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Suddenly California – the “Left Coast,” that bastion of liberal politics – is held hostage by a few right-wing activists who can’t accept election results.

After the right combination of millions of dollars, professional signature gatherers and a fiscal disaster managed to mobilize the small portion of voters necessary to demand a recall, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante was forced this past week to set a date for an election.

The recall’s ballot qualification is unfortunate. The election will cost tens of millions of dollars and will distract state leaders, particularly Gov. Davis, from doing their jobs. Now voters must soundly reject the partisan effort, sending the message that California’s electorate – as volatile as it can be – will not accept selfish politics when selfless leadership is needed.

Of course, Davis wouldn’t be in this position, no matter how much money was given to signature collectors, if he didn’t have the reputation of being a selfish (and incompetent) politician.

His faults are numerous: He’s a fundraising hound; he has poor relationships with other government leaders; he mismanaged the energy crisis and has yet to deal squarely with the budget debacle.

But the recall process was not established in the early 20th century to remove state officials who aren’t popular with co-workers or spent too much time rubbing elbows with potential donors – or even those who performed poorly in public service.

Progressives in 1911 created the recall to provide voters with a way to remove politicians who were manipulated by the special interests of big railroad and oil companies.

But now, the recall – not the politician who might be recalled – is what is manipulated by special interests. Rep. Darrell Issa spent millions to finance signature gathering, saying he was fighting to save California from Davis. Issa, eyeing the governorship himself, was really fighting for his own political advancement.

Like Issa’s, other recall backers’ motives are suspect. Candidates, who wouldn’t stand a chance in a general election because of extreme politics or lack of experience, are lining up, giddy with a chance to become governor via a backdoor passage.

Fighting, as he said, “like a bengal tiger,” Davis is beginning to use scare tactics. He said those who want him out would fight against a woman’s right to choose and would drill for oil near California’s pristine shores.

Regardless of whether that’s true, it’s clear those most fervently calling for Davis’ ouster aim to advance their own political agenda and don’t necessarily have the best interests of Californian’s in mind.

But because of an outdated recall process, any of a host of those candidates could end up as the chief executive of the most populous and economically robust state in the country. They could win with a small plurality of the vote, as a majority is not required if Davis is recalled.

Davis is not wonderful, but the recall is mean-spirited, and those who might replace him are worse than he is.

End the distractions: Keep Davis in office so the state’s government can focus on serving its people.