Mary Toman

Republican P. Gregory Conlon has what might be the perfect resume to run for state treasurer--if only he could roll back the clock about two years. A former president of the California Public Utilities Commission, Conlon was one of the architects of the state's energy deregulation scheme, hailed at the time but widely viewed now as a costly train wreck. Before that, he spent 30 years with Arthur Andersen--that's right, the accounting firm at the center of the Enron financial scandal.

Republican P. Gregory Conlon has what might be the perfect resume to run for state treasurer--if only he could roll back the clock about two years. A former president of the California Public Utilities Commission, Conlon was one of the architects of the state's energy deregulation scheme, hailed at the time but widely viewed now as a costly train wreck. Before that, he spent 30 years with Arthur Andersen--that's right, the accounting firm at the center of the Enron financial scandal.

CITY COUNCIL * VENICE GROWTH: Approved a plan that aims to manage industrial, commercial and residential development in an orderly and attractive manner in the Glencoe/Maxella area of Marina del Rey, southeast of Lincoln and Washington boulevards. * HOLLYWOOD BLIGHT: Approved the Five-Year Hollywood Housing Strategy, which will examine ways to solve the problem of blighted, vacant or unkempt properties.

Re "Media Add Their Lines to Script," Aug. 4, describing the Republican convention in Philadelphia as overly "scripted," I can say from personal experience that this was not the case. I was asked on July 28 to give a speech to the convention at its opening session on July 31. No one told me what to say or even made suggestions as to possible topics or ideas. I wrote the speech myself and no one changed it. When I gave the speech to the convention, it conveyed my personal views and beliefs.

California voters cast ballots Tuesday on an array of statewide primary races, including Democrat March Fong Eu's campaign to recapture the secretary of state job she held for two decades. Eu, the first Chinese American elected to statewide office in California, was trailing in a tight race with San Francisco Assemblyman Kevin Shelley, who enjoyed strong party support.

Embattled Rep. Gary Condit made it official Friday, personally filing formal papers to seek reelection just hours before the deadline despite a glaring lack of support from Democratic leaders and a formidable challenge from his old political protege.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has appointed more than 200 people to citizen commissions overseeing everything from the city's Police Department to its libraries. All the appointees, with the exception of those on the Board of Public Works, have agreed to forgo the per-meeting stipends paid to commissioners. AFFORDABLE HOUSING Tod A. Burnett Dina A. Gonzalez Aaron E. Michaelsen Brenda Y. Shockley AIRPORT COMMISSION Martha Brown Hicks Daniel P. Garcia Patricia Schnegg Theodore O. Stein, Jr.

GOVERNOR How California Voted 100% Precincts Reporting: votes (%) Democrat Gray Davis (1): 1,589,113 (81%) Anselmo A. Chavez: 164,177 (8%) Charles Pineda Jr.: 127,085 (6%) Mosemarie Boyd: 87,237 (4%) Republican Bill Simon: 1,012,428 (49%) Richard J.

Slate mailers, an increasingly popular form of political communication in California, are giving candidates new opportunities to reach the electorate--but are also undermining campaign finance rules and, according to critics, handing out endorsements to the highest bidder. The multimillion-dollar business produces pamphlets sent to millions of voters.