the business climate in California. Some businesses already have left and more are considering it. Here are some of the troubling signs we've been...(MORE)

The Lincoln Club of Orange County threw added heft behind a struggling effort to ask voters in November to recall Gov. Gray Davis, approving a $100,000 donation Friday and promising an additional $150,000 from its members.

The club includes some of...(MORE)

The grim task of formally notifying up to 10,000 workers that they might be laid off began Friday with private meetings between supervisors and employees throughout the California bureaucracy.

For the administration of Gov. Gray Davis, the face-to-face notification of workers...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO – The contentious state budget deal-making of the past two years produced long stalemates and endless Capitol speculation about which five Republicans were "gettable," would eventually be "in play" and who would ultimately "squish" - that is, vote for...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO -- A contentious cost-cutting move included in Gov. Gray Davis' revised budget could drop thousands of low-income Californians from the state-sponsored health insurance program simply by changing reporting requirements.

Although widely criticized by health care advocates as a cynical approach...(MORE)

Does Gray Davis ever lie awake at night wondering why he's the most disliked and mistrusted California governor in recorded history and is facing a potential recall election?

And if he does, does he have the intellectual honesty to admit to...(MORE)

One day after outlining his plan for the state's fiscal recovery, Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday accused Republican legislators of acting irresponsibly by refusing to support higher taxes to help close the state's $38.2-billion budget shortfall.

And the governor slammed as...(MORE)

Daddy Gray is taking my T-bird away. My Lexus, my Ford Focus, you name it.

If Gov. Gray Davis' budget passes, the warranty expires on the all- important automotive portion of the California Dream. Davis wants to increase the already...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis on Wednesday offered a revised plan for coping with a state budget deficit that now tops $38 billion, saying he sought to accommodate all sides to get a spending plan on time and avoid an even greater...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Gray Davis on Wednesday offered a revised budget blueprint that jettisons some of the most controversial proposals in his initial plan, relying instead on a hefty car tax increase and billions in borrowing. But his handiwork may...(MORE)

During California's electricity crisis in 2001, other states came calling on businesses with glow-in-the-dark mouse pads promising to "never leave you in the dark."

For the most part, California companies turned a cold shoulder.

"They said, 'We've dealt with earthquakes and floods....(MORE)

SACRAMENTO – California's vehicle-license fees will be increased sharply as part of the plan Gov. Gray Davis will release today to cover the state budget shortfall.

Assemblyman John Campbell, R-Irvine, the vice chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, said Tuesday he...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - When Gov. Gray Davis unveils his revised budget today he is expected to recommend borrowing at least $10 billion to close a record deficit -- and paying it off by temporarily raising the sales tax by one-half cent.

The...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — When Gov. Gray Davis unveils his revised state budget Wednesday, it will include a $4-billion increase in the license fee required of California drivers and continued support for a program to help students get more attention from their...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis is set to unveil a major overhaul of his budget plan Wednesday that will rely on borrowing to roll part of the state's massive deficit into future years and raising the sales tax a half-cent to repay...(MORE)

History happened last week, but if you didn't have your radio tuned to a select few talk hosts in California – you heard nothing about it!

Last Monday, May 5, the combined efforts of the state's two main recall organizations...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO- More bad news is expected to roll out of the governor's office this week as the Davis administration releases its revised budget proposal.

Gov. Gray Davis declined late last week to share any details about the new spending plan, which...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO - Despite the worst financial crisis in over a decade, California has nearly 20,000 more full-time state employees than it did four years ago, when Gov. Gray Davis took office.

That's an 11 percent increase in the work force. Even...(MORE)

Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of San Diego County, who delivered a $100, 000 check Friday to support the effort to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, may as early as next week take the first formal steps to run for governor...(MORE)

May 10, 2003

Leaders of California's two state university systems, who were set to approve education fee increases topping 20% next week, withdrew those proposals Friday because they said they might need to impose even bigger hikes.

Officials with the University of...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO – Californians would pay an additional half-cent on the dollar in sales tax under one budget-balancing scenario contained in Gov. Gray Davis' internal administration documents.

The tax increase - which in Orange County would bump the sales tax to 8.25...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO — The Davis administration has drafted plans to create a new state authority that would issue bonds to help bail California out of its budget troubles and then increase the sales tax by half a cent to repay those...(MORE)

SACRAMENTO -- A rich Republican made good Tuesday on plans to financially back the recall bid against Gov. Gray Davis, making an election more likely and deepening the quandary of Davis' fellow Democrats over perhaps opposing him, analysts said. The...(MORE)

Advisers to Rep. Darrell Issa said Monday that the wealthy Republican congressman and gubernatorial hopeful has agreed to put up enough "seed money" to begin the professional signature-gathering effort deemed necessary to wage a successful recall effort against Gov. Gray...(MORE)

The effort launched last year to recall Gov. Gray Davis has fallen into the "and yet" category.

Nearly every political professional in the state dismisses the campaign -- being mounted by an anti-tax crusader and a political consultant whose candidate lost...(MORE)

Controller Steve Westly announced Friday that the state had received about what was predicted in income tax revenue last month, but increased spending could add more to the budget deficit.

California collected $8.2 billion in taxes in April, only 0.9...(MORE)

Gov. Gray Davis' popularity has plummeted to a record low among California voters, showing that he would be in serious trouble if the effort to recall him gets on the ballot, according to a new Field Poll.

More than two-thirds...(MORE)