Group Seeks to Oust Nevada Governor

In Nevada, a group of activists and conservatives emboldened by California’s recall campaign and angered by Nevada’s record tax increases say they plan to seek the recall of Gov. Kenny Guinn, a Republican elected last year.

Members of the Committee to Recall Governor Guinn said Monday that they have more than 600 volunteers ready to circulate petitions and collect the 128,000-plus signatures needed to place the recall on the ballot.

“Guinn wrote the tax plan. He was the catalyst behind it, and we need to get rid of the catalyst,” said political consultant Tony Dane, a member of the group’s steering committee.

The committee is composed of Republicans and members of other conservative parties.

Guinn signed a bill that increases state taxes by $836 million over the next two years.

To succeed, the committee will have to obtain signatures from 128,109 voters, or 25% of those who cast ballots in the 2002 general election. The Nevada Constitution grants 90 days to gather the signatures, with the clock starting the day after the secretary of state’s office is notified.

If the signatures on recall petitions are verified, the secretary of state has 10 to 20 days to call for an election, which must be held within 30 days.

Candidates wishing to get on the special election ballot must obtain the same number of signatures required for a recall. Otherwise, any vacancy in the governor’s office would be filled by the lieutenant governor.

A Guinn spokesman said recent polls show the governor, who won a resounding victory in November, remains popular despite the tax increases.

In Nevada, no statewide recall effort has ever succeeded and no governor has ever been the subject of a recall, said state archivist Guy Rocha.

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The Other Austrian on the Oct. 7 Ballot

Christian Meister is the other Austrian in the California governor’s race.

But don’t confuse the 35-year-old Cal State Fullerton journalism student -- he also has a law enforcement and real estate background -- with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Meister is a write-in-candidate and a Democrat.

And he’s not impressed with the former Mr. Olympia’s “affluent lifestyle and connections to the Kennedy family, and his silence on issues important to the majority of Californians -- the low-income and the culturally diverse.”

Meister said that, if elected governor, he would be looking out for the interests of the “have-nots” -- the “people who make this country great.”

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X-Rated Videos, Thongs and a Film

Some of the 135 candidates on the Oct. 7 recall ballot have Web sites that promote their candidacy and offer, or have links to, sites promoting merchandise or services.

The Web site for sex film actress Mary Carey, the candidate whose platform includes taxing breast implants and making lap dances a tax-deductible business expense, has a link to buy copies of her X-rated videos.

Carlsbad author and candidate Warren Farrell’s site allows Web surfers to buy one of his books promoting male rights.

And an Internet search finds “Diff’rent Strokes” kid star and candidate Gary Coleman products, including “Gary, Not Gray” thong underwear.

Filmmaker Art Brown told the Press-Enterprise of Riverside he initially decided to run for governor to generate interest in his short film, which portrays a variety of ways to say a certain four-letter expletive.

“In terms of publicity and marketing, it’s genius. It’s nationwide. I can’t put an amount of value for what we’re getting,” Brown said.

Experts aren’t sure that mixing candidacy and commerce really works.

“If one of them happened to be in the roofing business and you needed a roof, you might say, ‘Well, I’ll give them a call,’ ” said David Mayers, a professor of management and finance at UC Riverside.