Reeling Simon Hunts Votes in City Speech

SAN FRANCISCO -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon, trailing in the polls by as many as eight points and battered by accusations about his financial practices, outlined his plans for improving state schools in a speech here today, where he also was pressed with questions about his views on gay rights.

Simon charged that opponent Gov. Gray Davis possessed "a bad record and no vision" and pledged to restore "honor and respect" to the office if elected. With the state's economy still reeling from the recession and the Bay Area unemployment rate holding steady at around 6 percent, Simon said that if he is elected he would fix the economy and reverse the decline in the quality of life in California.

Simon, who has visited several schools in recent weeks, has made education a central issue in his campaign. On Monday, he called for a major expansion of charter schools, endorsed home schooling and criticized Davis for failing to demand accountability from the public schools.

"To Gray Davis it (accountability) means a voluntary system where schools can choose to participate or opt out if they feel like it," he said. As governor, Simon said he would order state intervention and replace principals at failing schools that don't improve after two years.

Simon downplayed the significance of standardized tests, saying they are important but not ideal. Rather than preparing students for an assessment, Simon said he believes California educators should focus on providing a comprehensive education.

A study released in June by UCLA found that an estimated 6.3 million Californians lacked health insurance in 2001. During his speech, however, Simon cited a much higher figure of 15 million uninsured, and proposed two strategies for reducing the number - allowing private employers and individuals to make direct contribution s to the state's Medi-Cal budget and giving tax deductions to doctors who treat Medi-Cal patients.

After a week of brutal attacks for his handling of the Log Cabin Republicans questionnaire dust-up and continuing questions about his stance on gay rights issues, Simon declared - to rousing applause from the audience - that he opposes extending marriage benefits to same-sex couples. He also said that he does not support domestic partners based solely on sexual orientation.

Simon maintained that the civil fraud case against his company, William E. Simon & Sons has no basis. In July a jury found the company guilty and ordered it to pay $78 million to Paul Hindelang, a former business partner. "I'm proud of my track record of being a good