Gray Would Just Say No to Gore--Wouldn’t He?

He really, really isn’t. Is he?

Gov. Gray Davis’ cautious speaking style prompted a flurry over the weekend when, at an impromptu news conference at the National Governors’ Assn. meeting in Pennsylvania, Davis was asked about being Al Gore’s running mate, and said, “I don’t like to rule things out that haven’t been offered to me.”

It had all the earmarks of a non-denial denial from a man who had pledged a full four years as governor. But within hours, a follow-up Associated Press story carried Davis’ clarification: “I’m not going to be on the ticket.”

Besides, as he told The Times in January, “I spent 23 years trying to climb this mountain we call California and I’m not coming down voluntarily.”

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Dead ringer: At her news conference to persuade San Diegans to mind their high-tech manners, Mayor Susan Golding had a chance to set a good example. Golding unveiled a new “quiet zone” logo for businesses and public buildings to display to remind patrons to turn off their cell phones in such places as churches, restaurants and theaters.

Just as she was warming up in her spiel about how annoying it is to have someone’s cell phone ring as you’re trying to talk to them, her cell phone rang. She reached into her purse and switched the phone off, and kept talking to the real people around her--or as real as reporters get.

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Who’s on first? And where is it, anyway? This exchange was recorded at the Assembly’s Housing and Community Development Committee, among George House (R-Modesto), Chairman Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier) and an unidentified voice:

House: LAUSD is the county of L.A., not the city of L.A., correct?

Voice: The Los Angeles Unified School District.

Escutia: . . . takes in city of L.A. and individual parts of South Gate.

House: That is what is confusing to me. If it is L.A. city, why is it reaching into South Gate? Is there some kind of agreement there?

Escutia: [inaudible]

House: Unified usually refers to . . . elementaries and secondaries together.

Voice: It is the school district. It is not the city of Los Angeles. So, it’s L.A. Unified School District.

House: So, it’s the county, not the city?

Voice: It’s the school district.

House: It says L.A.

Voice: L.A. Unified School District.

House: So, it’s the county, not the city alone?

Lowenthal: Mr. House, there’s a county school district, but this is separate. There’s an L.A. County School District that is a separate entity from the L.A. Unified School District.

House: So, they are independent? They just happen to be in L.A. County.

Voice [with some relief]: That is correct.

Sort of. As a matter of fact, there is no L.A. County School District, although the county Office of Education does operate some special schools.

Topic for next meeting: the geography of the former Soviet Union.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Waiting for Organs

People who needed organs outnumbered donors by more than 10 to 1 last year. Here are the numbers of people on waiting lists as of May 31.

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Organ California U.S. Kidney 8,034 45,391 Liver 3,320 15,407 Pancreas 75 917 Kidney/pancreas 304 2,303 Intestine 8 125 Heart 502 4,125 Heart/lung 37 205 Lung 367 3,621 Total waiting 12,647 72,094

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More information on donating: htt://www.shareyourlife.org

Source: United Network for Organ Sharing, Richmond, Va.

Researched by TRACY THOMAS / Los Angeles Times

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One-offs: Three police cars were stolen from a San Francisco city lot with a broken gate, and a couple used one of them to pull over another car before driving away. . . . Truckee’s City Council has OKd the demolition of “Dot’s Place,” a onetime brothel that officials found not to be historically significant.

EXIT LINE

“If I were married to Madeleine Albright, and I discovered that peace was going to break out in the Middle East the next day, that would be an interesting dilemma. For me, family and the privacy of family, particularly if we’re talking about a baby, come first. If it were something earthshaking, that might be different.”

--San Francisco Examiner Executive Editor Phil Bronstein, explaining to SF Weekly why he gave Us magazine the story about the child he and his wife, actress Sharon Stone, adopted. His own newspaper ended up using a news service item.

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California Dateline appears every other Tuesday.