NORTH COUNTY —— If the number of initiatives circulating throughout the state for signatures is any indication, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his political opponents, including labor unions, are headed for a fight at the ballot box in November.

Sixty-one initiative campaigns have been approved to collect signatures by Secretary of State's Office and 10 more are being reviewed by the state Attorney General's Office. That's a record for California, according to Karen Daniels, a spokeswoman with the secretary of state. The previous high mark was in 1997 when there were 54 initiatives on the ballot, she said.

The high number of initiatives is also unusual for a year when no high-profile elections, such as presidential or gubernatorial elections, are scheduled, some observers said.

Many of the measures appear to have been spurred by Schwarzenegger's threat to legislators of a special election later this year if lawmakers take no action on his reform proposals.

Schwarzenegger wants to change the way the state draws its political districts. He also wants to pay teachers based on merit rather than seniority, to shift the state employee's pension system into one that looks more like the 401(k) retirement plans offered by private companies and to set state spending limits for state government.

All these measures are designed to reduce state spending, reduce the influence of "special interests," namely labor unions, in government and make the Legislature more responsive to the people, the governor has argued.

"The people do not consent to the Legislature playing to special interests and that's what is at the crux of the problem," said Ted Costa, a conservative political activist who is sponsoring a redistricting measure endorsed by Schwarzenegger.

Costa said having the governor back the initiative has allowed the group to collect signatures more rapidly. Costa said Thursday that he was confident the campaign would gather the signatures it needs.

Democrats, who control the Legislature, have resisted or rejected the governor's ideas, and their labor-union allies have led the fight to oppose the governor's proposals.

Those unions accuse the governor of bowing to business-interest allies.

"The governor is pushing an agenda that is out of sync with the priorities of average Californians while he is lining his own pockets with millions of dollars in special interest money to do their bidding," said Lou Paulson, president of the California Professional Firefighters, a lobbying organization representing 30,000 firefighters and 150 local unions.

Recently, the firefighter's organization joined other groups, such as the California Nurses Association, to form the Alliance for a Better California. The alliance is backing its own set of initiatives that are apparently meant to threaten Schwarzenegger's business allies, such as raising the minimum wage and improving consumer rights for used-car buyers.

Backing the governor's agenda is a group called Citizens to Save California, a coalition of business and anti-tax groups, raising money to support Schwarzenegger's proposals.

Last year, the governor vetoed two bills similar to the used car and minimum wage initiatives.

Schwarzenegger has been traveling throughout the state, including in San Diego, promoting his ideas and asking voters to sign the petitions. That's a strategy the actor-turned-politician used successfully in last year's election to pass a stem cell research proposition and to defeat two gambling propositions that would have expanded the number of slot machines in the state.

He has also used the threat of his star power to bring Democrats to the negotiating table, as he did with the fight over injured workers compensation reform.

In Fresno last week, the governor told reporters that "if the politicians in Sacramento won't do it, the people will."

However, in order to qualify each of the initiatives, the governor and his supporters will have to collect about 600,000 valid signatures for each measure. In order to do that by the deadline in early May, the governor and his supporters will also have to raise millions to pay signature gatherers, according to Republican activist and marketing consultant Richard Amador Babcock.

The governor himself has said that he aims to raise about $50 million to pass his reform agenda.

While Schwarzenegger has repeatedly threatened to take his agenda to the voters, he's been careful to endorse specific initiatives. That has led some critics to suggest that the governor is merely using the initiatives as bargaining chips to press Democrats in negotiations.

Costa said that is not entirely wrong.

"I think he's very serious (about a special election)," Costa said. "But I also don't think he's afraid to negotiate."

By the numbers

Among the 61 state initiatives that could make it to the ballot in November are:

• An increase in minimum wage. It would increase the minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.25 an hour effective Jan. 1, 2006, and would establish annual adjustments based on inflation starting in 2008.

• A commercial property taxation measure that would require annual tax reassessment of the value of commercial and industrial property. This would provide additional revenues for local governments and schools.

• State and local spending limits that would empower the governor to make across-the-board reductions in state spending upon declaration of fiscal emergency if the Legislature doesn't address the emergency within 45 days. The measure would require state fees and charges to be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature.

• A redistricting measure that would requires a three-member panel of retired judges selected by legislative leaders to adopt a new redistricting plan if the measure is approved and again after every national census. The measure would remove the process from the Legislature, which is currently empowered to draw districts after each census.

For a full list of circulating petitions visit the Secretary of State's Web site at: http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_j.htm#1124.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-5426 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.