Political Scorecard

7 days to go before Californians go to the polls

THE GOVERNOR’S RACE

* What Happened Monday: Republican Gov. Pete Wilson visited Vacaville to commend Genentech Co. officials on their $150-million plant expansion leading to 300 new jobs. Wilson said that 150,000 more Californians are working now than 18 months ago. Democratic challenger Kathleen Brown accused Wilson of being “trick-or-treat Pete” on the issue of illegal immigration, claiming that, as a U.S. senator, he tried to intervene on behalf of a contributor under investigation by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

* What’s Ahead: Wilson planned a “law-enforcement bus tour” today with stops in Riverside, Los Angeles, Garden Grove and San Diego. Brown planned to attend a rally in San Bernardino with Vice President Al Gore and then make campaign stops in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria and Oxnard.

THE SENATE RACE

* What Happened Monday: GOP candidate Mike Huffington addressed the Fresno Rotary Club at lunch and a Tulare County GOP rally in Visalia. Sen. Dianne Feinstein received the endorsement of five top executives of defense and aerospace companies. Later at a Los Angeles Sierra Club gathering, she celebrated President Clinton’s Washington signing of the California Desert Protection Act, which she sponsored.

* What’s Ahead: Huffington is to address a rally in Victorville protesting the desert protection bill at noon today and a Los Angeles County Republican get-out-the-vote drive at the Universal Hilton tonight.

NOTABLE QUOTES

“As a socialist, La Riva is the only candidate for governor who is willing to stand up for the rights of poor and working people.”

--Richard Becker, spokesman for Gloria La Riva, the Peace and Freedom Party candidate for governor who was arrested after handing out free bagels to homeless people.

LIGHTER TOUCH

Not surprisingly, perhaps, the tastes of gubernatorial candidates Kathleen Brown and Pete Wilson differ on a variety of subjects. Brown likes rock ‘n’ roll while Wilson favors Broadway show tunes and barbershop quartets, according to an Associated Press survey. For vacations, she likes the far North Coast of California and Wilson prefers San Diego. They were together on one category, however: last book read. It was “The Agenda,” by Bob Woodward, an account of the turbulent first year of the Clinton Administration. Wilson spokesman Dan Schnur said, “I’m sure he liked it more than she did.”