2003 STATE: CARVING A PATH FOR GOV. ARNOLD RECALL STRONG FROM THE WORD 'VOTE'.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Almost from the moment former Gov. Gray Davis was elected to his second term in November 2002 by a surprisingly close margin, the talk began.

Recall talk.

It was no different than discussions that had involved 30 of his predecessors over the years - with opponents talking about organizing a drive to seek to recall him for his policies.

And, there was no reason to believe it would go any further than being the dream of, this time, a small group of Republicans unhappy with the prospect of another four years of Davis.

``I'd been involved in a couple of these things and I didn't think it would go anywhere,'' political consultant Sal Russo said.

``In the '70s, with Jerry Brown, who a lot more people were upset with, there was talk of a recall, but it went nowhere because even Republicans believed a recall had to be for an extraordinary reason and no one felt they had that with Gray.''

Then, in mid-December, Russo heard anti-tax advocate Ted Costa talking about recall on talk radio - and he heard the public response.

``Even then, I have to say I was skeptical,'' Russo said. ``Then, some Democrats called me and invited me to lunch. They said they thought Davis could be recalled. I told them if it wasn't ideological it stood a chance. They encouraged me to go ahead, even though they couldn't be publicly identified.''

From that meeting, events snowballed.

Costa took out papers for the recall and Russo coordinated his efforts, with one part of the campaign being run out of San Diego by former Republican Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian.

``We were able to bring together the Internet and talk radio and tap into a sentiment unlike anything we had seen before,'' Russo said. ``There was a lot of anger toward Davis and people were looking for something.''

Signature collection was running even better than Russo had hoped - with requests coming in daily from throughout the state and people downloading the petition from the group's Internet page.

At that time, the recall was being given a lukewarm reception by Republican Party officials and office-holders. There was a mixed message from the White House, which believed President George W. Bush stood a better chance in California in 2004 with a weakened Democratic governor than a Republican grappling with state budget problems.

But, the drive had grabbed public attention.

With debate over the Iraqi invasion ebbing, talk radio seized on the recall with a vengeance - with daily debates fueling public sentiment.

Then, Rep Darrell Issa, R-Vista, entered the picture.

``We really didn't need him to qualify for the ballot, but he did help us get it done by July 4,'' Russo said.

What Issa did give the campaign was a legitimate, credible political voice that forced other GOP officials to come out in favor of the recall. And he bankrolled a substantial portion of the petition campaign.

After the signatures were submitted on July 4 and subsequently certified, the election took a whole new direction.

There were 135 candidates who filed to run to replace Davis, but as it turned out, only one would matter - actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

``Arnold gave this worldwide attention, no question about it,'' Russo said. ``But, the best thing that helped the recall was when (Lt. Gov. Cruz) Bustamante got in the race.

``When Bustamante got in, he destroyed the arguments Davis had (about the recall being a partisan effort) and he came up with a flawed strategy of asking people to oppose the recall, yet vote for him. What Arnold did do was elevate interest and bring out the casual voter we probably wouldn't have got otherwise,'' Russo said.

By the time the campaign was in the final weeks, Russo said he became convinced it was a juggernaut that could not be stopped.

``I'm not sure why it came together the way it did,'' Russo said. ``Part of it was Gray Davis. Part of it was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Part of it was the timing.

``There is this 12-year-itch theory of California politics where the people rise up against the establishment. You had that in 1966 with Ronald Reagan, in 1978 with Proposition 13 and 1990 with term limits. And now, this.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Embattled Gov. Gray Davis touches his heart and says goodbye at the Biltmore Hotel on Oct. 7 after the recall outcome becomes certain.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

(2) Arnold Schwarzenegger, the newly elected California governor, clasps hands with his wife, Maria Shriver, after victory is assured.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press