Gray Davis was a politician.
Gray Davis . Prior to serving as governor , Davis was chief of staff to Governor Jerry Brown ( 1975 -- 81 ) , a California State Assemblyman ( 1983 -- 87 ) , California State Controller ( 1987 -- 95 ) and the 44th Lieutenant Governor of California ( 1995 -- 99 ) . Davis began his tenure as governor with strong approval ratings , but those ratings declined as voters blamed Davis for the California electricity crisis and the California budget crisis that followed the bursting of the dot-com bubble . Voters were also alienated by Davis 's record-breaking fundraising efforts and negative campaigning .