Recall candidates to be invited to debate

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The top-polling candidates among the 135 vying to replace Gov. Gray Davis will be invited to join a September debate characterized as a "conversational give and take," broadcast officials announced Thursday.

The moderated, round-table debate will be held Sept. 17 at California State University, Sacramento, which is sponsoring it with the California Broadcasters Association. The 90-minute debate will be broadcast on television and radio.

The Oct. 7 recall ballot includes full-time politicians, celebrities and plenty of people from the business world, along with an American Indian tribal chairman, a discount cigarette retailer, a used car salesman, a golf pro, a retired police officer, a bounty hunter, a porn star and a sumo wrestler.

Candidates receiving at least 10 percent support in any of three major polls before Sept. 5 will be invited to participate in the debate. If fewer than six qualify, California State University will survey voters to decide which additional candidates to invite. A final selection will be announced Sept. 8, the Broadcasters Association announced.

Davis won't be part of the debate, but will be offered the chance to make a taped appeal to voters and provide his perspective on the recall, the association said.

The ballot was certified by the secretary of state Wednesday with little fanfare, as election officials feverishly verified the last of the 247 would-be governors who submitted papers to run. In the end, 112 were tossed out for failing to file proper paperwork.

Better-known candidates who made the cut include Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, independent commentator Arianna Huffington, Green Party standard-bearer Peter Miguel Camejo and four Republicans: businessman Bill Simon, who was defeated by Davis in November; actor Arnold Schwarzenegger; former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth; and state Sen. Tom McClintock of Northridge.

The field includes 50 Democrats, 42 Republicans and 32 independents, as well as members of small parties such as the Greens and Libertarians.

Voters will decide whether Davis should be ousted and then pick who should replace him from the motley field. Davis' name will not be listed in the ballot's second part.

The one-of-a-kind ballot is likely the largest ever of gubernatorial candidates in one election, said Bruce Cain, a political science professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

"There's nothing that comes close," Cain said. "I think it's fair to say it's a record, and probably a national record."

Among an assortment of everyday Californians are billboard model Angelyne, former child actor Gary Coleman and publisher Larry Flynt.

Those who didn't make the ballot included Donald A. Novello, who played Father Guido Sarducci of "Saturday Night Live" fame, and Mathilda Karel Spak, who at 100 would have been the oldest candidate.

"I'm not going to worry about it," Spak said.

Comedian Jay Leno has invited all 135 candidates to appear in the audience of "The Tonight Show" next month. Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy on the NBC show last week.

State and county election officials must sort out the logistics and costs of putting on the first-ever California gubernatorial recall.

"Our next task is to turn our attention to the mechanics of Oct. 7, so that we can work on the details of a smooth Election Day operation," Secretary of State Kevin Shelley said in a statement.

The recall election, expected to cost $67 million, comes amid a record state budget crisis. Deficit-strapped counties are tapping emergency reserves, using money budgeted for the March primary and hoping the state pitches in.

On the campaign front Wednesday:

Davis reaffirmed his support for abortion rights and said he was getting advice from former President Clinton.

Schwarzenegger, who rode a wave of publicity in the days after he announced his candidacy, made no appearances, but his campaign announced it had tapped billionaire investor Warren Buffett as a financial adviser. Campaign disclosure forms showed the actor gave his campaign $1 million on Tuesday.

Huffington said she would campaign with Camejo, and Camejo said he would encourage Green Party members to vote for Huffington if she pulls ahead of him before Oct. 7. Huffington said she would consider a similar move "if Peter somehow catches fire."

Huffington, an author and commentator and the ex-wife of multimillionaire former congressman Michael Huffington, has criticized "fat cats" who avoid paying taxes. But the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that according to returns Huffington provided to the newspaper, she paid no personal state income tax and $771 in personal federal taxes over the last two years.

Huffington, who has a corporation to manage her writing and lecturing business, said her expenses exceeded profits in those years because of the cyclical nature of book publishing. Payments to her for child support are not taxable income, the paper said.