USA: CALIFORNIA

NY Times: A Recall Vote Seems Certain for California

July 23 — Almost a century after Californians gained the right to force a recall election against a sitting governor, the state today appeared on the verge of using the power for the first time and authorizing a vote on whether to oust Gov. Gray Davis.

California's counties had submitted to the state more than 1.3 million valid ballot petition signatures needed to secure the recall question a spot on a fall special election ballot, state and local officials said. The number of signatures was nearly a fifth of the 6 million state residents who voted in the election last year.