Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA) Authors: By Zachary Coile and Gregory Lewis of The Examiner Staff Contact: Website: http://www.examiner.com/ Pubdate: Sat, 30 May 1998 CANDIDATES MAKE A LATE PITCH FOR THE UNDECIDEDS Rep. Jane Harman said she would support efforts by city officials to provide marijuana to sick people in San Francisco, even if she's not sure it's the right answer for the rest of the state. In a campaign visit with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has endorsed her, Harman said she backed "city officials taking whatever steps they think they need to take" to assure access to the drug for the truly ill. Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, who leads Harman and financier Al Checchi in the polls, was also in The City, touting his endorsements by San Francisco officials. An Examiner poll released Friday showed Davis with a double-digit lead over his Democratic rivals Harman and businessman Al Checchi. As the campaign for the primary election wound down to its last couple of days, Davis and Harman campaigned in The City, while Checchi delivered his education platform to schools in San Diego and El Centro, Imperial County. Attorney General Dan Lungren, the expected GOP nominee, campaigned in Los Angeles and called for eliminating the state's vehicle license fee over the next five years. Davis, who opposed the voter-approved medicinal marijuana Proposition 215, said he supported legislation by state Sen. John Vasconcellos that urges a three-year study of the effects of marijuana on particular ailments. "I'm not in favor of legalizing marijuana," Davis said. "On the other hand, I don't believe politicians should interfere with medical judgments." The Democratic front-runner, who began the campaign lagging third in the polls, appeared confident at pep rally-style press conference with a rainbow coalition of elected officials -- including Mayor Brown and Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris -- and labor leaders. "I believe voters all along were looking for someone with my profile," Davis said in an interview, "but couldn't find me until I could get on television (with campaign ads)." "I believed that once my message got out, the voters would support me," he said. Asked what he planned to do in the final days of the campaign to hold his lead, Davis replied: "Just get up every morning, fight for every vote and share my vision with people in the state." Davis' message is three-pronged: As governor, he will preside over the booming state economy in a logical manner, fix schools and bring the people of the state together. "As governor, I will end the politics of division," Davis vowed from a podium set up outside the War Memorial Building. "The era of wedge-issue politics is over. ... The long nightmare of Pete Wilson is passing on to wherever he's going -- San Diego, New Hampshire." Harman was in The City for a series of events, including a news conference on gun violence and an evening rally with gay and lesbian activists headlined by Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts. Appearing on the Ronn Owens show at KGO-radio Friday morning, she was asked by a caller about her stand on medical marijuana. She said she had opposed Prop. 215, the initiative passed by voters that legalized medical marijuana, because she thought it was too broad. She said she favored more research into medical marijuana, and wanted to fine-tune Prop. 215 to end the current stalemate between pot clubs and law enforcement officials. "I support efforts to limit distribution so we are not promoting drug use, but so that we are helping heal people who are suffering," Harman said. "If that's our principle, if cities have the best tools to implement it, cities should do it, but otherwise the state should supervise it." After the event, she said the idea of allowing city officials to provide pot to patients, suggested by San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan, should be considered. "I feel it should be looked at," Harman said. "But I don't know whether that makes good sense for every city. We have to consider whether the states or the cities should be the primary vehicle for refining the intention of 215." However, Harman added, "I support city officials' taking whatever steps they think they need to take to do what they need to do." Feinstein, in her first public appearance with Harman since endorsing her last week, praised the third-term congresswoman for her experience and her ability to work with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. She also challenged the notion that Harman was out of the race because of polls showing she was tied with Checchi well behind Davis. "There's a big undecided (vote)," Feinstein said. "If the undecideds move her way, she could win." Feinstein also took a swing at Checchi, saying his bottoming out in the polls reflected the negative approach of his TV ads. "I just hope this shows you can't trash somebody to pump yourself up," Feinstein. "I hope it sounds the death knell for this kind of political advertising in the state." Examiner news services contributed to this report. 1998 San Francisco Examiner - --- Checked-by: Richard Lake