The governor says there will be a special election in 2009. He wants one because two pieces of the budget agreement -- the rainy day fund changes and the borrowing against future lottery revenues -- requires voter approval. Interestingly, he's looking in the first half of the year--June was the month, he mentioned. Why is that interesting? If the prison guards' union goes forward with a recall against the governor and qualifies the measure, that could trigger a special election. But my reckoning, it's unlikely that such a recall vote could come together before August. (The union does not even have a recall petition certified for circulation yet). Could we end up with two special elections next year? Perhaps.

Gov. Schwarzenegger himself, as the target of the recall, would not set the date of the recall election. In 2003, Lt. Gov Cruz Bustamante, who ran in the replacement election, stepped in and set the date because Gov. Gray Davis, as the recall target, was conflicted.