Schwarzenegger could soon face recall Prison guards union said to have lawyers drawing up initiative

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger answers a question concerning the state's response to a magnitude-5.4 earthquake that struck the area earlier in the day, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, July 29, 2008. Schwarzenegger said the state was assessing levees, bridges, power lines, roads and hospitals but that no major damage had been reported. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) less Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger answers a question concerning the state's response to a magnitude-5.4 earthquake that struck the area earlier in the day, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, July ... more Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Schwarzenegger could soon face recall 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

As if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't have enough troubles with the state's $17.2 billion budget mess, now comes word that there may be a move afoot to recall him.

Well-placed Sacramento sources tell us the state's politically powerful and well-financed prison guards union has lawyers drawing up language for a recall initiative.

Word is, the union will decide within the next couple of weeks whether to hit the streets with petitions.

Recalling Schwarzenegger - who himself rode into office with the 2003 recall of then-Gov. Gray Davis - is probably a long shot at best.

Still, Schwarzenegger has angered fellow Republicans with his call for a three-year, 1-cent sales-tax hike to help balance the 2008-09 budget, now more than two months overdue.

His popularity among voters overall is down in the 30 percent range - that's the neighborhood where PresidentBush's numbers are living among voters nationally - and it stands to drop even more the longer the budget mess drags on.

The guards union, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, has been battling the governor over the group's contract for years. It has more than enough money to finance a statewide petition drive if it wants to pull the trigger.

Asked about the recall rumor, union spokesman Lance Corcoran said, "I can't comment other than to say we are taking a very hard look at it."

Schwarzenegger's office was quick to respond, saying that although the guards are mad about not getting their raises, "the governor will not be intimidated by scare tactics and will always do what is best for Californians."

A brother's tale: Mark "Papa" Guardado, the president of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels who was gunned down Tuesday night on a Mission District street, may have been a much bigger player for the Angels on the West Coast than police initially thought.

"He was the guy - very, very well known," said one police source in the know, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the case.

And in a twist you usually find only in the movies, it turns out that biker chief Guardado was also the older brother of Jose Guardado, a highly decorated San Francisco police officer.

"Jose's really a great guy," said homicide Inspector Karen Lynch, who is investigating Mark Guardado's slaying.

Officer Guardado was awarded a gold medal by the department after a December 2006 incident in which he shot and killed a fugitive from a state prison camp, who moments earlier had mortally wounded his partner, Officer Bryan Tuvera, in a Sunset District home's garage.

The two brothers were born and raised in San Francisco, but chose decidedly different paths. Mark Guardado had an assault conviction on his record and was facing battery charges in a Petaluma case, and two years ago his San Francisco clubhouse was raided by the feds as part of a probe into cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking.

"We all have relatives that make bad choices, and his brother did," Lynch said.

Police believe biker Guardado was shot dead by a rival motorcycle club member, and they are pursuing some leads. At this point, however, they aren't giving a possible motive.

Whatever the case, the cops are now bracing for Mark Guardado's funeral this week, and the possibility that hundreds of motorcycle gang members from all over the West Coat might show up for what could prove to be a very tense gathering.

"There have been calls coming in from law enforcement from every jurisdiction in the state," said one cop.

Palin play: When it comes to the Bay Area, Republican VP pick Sarah Palin's debut was pretty much a split decision.

Of the 510 voters questioned in a CBS 5-TV/Survey USA poll last week, 39 percent said the Alaska governor was an asset to John McCain's run for the presidency, while 37 percent called her a liability.

On the other hand, only 40 percent said the pick "reflects well on McCain," compared with 47 percent who said it reflected poorly on his judgment.

Of the 364 voters surveyed who actually heard Palin's speech to the GOP convention Wednesday night, 42 percent gave her an "A," 15 percent gave her a "B," 20 percent a "C," 12 percent a "D" and 11 percent an "F."

You are what you eat: "Last year it was bottled water, Al Gore and global warming. This year it's Michael Pollan and 'Slow Food Nation.' "

That's how one higher-up on San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's staff described the latest craze sweeping Room 200 at City Hall, and referring to the author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma."

The recent Slow Food fest highlighting the connection between eating well and eating local produce was a big hit, and Newsom was one of its biggest cheerleaders. He even got an instant "Victory Garden" planted at Civic Center Plaza for the cameras.

The movement is a blend of environmental consciousness, dieting and a dash of Oprah, with Alice Waters leading the charge.

"It plays very well in Pacific Heights, Santa Barbara and other places that have money," our mayoral insider said.

Translation: The movement is big with the young and the moneyed, two cogs Gavin needs to keep greased for his 2010 gubernatorial bid.

The food focus is not without risks to the mayor, however. As one law enforcement official told us Friday, "We may have had four shootings in the Mission last night, but at least we have strawberries growing on top of the bus shelter at Larkin and McAllister."

Leave a tip: The big break in the Oakland restaurant robbery spree came a week before three suspects were arrested Tuesday, when an anonymous call to the cops fingered Leon Luster as the leader.

The cops then shadowed Luster, found out whom he was hanging with and what kind of car he was driving.

When the call came in on a nail salon holdup Tuesday night in East Oakland, police knew whom to look for and what they were driving - and made the arrest within a half-mile of the crime.

EXTRA! Catch our Web page at www.sfgate.com/matierandross.