http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/07/29/MN94086.DTLRenegade University of California Regent Ward Connerly didn't plan it this way, but his Oct. 7 ballot initiative promoting a "colorblind society" could end up helping Gov. Gray Davis fight off a recall attempt on the same ballot.
At least that's the conclusion of two political analysts who have been studying the issue at California State University at Sacramento. Both believe Connerly's Proposition 54, embraced by conservatives but widely condemned by Democrats, could spark a big opposition turnout of minority and liberal voters -- a development that they say would benefit the embattled governor.
While Prop. 54, dubbed the "Racial Privacy Initiative," appeals to conservative voters, political experts say those voters will turn out anyway for Davis' recall. On the other hand, the initiative has galvanized affirmative action supporters who are mounting an aggressive campaign against it.