UPDATED AT 5:20 P.M. Secretary of State Debra Bowen today certified the fifth recall bid seeking to oust Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A group called Taxpayers United to Recall Governor Schwarzenegger -- headed by John D. Fusek of La Habra -- now has until Oct. 22 to obtain 1,041,530 valid voter signatures, or 12 percent of the electorate, to qualify the measure for the ballot.
It won't be easy. Gray Davis became the first California governor to be recalled in 2003, but four other recall drives against Schwarzenegger -- one in 2004, two in 2005 and one in 2008 -- have failed to obtain enough signatures to qualify.
The Taxpayers United group said in recall petitions that it wants to remove Schwarzenegger because "the governor worsened state finances by massively increasing state spending" and "raised taxes on struggling Californians."
UPDATE: Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear disputed claims of the recall petition.
McLear said the governor's revised budget plan increases state spending by 1.3 percent - "slower growth than under every California governor in recent history," including terms of Govs. Pete Wilson, George Deukmejian, Ronald Reagan, Jerry Brown and Pat Brown.
He also said general fund spending has increased by a rate slower than inflation and population growth since Schwarzenegger took over for Davis.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.