"He's lost the faith of Californians, and he's lost the faith of his own party. You've got conservative talk show hosts that are talking about wanting Gray Davis back!" said Lance Corcoran, California Correctional Peace Officers Association.
The prison guards have been at odds with Governor Schwarzenegger for two years. Union negotiators have been unable to get either a pay raise or a contract.
"I will not be intimidated by anybody that that is demanding more money that the state cannot afford ... and steals more than the state is wanting to give," said Governor Schwarzenegger.
The prison guards insist the recall is not about their contract. Instead, they say it's about things like Schwarzenegger's lack of leadership in breaking the budget stalemate and the state's ever growing deficit.
While both parties agree this is a distraction to current budget negotiations, Republicans and Democrats say the Governor has it coming.
"There's not a lot of things this Governor has done that I agree with in the last year or two," Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine).
"I think the Governor is the responsible party for the budget crisis," said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco).
One of the groups that led the successful ousting of Governor Davis asked the prison guards if it can help; therefore giving the movement some credibility.
"They have lost their way in the corner office ... lost their way in the California state Capitol, and they need a shaking up," said Ted Costa, Recall Supporter.
The Governor has a week to respond to the prison guards' recall petition. After that, the Secretary of State's office says they will need 12 percent of turnout in the last gubernatorial election, which was in 2006. So, 1,041,530 signatures needed.
The prison guards union can't start collecting signatures until the Governor's seven day response period lapses. After the seven day period, the union must be certified by the Secretary of State's office to gather signatures. The guards will then have 160 days to gather those million signatures.
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