CAMPAIGN TALK : A Weekly Window On The California Elections.

18 days left to register to vote beore the Oct. 9 deadline.

46 days left until the Nov. 6 general election. INTELLIGENCE

AWOL?: State Board of Equalization member William Bennett, a Democrat seeking reelection, missed two of his board’s monthly meetings this summer and his opponent is milking it for all it’s worth. Unable to get any media interest in Bennett’s absentee record, Republican Jeff Wallack decided what works for missing children might work for missing politicians. So he began handing out milk cartons with Bennett’s picture and a physical description pasted on the side. A caption underneath suggests: “If anyone has seen this man in the performance of his public duties . . . “ they are to call Wallack’s campaign office. Bennett, who did show up at the board’s latest meeting, shrugged off the criticism. “The absence of board members is not an infrequent occurrence,” he said. Indeed, board member Paul Carpenter has missed the last two meetings while he attended his federal court trial in which he was found guilty on racketeering, extortion and conspiracy charges.

Friends Forever: During the occasionally testy Democratic primary for governor, San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos could be counted on to savage his predecessor Dianne Feinstein at every turn. Especially loud was Agnos’ denunciation of Feinstein’s handling of the city budget. Regularly, he lamented that she had left him with a $174-million budget deficit to clean up. So who was it that Agnos was broadly praising at a San Francisco fund-raiser last week? None other than Dianne Feinstein, now the party nominee. “Some people say that the real test of leadership is whether you leave your own imprint on the place where you worked or the city that you represented,” Agnos was quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle as saying. “By that standard, San Francisco never had a better mayor than Dianne Feinstein.” Agnos credited his conversion to that common post-primary affliction, party unity.

Mayor Sonny Bono seems to be getting a little bored with that seething political caldron known as Palm Springs. “If I made a move, I would decide for the Senate,” the former restaurateur, singer and television star mused recently. “At this point,” he said, “I have to really question whether for another four years I want to just continue being mayor of Palm Springs.” Without being specific, Bono said he had talked with U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson about his ambitions. If Republican Wilson wins his bid for governor, he could be in a position to choose his Senate replacement. Meanwhile, Bono is honing his skills for the road. He returned last week from a promotional trip for his new line of chocolate chip cookies.

EXIT LINE

“You have to agree, there’s a very great and formidable woman involved in this gubernatorial race, but of course Gayle is much too modest to admit it.”

--George Bush, referring to Gayle Wilson, the wife of Republican Pete Wilson, during a Los Angeles fundraiser.