# Californians: Who'll Enter The Recall? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 21, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909 "2003-07-21T13:58:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/41 "2003-07-27T16:56:34Z")
IANAL, but I think the recall section of California Constitution precludes Davis running in the replacement election in any form. > [@](#): > > The officer may not be a candidate, > nor shall there be any candidacy for an office filled pursuant to > subdivision (d) of Section 16 of Article VI. That last sentence refers to judges. The section on write-ins, which is in the Elections Code states that to be a write-in in California, you specifically have to state that you are a qualified write-in candidate. Elections Code > [@](#): > > 1. Every person who desires to be a write-in candidate and have > his or her name as written on the ballot of an election counted for a > particular office shall file: > (a) A statement of write-in candidacy that contains the following > information: > (1) Candidate’s name. > (2) Residence address. > (3) A declaration stating that he or she is a write-in candidate. > > (4) The title of the office for which he or she is running. > (5) The party nomination which he or she seeks, if running in a > primary election. > (6) The date of the election. > (b) The requisite number of signatures on the nomination papers, > if any, required pursuant to Sections 8062, 10220, 10510 or, in the > case of a special district not subject to the Uniform District > Election Law (Part 4 (commencing with Section 10500) of Division 10), > the number of signatures required by the principal act of the > district. None of those sections mentioned in (6)(b) refer to recalls however. Perhaps the people who wrote the recall law created a relatively easy way to qualify for the ballot in order to obviate the need for write-ins. Or maybe they just forgot. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/42 "2003-07-27T17:21:36Z")
Damn. Is it too late to have Davis just resign in favor of the Lieutenant Governor, and call off this whole stupid recall election? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/43 "2003-07-27T18:09:21Z")
It’s too late for Davis to resign. Once a recall election date is set, it still goes through. The only difference is that the lieutenant governor would act as governor until the election is over. If Davis resigns and the recall fails, the lieutenant governor then keeps the job for the rest of the term. Until he gives Issa a dirty look and the guys decides to drop a million on him and try to recall him. ---
**Author:** ![ElJeffe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ElJeffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElJeffe)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/44 "2003-07-28T19:14:27Z")
rjung: > [@](#): > > Of course, he did this largely by not playing the radical-right-party-line card, which is why he didn’t get the nomination last year, and why folks like ElJeffe won’t support him. Yes, until Riordan announces a platform based on beating the poor and elderly and strangling puppies, I refuse to support him. Is that along the lines of what you would like me to say? Governor Quinn: > [@](#): > > Announced Dems: Former Green Party Assemblywoman Audie Bock, a bunch of unknowns. > Possible Dems: St. Sen. Dean Florez, ex-Rep. Gary Condit. > Announced Reps: Rep. Darrell Issa, a bunch of unknowns. > Possible Reps: Philathropist Bill Simon, Ex-Mayor of LA RIchard Riordan, St. Sen. Tom McClintock, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. > Announced Rep? or Independent?: Ex-Rep. Mike Huffington. > Announed Green: Banker Peter Camejo. > Announced (?) Peace and Freedom: PI Jan B Tucker. > Announced AIP: Rancher Ron Gulke. > Probable Independents: Columnist Arrianna Huffington, talk show host Michael Wiener (Savage). Well, the official Dem line so far is that they won’t run a candidate against Davis. I don’t know if this is a mistake or not, politically speaking. There’s nothing wrong with opposing the recall - I was on the fence for quite awhile, though I’m grudgingly going to vote to recall - but the Dems’ refusal to endorse other Democratic candidates may be viewed as a tacit approval of Davis, rather than a wholesale disapproval of the recall. If so, I would expect a huge backlash against the party that continues to stand behind one of the worst governors in California history, and one that is almost universally reviled. As for the Pubs, a “source close to” Arnie this morning said that he won’t be running. A shame. Stoid: > [@](#): > > I’d vote for Schwarzenegger, I think, from what I’ve seen of the candidates and of Ahnuld, I think I’d be happiest with Ahnuld. He calls himself Republican, but many people who know him question why, since he’s more in line with Democratic thinking on many important issues. Conventional wisdom is that he’s a social liberal, and a fiscal conservative. Probably a little more socially liberal than I would like, but the fiscal issues are the ones that really matter to most people right now. As to generally stated concerns about recall after recall, I don’t expect that to happen. The recall laws have been in existence for some time, and this is the first time it’s been tried. Simply being disliked doesn’t seem to trigger a recall - you have to be so universally despised as to make the mind boggle. You need to be so slimy as to leave a trail of sludge behind you as you walk down the halls of the Capitol. We’ve had unpopular governors before, but never quite like this. I predict it will be some time before this is tried again. At least, I hope it will. Jeff ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/45 "2003-07-28T19:42:14Z")
Jeff: Actually there has been a recall effort for every governor in last (IIRC) 30 yrs. This is the only time there have been enough signatures to actually initiate the recall ballot. I agree 100% with your assessment of Arnold. But in the grand scheme of things, the Pubs really need to get someone in the CA gov’s position who can then run for president. Of the other possible Pub candidates, though, none are really presidential material. ---
