An embattled Gov. Gray Davis hewed closely to his official duties Monday as advisors to Arnold Schwarzenegger said the actor remained undecided about whether to jump into the frenetic political free-for-all unfolding across the state.
By Monday afternoon, about 90 potential candidates had pulled papers to run to replace the governor in the Oct. 7 recall election, according to county registrars' offices, although only a fraction of those had so far paid the $3,500 filing fee.
In Los Angeles County, 38 people have taken out papers, including Angelyne, the billboard pinup, and a person identified as S. Issa. Aides to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), the only declared candidate so far on the Republican side, said they believed there was no connection between the two.
Law professors -- An article in Tuesday's Section A incorrectly named the university affiliation of two law professors who have challenged a portion of California's recall law. They are professors at the University of San Diego, not UC San Diego.
Schwarzenegger met Monday with George Gorton, his political consultant, at the star's home in Brentwood. After the meeting, Gorton released a statement saying that Schwarzenegger had not made a decision.
"He will continue to weigh the pros and cons with his family," Gorton said.
However, a person close to Schwarzenegger said the actor was "leaning against" entering the race.
As the race continued to intrigue candidates both well-known and obscure, columnist Arianna Huffington said on CNN that she was interested in running.
She said, however, that she would not run if her ex-husband, Michael Huffington, decided to.
"As a mother, you would understand that I would never put my children through" that sort of strain, she said.
Michael Huffington, who lost a Senate campaign to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 1994, has expressed interest in the race and taken out papers, but has not declared a candidacy.
The possibility of both Huffingtons running had intrigued political insiders, including Davis.
"The Huffingtons, you know, they may, you know -- that'd be sort of interesting," Davis said with a chuckle during an appearance at an elementary school in Hollywood.
Meanwhile, efforts to halt the recall election in the courts continued with two new lawsuits.
In one, a prominent San Francisco attorney asked the state Supreme Court to separate the recall vote from the vote on potential successors to Davis.
Attorney Jerome B. Falk Jr. argues that the state Constitution provides that the lieutenant governor takes over if the governor leaves office.
That provision takes precedence over the recall law, Falk contends.
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