CALIFORNIA'S RIGHT OF REMOVAL: Recall Politics in the Modern Era

This article compares the first gubernatorial recall of 1921 with the second such recall of 2003. North Dakota Governor Lynn J. Frazier had always been a footnote in history with his removal from office over 80 years ago, but much can be learned by systematically comparing the first recall campaign with the whirlwind campaign surrounding the demise of California Governor Gray Davis and the rise of political neophyte Arnold Schwarzenegger. An initial review of the Progressive period is given, followed by an in-depth analysis of America's first recall, which occurred in the City of Los Angeles in 1903. The article then moves through a detailed discussion of the 1921 campaign to oust Frazier. This first recall is then compared and contrasted with the 2003 California governor's race. The article concludes with a theoretical discussion of the power of the recall provision and how it may be applied to senior executives in California and elsewhere in the future. This "right of removal" has been both a threat to gubernatorial power and a tool for citizen activism. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]