**Author:** ![ElJeffe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ElJeffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElJeffe)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/46 "2003-07-28T19:58:55Z")
**John Mace** : You’re right, my bad. What I should have said was that, as far as I know, there has never before been a serious effort at the recall - you’re going to get a few yahoos clamoring for a recall no matter how good a governor we get, but it takes someone particularly “special” to get a good drive going like we’ve seen here. And of course I may be wrong again, here; for all I know, there may have been a time or two when the recall fell just shy of success, but the stuff I’ve been reading of late has led me to believe that this is a fairly unique occurence. And I agree whole-heartedly about the presidential bit. I’m still waiting for someone for whom the prospect of their being president doesn’t frighten me. Sadly, the GOP here is pathetically disorganized, and likely will be for some time. Well, sadly for conservatives, anyway. The libs are having a field day. Jeff ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/47 "2003-07-29T00:15:15Z")
California says that anyone elected in a recall election cannot be the subject of a recall until s/he has been in office for 90 days. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/48 "2003-07-29T00:57:12Z")
Jeff: Agreed. Simon was an embarasment in the last election. If that’s the best the GOP can do, then they deserve to lose. Don’t know much about Riorden, but Arnold seems to like him a lot. If he runs, I’ll give him a good look over. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/49 "2003-07-29T01:43:09Z")
Daniel Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee is reporting that Schwarzenegger won’t run. Which would open the door for Riordan. I can’t see people wanting to vote for Simon now when they wouldn’t do it in November. A different Republican would be needed I think for this idea to succeed. During the pro-recall rally I saw on C-SPAN, the various proponents were rallying the troops (about 1,000 people). State Senator Tom McClintock, who is a fiscal conservative in an extreme way, had some good points and then ended up blaming Davis for the fact that there is a lot of traffic now between Thousand Oaks (which he represents) and Los Angeles and that housing prices are high in California. Such problems have existed in California long before Davis was governor. And if anyone is going to solve them quickly, or if they are even able to be solved, is pretty hard to believe. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/50 "2003-07-29T16:34:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElJeffe \* > \*\* > Governor Quinn: > > Well, the official Dem line so far is that they won’t run a candidate against Davis. \*\* True, but that doesn’t mean that people won’t run anyway. Of the three people I listed of note, Bock’s ties with the Democratic Party are fairly dubious, Florez annoyed the Governor last year by probing into the Oracle contracts, and Condit, of course, has nothing to lose. I’ve seen Kathleen Connell (the former Controller) proposed as a candidate, but that strikes me as unlikely (she also was proposed as a Davis challenger in the 2002 Dem. primary). ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/51 "2003-07-30T05:14:30Z")
Connell is saying she’s out. Condit would be considered a joke. Schwarzenegger is almost out. Riordan’s wife doesn’t want him to run. The law that says you have to vote yes or no on the recall to vote in the replacement election was overruled. I was incorrect in stating that you cannot recall any official until that person has been in office for 90 days. That only applies to local officials. It does not apply to state officials. Any winner of a replacement election for Davis could have a recall effort mounted as soon as the election is certified. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/52 "2003-07-30T06:50:10Z")
I believe the state Supreme Court ruled today that you can skip the “Should the governor be recalled?” question, go straight to the “If the governor is recalled, who should replace him?” question, and have your votes counted. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/53 "2003-07-31T07:23:47Z")
The California Supreme Court is also going to hear a case about whether or not a replacement election has to be held. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/54 "2003-08-02T01:46:55Z")
Well, it appears that Larry Flynt (yes, _that_ Larry Flynt) is running as a Democrat, Rep. Elton Gallegly is running (he’s a Rep, for those who’ve never heard of him), and Arnold will announcce his decision tonight on “The Tonight Show” (he’ll probably say that he’s not running, and will endorse Riordan). ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/55 "2003-08-02T06:02:25Z")
Actually, Arnold is going to announce his decision on August 6th on the Tonight Show. I saw a story yesterday (damn, lost the cite) that over 200 people (282 sticks in my mind) have requested the papers for filing for candidacy for the recall. I’m picturing an 8-foot long ballot on Oct. 7. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/56 "2003-08-02T06:50:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*I believe the state Supreme Court ruled today that you can skip the “Should the governor be recalled?” question, go straight to the “If the governor is recalled, who should replace him?” question, and have your votes counted. \*\* That seems counter-productive to me. Wouldn’t that just allow the non-recallers to have a greater advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/57 "2003-08-02T14:25:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by squeegee \* > \*\*Actually, Arnold is going to announce his decision on August 6th on the Tonight Show. > \*\* He’s certainly taking his sweet time. The filing deadline’s August 9th. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/58 "2003-08-03T06:58:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Raygun99 \* > \*\*That seems counter-productive to me. Wouldn’t that just allow the non-recallers to have a greater advantage. \*\* I doubt there are a lot of people who will want to bother to come out to vote in the recall election, but not vote at all on the recall part. If you are opposed to the recall you will still want to vote “No.” This is just enfranchising people who don’t care if Davis remains as governor, but in case he isn’t want to vote for someone else. That is not likely to be a sizeable number of people. If over 300 candidates file, Los Angeles County would have to give each voter two cards to use on the old punchcard system that has to be brought out of retirement. A good site to read up on info about election law around the recall can be found at: [http://electionlaw.blogspot.com/](http://electionlaw.blogspot.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/59 "2003-08-04T04:25:44Z")
There are now around 250 candidates for Governor, and some important names still haven’t entered. The list is on [www.politics1.com](http://www.politics1.com). ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909/60 "2003-08-04T05:09:03Z")
Correction: more than 250 people (280+, last I’d checked) had requested paperwork for filing for the recall election from a CA county office. As of a couple of days ago, 10 people had filed papers to be on the ballot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californians-wholl-enter-the-recall/189909.md?page=4)