She went down to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, picked up her candidate ballot and lobbied the community for the minimum 65 signatures, paid the $3,500 candidate fee and became one of 135 candidates eligible to be placed on the Oct. 7 special-election ballot.

"The very nature of the recall election, the ridiculous ease with which anyone can become a candidate, gave me the best way of protesting the whole sorry affair," says Foss, the only Willow Glen resident on the recall ballot.

This stay-at-home mom says she's never been politically active beyond regularly voting in elections over the years. But she is doggedly against the recall.

To obtain the necessary signatures, she initially asked every registered Democrat she knew to sign her nomination petition. Then she decided to set up a table outside the Garden Theatre on Lincoln Avenue with a sign that read "Are you mad about the recall?"

Foss says a number of passersby endorsed her efforts. They told her that if she went through all this trouble they would endorse her efforts.

This minicampaign in downtown Willow Glen enabled her to obtained an initial 40 signatures. But with an additional 25 needed to qualify by the Aug. 9 deadline, she took a clipboard and stood at the entrance to the San Jose Jazz Festival and received about 30 more. The following day, to ensure that she had a valid number of voters signing the petition, she went to the Willow Glen Farmers Market, looking for additional support.

"In the end, I received about 100 signatures, with 80 being valid," she says.

As the election gets closer, Foss still says that no matter what people think of Davis, voters reelected him less than a year ago.

"We should recall the entire Legislature, too," Foss says. "Gray Davis is very unlikable, so it is easy to focus on him. But he hasn't committed a crime. He bears some responsibility for the budget problems, but most of the blame should be put on the Legislature."

She says her decision to be on the ballot is based on principle. On her website, she says that every governor for the last 30 years has faced some recall activity and that if it weren't for the personal fortune and backing of car-alarm tycoon Darrell Issa, this round of recall petitions would have gone nowhere.

Although Foss may not be in the same league with Arnold Schwarzenegger or Cruz Bustamante, she and the other134 recall candidates have all been invited to attend The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Sept. 22. The late-night show sent invitations to each candidate, and Foss has received hers. She says she will most likely make the trip to Burbank to be part of the show.

Two weeks after all the candidates have their 15 minutes of fame on The Tonight Show, the actual Oct. 7 election will take place. Those who turn out to vote will answer two recall-related questions on the ballot. First, participants can vote "yes" or "no" on the question of removing Davis from office. Then the voters can review the list of replacement candidates and mark their preference.

Foss realizes that entering into this race could impede any future political aspirations and affect her credibility. And when she asked her former college advisor if it was a wise move, he conceded it was a valid form of political protest but also pointed out that she would "get lumped with all the loonies."

For more information about Diana Foss' anti-recall campaign, email her at diana@mooseyard.com.