Perata pulls plug on bid to recall Denham

Citing the prospects of another lengthy state budget stalemate, state Senate leader Don Perata on Wednesday dropped his recall campaign of Sen. Jeff Denham – a development that surprised even Denham.

Perata launched the recall after the Atwater Republican angered him during last year's 53-day state budget stalemate when Denham joined his GOP colleagues in voting against the spending plan.

At a late-afternoon news conference on the steps of the Capitol, Perata said he decided not to pursue the recall because of the state's worsening financial condition.

California faces a deficit that has been estimated at $16 billion to $20 billion for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Perata, D-Oakland, said he was swayed by a conversation he had with state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, "who said that you all don't have a whole lot of time this year (to agree on a budget) because we're going to be broke."

The Senate president pro tem said he made his decision after meeting Wednesday with Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill of Modesto.

"I told him I had come to a decision that it would seem to me to be destructive to continue the recall while at the same time he and I were going to sit down with our counterparts in the Assembly and in seven weeks try to put together a budget," Perata said.

In a telephone interview, Denham said Perata's decision – which he learned about from reporters – was "certainly a surprise, but a welcomed surprise."

"I'm glad that Don has come to his senses," Denham said. "I think he saw we had tremendous support in the district, from Republicans and Democrats, newspaper editorials and our (poll) numbers."

Asked whether he believed Perata's explanation, Denham said, "I'm not necessarily concerned about what his spin is. I'm more concerned about working on the budget and reaching an agreement on time."

During a meeting this week with The Bee, Cogdill called the recall a "major distraction" and a "blatant attempt at a power grab."

Senate Democrats hold a 25-15 majority, two votes shy of being able to pass a budget and raise taxes without a Republican vote – a goal Perata conceded he had in mind.

Denham's 12th Senate District stretches from Stanislaus County to Merced and across the coastal range to Monterey. With more registered Democrats (46 percent) than Republicans (36 percent), it was an inviting recall target.

The recall campaign received $300,000 from the Democratic Party and from committees linked to Perata to gather signatures to put the issue on the ballot. The campaign also made a $1.4 million media buy in recent days.

While the Denham campaign said polls indicated the recall was losing, Perata said he believed the effort would have succeeded.

"I wouldn't have gotten into this if I didn't think it could have," he said. "I didn't use a lot of people's money for an ego trip."

Perata said he still believed the recall was justified, "except the (state's financial condition) is getting worse."

"There was no quid pro quo," he said of his conversation with Cogdill. "I didn't ask for anything. I just told him that I did not believe that this kind of politics, cast against the huge problem that we're having in this state, made a lot of sense."

In a prepared statement, Cogdill lauded "the wisdom of Senator Perata in making this decision."

"This eliminates an unnecessary distraction in an already contentious budget year," Cogdill said. "This will allow us to focus on doing what voters expect from us: achieving a balanced, responsible budget."

Even after Wednesday's announcement, the recall will remain on the June 3 ballot. County election officials already have begun sending vote-by-mail ballots that include the recall.

Monterey County Supervisor Simon Salinas, a former Democratic assemblyman, is the only replacement candidate on the ballot running to succeed Denham.

Kevin Spillane, a spokesman for Denham, called on the recall campaign to "take concrete action" to suspend its campaign, such as taking down lawn signs.

But Perata said that by suspending its efforts four weeks before the election, the campaign was effectively pulling the plug.

"It's like a tree falling in the forest and nobody's there," he said.

About the writer:

• Call Aurelio Rojas, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5545.