Davis Fights on Two Fronts as List of Challengers Grows

Even as he campaigned to save his job Friday, Gov. Gray Davis vowed to continue exploring legal means to derail the recall against him after the California Supreme Court declined to halt the Oct. 7 election.

Meanwhile, the uncertain field of hopefuls lining up to replace the Democratic governor grew even more unsettled, with former Republican congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Michael Huffington taking out papers for a potential run. His ex-wife, political commentator Arianna Huffington, is herself contemplating the race. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to delay a decision on whether to join the fray as he promoted his hit action movie, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” in Mexico City.

Davis, who has sought in recent days to portray himself in a more liberal light, moving away from a carefully calculated image as a centrist, made his only public appearance with his wife, Sharon, at a battered-women’s shelter in East Los Angeles. Surrounding himself with Latinas and speaking broken Spanish, Davis criticized a proposal by Assembly Republicans to cut money for such shelters to help pare down the state’s $38-billion budget shortfall, painting himself as a defender of progressive social programs.

“Women need to know someone is on the other end of the phone when they call for help,” the governor told counselors at the center, which established the first bilingual abuse hotline in California 27 years ago with aid from the state. “This race is really about changing directions, not changing governors,” he added, suggesting again that the recall election amounted to a coup attempt by conservatives.

Signaling the governor’s support from left-leaning organizations, a leading abortion rights group launched a nationwide e-mail campaign Friday condemning the recall, while environmental groups including the Sierra Club announced a Monday event to criticize the election as a threat to California’s air and water. Pro-Davis forces sought to draw attention to the cost of a recall election, trumpeting estimates by county election officials that the statewide vote could cost taxpayers as much as $60 million.

Davis said he hoped this week’s announcement that the state Senate had reached a budget compromise would lead to a final spending plan that allow him to concentrate on defending his record in office. The Senate is scheduled to convene Sunday night and approve the budget and send it to the Assembly.

Though the governor sought to focus attention on the budget, he was immediately asked about the Supreme Court’s refusal to stop the election.

The governor’s attorneys had sought the ruling on grounds that out-of-state petitioners were used to collect voter signatures, a violation of state law. The court did not rule on the merits of the case, simply declining to hear it.

Davis’ attorneys are still set to argue their side in a Los Angeles courtroom Aug. 8. However, the attorneys and other members of the governor’s newly organized recall campaign conceded Friday that the election appeared to be a virtual lock.

“We’re going into full campaign mode,” said Eric Bauman, a spokesman for Davis’ campaign committee, Taxpayers Against the Governor’s Recall.

Even as Davis publicly left open the possibility of further legal challenges, he also tried to distance himself from those efforts. His political team said later that it may drop the legal attack altogether, explaining that Davis does not want to appear to be denying the will of the people by attempting to scuttle the recall vote. Petitioners gathered nearly 1.4 million valid voter signatures to force a recall election, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley announced this week, far more than the roughly 900,000 needed.

Recall proponents said the governor should have conceded Friday that an election is what the people want.

“It’s time to call off the legal attack dogs, get out into the communities and explain himself. That’s the one thing he is trying to avoid -- explaining his record,” said Dave Gilliard, chief strategist for Rescue California, the main group behind the recall. “It’s like a guy who is accused of a crime and is trying to get out of jail on a technicality. He really needs to face up to the fact that people signed a lot of petitions. They want a recall election.”

While Davis juggled efforts to get a budget passed and preserve his political office, other possible candidates continued to consider their options. They have until Aug. 9 to file with county elections officials.

“There is a sense that the recall does not pass the sniff test, but now that it’s happening, there may be the possibility of some real reform,” said Arianna Huffington, asserting that she had just returned from a trip to the United Kingdom to find thousands of e-mails urging her to run.

Asked about her former husband’s decision to take out candidacy papers in Los Angeles, Huffington said she wouldn’t comment about any potential candidate, “whether I was once married to them or not.”

Another possible challenger, last year’s GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon Jr., said Friday he had made a decision on whether to run but was not prepared to declare his intentions. He sounded like a candidate as he spoke at a luncheon meeting of the Los Angeles County Lincoln Clubs in Valencia, blaming Davis for failing to resolve the budget impasse and holding him accountable for this week’s precipitous downgrade of the state’s credit rating on Wall Street.

“Together, we have got to rise up and let our voices be heard and not listen to the nonsense that is coming out of Sacramento,” Simon said. Simon is one of three prominent Republicans expected at a recall rally today in Sacramento. Also appearing will be declared candidate Darrell Issa, a congressman from Vista who largely bankrolled the recall signature campaign, and state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), who is considering entering the race.

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Staff writers Michael Finnegan, Karima Haynes and Joel Rubin contributed to this report.