CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR Gray Davis is now the target of at least two voter recall drives that could bring an abrupt end to his second term, which Davis barely eked out last November. Admittedly, the idea that he might be recalled sounds ludicrous when you first hear it. Voter recalls have proven effective in local referenda–voters in South Gate, a Los Angeles suburb, recently dumped three city officials. But previous recall efforts against Davis (frustrated anti-illegal immigration activists) and his predecessor Pete Wilson (angry state workers) went nowhere fast.

However, these are not ordinary times in California, what with a $35 billion budget deficit, a sluggish economy, and the uncertainty of war. And Davis, to be charitable, is anything but an ordinary governor. In fact, the one extraordinary thing he has achieved is stockpiling a diverse array of political enemies–and surprisingly few loyalists willing to do battle for him. How so? Democratic legislators loathe Davis for his imperious style; lately, they particularly despise him for defying them on tax policy (Davis said no to a Democratic plan to raise the state’s vehicle license fee–i.e., car tax–to help close the deficit). Republican legislators likewise have no reservoir of good will, not after Davis soft-pedaled the severity of California’s fiscal troubles during last year’s election.