(San Francisco Chronicle) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today called a November special election that he characterized as a chance for Californians to revamp state government in a vote that will also serve as a referendum on the governor himself.

In announcing the election, Schwarzenegger is turning to his favored political tool -- the ballot box -- as a way to upend the Capitol, just as the recall election that propelled him to office 19 months ago did. The election sets the stage for a nationally watched high-stakes war for control of Sacramento involving the governor’s big business allies and Democrats and labor unions, his principal detractors.