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Fiduciary fornication and $10,000 a month prison guard demands puts stumbling Schwarzenegger on recall hot seat.

In 2003 Californian’s recalled Democratic Governor Gray Davis and replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. Other California governors, including Pat Brown, Ronald Reagan, Jerry Brown, and Pete Wilson, had all faced recall attempts, but none of those attempts were successful. Until Darrel Issa anted $2 million the Davis recall was foundering too. It was the first successful recall in California history and only the second in American history.

Now Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) faces his own recall effort backed by the  politically powerful California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) that filing the recall petition last Wednesday, citing “catastrophic leadership failings and inept management.” It says he has left the state in worse fiscal shape than when Davis was recalled five years ago. Union leaders specifically cited the state’s $17 billion budget gap (some say counting the fiduciary fornication it is really well over $25 billion) as a prime reason why the governor should be recalled. The CCPOA has the money and horsepower to collect the million voter signatures needed to put it on a special election ballot. CCPOA has plenty of money to fund  the recall.

The trigger in the Davis recall was his predicted $35 billion deficit that eventually was estimated could exceed $38.2 billion more than the total deficits of the other 49 states. Schwarzenegger initially pooh-poohed the recall threat but is taking it much more seriously as the CCPOA is girding to collect the million voter’s signatures to put the issue before voters in a special election like 2003.

Gray Davis’ was viewed badly across the state and parties with miserable 24% approval and 65% disapproval ratings. Schwarzenegger’s job approval ratings have plummeted into the 30% range from an initial 70%. Schwarzenegger and the Legislature are deadlocked in a budget impasse and its job approval rating is just 15% positive.

The core of the CCPOA’s complaint against Schwarzenegger is his opposition to a new contract with large pay and benefit increases that would put prison guards into the low six-figure range. Most Californian’s express shock at paying a prison guard more than $10,000 a month to keep crooks locked up while they watch cable TV and gamble. It will go away when Schwarzenegger HYPOCRITICALLY finds a way to flim-flam voters that CCPOA demands are in their own best interest.

San Jose State University political science professor Larry Gerston said a recall would be a “long shot” even if Schwarzenegger’s standing with voters continues to fall. “People are frustrated, that’s for sure. But I’m not sure the frustration manifests itself enough with the governor,” said Gerston.

As a reminder in what was then described as a “gross ballot” there were 11 dozen candidates on the ballot. Among the top candidates were: Schwarzenegger, Arianna Huffington, Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, Green Party candidate the late Peter Camejo, Republican State Senator Tom McClintock, and former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth.

(This story includes parts from FIELD POLL, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, LOS ANGELES TIMES, SACRAMENTO BEE, ASSOCIATED PRESS, CAPITOL WEEKLY [SACRAMENTO] and other research and recollections.