Californians

When Californians go to the polls March 2, they will be asked for the first time in the state's history to borrow money not to build something, but to pay off existing debts. As the vote nears, both the long-term cost of the borrowing and the need for it are subjects of campaign debate. Proposition 57, the $15 billion Economic Recovery Bond Act placed on the ballot by the Legislature, is a centerpiece of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to clean up the state's financial mess. His political strategists acknowledge what polls have shown - many voters balk at a large debt that would not provide anything tangible, like a new school or a smooth highway, in return.

Miss Afghanistan knew she was taking a risk when she strutted across a catwalk in Manila, Philippines, in a bright red bikini. "I did understand," said Vida Samadzai, a 25-year-old California State University, Fullerton, student, "that it would probably not be acceptable in my society." But she did not know she would be denounced by the government of her native land, criticized by her community and at the same time hailed by others as a role model for girls and women in the "new Afghanistan."

A COUPLE OF weeks ago, I wrote a column saying that if I were a Californian, I would vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger. I said 25-year-old raunchy quotes about women didn't faze me. And besides, I admired his immigrant's enthusiasm for the American dream and many of the women-friendly planks in his platform. Now that a Los Angeles Times investigative reporting team has tracked down more than a dozen women who say Arnold man-handled them - and pretty recently, too - I guess I should recant.

LOS ANGELES - Californians remained in suspense yesterday as a federal appeals court deliberated over whether to review a ruling this week postponing the recall election for governor. A spokesman for the court said a decision could come as early as today. The candidates, meanwhile, campaigned as if the election would be held as scheduled Oct. 7. Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, who would be summarily retired by a yes vote, spoke at a community college in South-Central Los Angeles. In Sacramento, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, who hopes to succeed him, proposed a series of measures that he said would reduce political donations' influence on state policy.

Bill Simon Jr. dropped out of the race for California governor yesterday, saying that there were too many Republicans on the ballot and that he didn't want to jeopardize his party's opportunity to replace Gov. Gray Davis if he is recalled. The decision was welcomed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the leading Republican, who said he hoped Simon's "personal sacrifice will serve to unify Republicans and other Californians" - presumably behind Schwarzenegger's candidacy. But two other major GOP candidates, state Sen. Tom McClintock and former baseball commissioner Peter V. Ueberroth, said they had no intention of following Simon's lead.

CALIFORNIA -- I came out here because I've been reading disturbing reports that my state, Florida, is about to lose the coveted title of "The Doofus State," which we Floridians worked so hard to win after the 2000 presidential election by not being able to figure out whom we voted for. We have been The Doofus State for just two lousy years, and now these greedy Californians, who had the title for decades, are trying to get it back. I regret to say that they have an excellent shot. The political situation out here is very bad. Q. How bad is it?

BOWIE - He wanted to transfer to a historically black college or university in the East and, though a West Coast native, all his information pointed to Virginia Union, one of Bowie State's bitterest rivals. Stephen Moss-Kelley was aware of Virginia Union's solid basketball reputation in NCAA Division II, particularly in the strong Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. His desire was to join a good team that had an opportunity to make some waves regionally and nationally. He did. Bowie State.

REPUBLICANS HAVE always liked the idea of the states assuming more power, at the expense of the federal government -- so now California is going to put that to the test. A state controlled by Democrats -- a big, powerful, influential state -- is about to impose clean-air standards on car and truck exhaust that will completely eclipse Washington's do-nothing policy. And it will likely set the course for the rest of the country. Last week, the state's legislature, in a straight party-line vote, passed a bill calling for the "maximum feasible reduction" in greenhouse-gas emissions from motor vehicles.

WASHINGTON - John Walker Lindh, the American captured with Taliban forces in Afghanistan, was charged yesterday in a civilian court with conspiring to kill U.S. citizens and could face life in prison if convicted. The 20-year-old Californian was not accused of treason, a crime that carries the death penalty and is difficult to prove because it requires a confession in open court or the testimony of two witnesses. Attorney General John Ashcroft left open the possibility that additional charges could be filed against Walker as authorities learn more about his activities.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Power crisis? What power crisis? Sure, California's two biggest utilities have a $12 billion deficit and are close to bankruptcy. Silicon Valley manufacturers have lost tens of millions of dollars because of sporadic outages. And the Chinese ambassador to the United States found himself sitting in the dark last week at the $450-a-night San Jose Hilton. But Andrew Sims, for one, is tired of hearing that his state - the world's sixth-largest economy and birthplace of some of its most innovative technology - is in panic mode because lights have gone off here and there.