SPECIAL REPORT / ELECTION PREVIEW : DECISION ’94 / A Voter’s Guide to State and Local Elections : Statewide Offices : A look at the major candidates in contested races. : SECRETARY OF STATE

The holder of this $90,000-a-year job is responsible for coordinating elections and voter registration, preparing the statewide voters pamphlet, collecting campaign finance reports and keeping myriad corporate and business registration records.

MAJOR CANDIDATES

The contested race is among the Democrats: Acting Secretary of State Tony Miller of Pleasant Grove, Assemblywoman Gwen Moore of Los Angeles and former Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo.

Republican candidate Assemblyman Bill Jones of Fresno is unopposed.

ISSUES

This year, in the wake of a series of political corruption convictions, campaign reform is once again emerging as an issue. All of the candidates have plans to limit the influence of campaign contributions on elected officials. Woo and Moore back partial public financing of campaigns; Miller and Jones do not. Miller backs legislation to make the office nonpartisan in future elections. And he wants to eliminate the $800 start-up tax on small businesses as a way of helping create jobs. Moore has called for simplifying voter registration and making it easier for voters to regularly cast their ballots by mail. She also proposes computerizing information about candidates and campaign contributions, and making this information available at local libraries. Woo is pushing for tougher fines for candidates who fail to file timely campaign reports. He is calling for partial public financing of campaigns, as well as campaign and spnding limits. He also wants lawmakers to stop moonlighting at other jobs.

HISTORY

In the early years of statehood, the secretary of state was appointed by the governor, not elected. This century, Republicans Frank C. Jordan and his son Frank M. Jordan occupied the post for more than 50 years--each dying in office after multiple terms. The caretaker nature of the post changed with Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr., who used it to push campaign reform--and to launch his successful race for governor. Brown’s successor, March Fong Eu, was elected five times--quitting in February to become U.S. ambassador to Micronesia.

PROFILES

TONY MILLER

* Age: 45

* Residence: Pleasant Grove

* Current position: Acting secretary of state

* Education: Bachelor’s degree from UC Davis; law degree from Boalt Hall UC Berkeley.

* Career highlights: An attorney, Miller served on the Fair Political Practices Commission in the early 1970s, leaving the watchdog agency to become the top lawyer for the secretary of state and then chief deputy. Miller’s candidacy has already received national attention because as he is the first openly gay candidate in the country to run for a statewide office.

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GWEN MOORE

* Age: 53

* Residence: Los Angeles

* Current position: Assembly member

* Education: Bachelor’s degree from Cal State L.A.; teaching credential from UCLA.

* Career highlights: She has served for 16 years in the Assembly and as a candidate enjoys the backing of party regulars and traditional Democratic supporters, including organized labor. Consumer groups credit her for assuring low-income access to telephone service through legislation she sponsored establishing lifeline phone rates more than a decade ago. Moore was a probation officer, community college teacher and a member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees.

* Family: Married, one son

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MICHAEL WOO

* Age: 42

* Residence: Los Angeles

* Current position: University instructor

* Education: Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz; master’s degree in urban planning from UC Berkeley.

* Career highlights: Woo ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Los Angeles last year after serving on the City Council for eight years. After his defeat in the mayor’s race, he taught briefly at Harvard University, and he continues to teach courses on politics at UCLA and Caltech. He got his start in politics as an aide to former Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Van Nuys).

* Family: Married, no children.