Davis, Feinstein Trade Charges at Forum : Democrats: Candidates squabble at conference on Latino voter registration. The exchange could foreshadow increased hostilities in the campaign.

In the first head-on skirmish of their campaign for the U.S. Senate, state Controller Gray Davis on Saturday accused Dianne Feinstein of once opposing equitable-pay legislation, and the former mayor of San Francisco accused her rival of distortion and mudslinging.

The exchange came in the closing minutes of a “town hall” discussion held during a conference on Latino voter registration. It seemed to foreshadow what could become an acrimonious race as Feinstein and Davis vie for the Democratic nomination for the seat held by appointed Sen. John Seymour.

During about 40 minutes of questioning from an audience of 200 people, Democratic Senate candidates sought to portray themselves as advocates for issues important to Latinos, women and other minorities.

Davis, seated next to Feinstein on a small stage, ended his remarks by commenting that the former mayor “says all the right things now” but in fact did little to help women and minorities while she was in office. He pointed to comparable-worth legislation she vetoed as mayor of San Francisco in the 1980s.

“Look at the record,” he said, “and see who’s been there the longest.”

Charging that Davis was “distorting” her record, Feinstein responded that the legislation she vetoed was flawed because all it did was expand meal allowances. Instead, she said, she later worked successfully to change the city charter and implement a $30-million package of pay raises.

With a flourish, Feinstein stood, turned toward Davis and presented him with a copy of the ballot measure--which an aide, as if on cue, had conveniently delivered to her during Davis’ comments.

“Now, Mr. Controller,” she chastised Davis, “if you consider a meal allowance . . . to be comparable worth, then you don’t understand what comparable worth is.”

Some members of the audience hissed when Davis criticized Feinstein. Another later voiced support for the controller by calling out that he was “telling the truth.”

In fact, the issue was dredged up and debated during the tough Democratic primary preceding the 1990 governor’s race, in which Feinstein defeated former California Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp for the party’s nomination, before losing the general election to Gov. Pete Wilson. That it resurfaced Saturday appears to show Davis, who trails Feinstein in the polls, is willing to go on the offensive against an opponent who had hoped to have an easy, uncontested primary.

The conference at a Burbank hotel was sponsored by the Southwest Voter Registration Information Project, which with other organizations is launching a major voter registration drive aimed at signing up 300,000 Latinos in California by the November election.

Richard Martinez, executive director of the project, exacted promises from all the Senate candidates in attendance that, if nominated, they will return to speak to the state’s Latino leadership and that they will schedule regular meetings with Latino activists.

In an interview later, Martinez said he was trying to make the candidates focus on the importance of the Latino vote and on ways to get Latinos to the polls. By the Southwest Voter Registration Project’s count, as many as 1 million Latinos can be expected to vote this fall.

History has shown that the number of Latinos who live in California always far outdistances the number who vote. This year, organizers hope to capitalize on redistricting that could give Latinos an edge is some parts of the state. They are also encouraged by events in Bell Gardens, where Latino voters this year booted out their all-Anglo City Council through a recall, and by the election of Gloria Molina, a Latina, to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

“This year we have a unique opportunity to elect a lot of brown faces,” Antonia Hernandez, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said in urging community leaders to work “as if it’s an obsession” to turn out Latino voters.

Appearing at the discussions with Feinstein and Davis was Democratic Rep. Mel Levine, who is running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Alan Cranston. Republicans William E. Dannemeyer, the congressman from Fullerton, and university professor Bill Allen joined in a separate discussion.

Dannemeyer, an archconservative, did little to endear himself to the predominantly Latino audience when he advocated building a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants.

“It is just as important for all of us that we are here legally,” he said to boos and hisses. “When this nation cannot protect the integrity of its borders (it is like) throwing sand in the face of people waiting to come here legally.”