CAPITOL NOTEBOOK: ZEDILLO ARRIVES IN WEE HOURS, BECAUSE OF LAW.

Byline: Terri Hardy and Dorothy Korber

VISITORS are a common site at the Capitol every day, and to ensure that everyone leaves with an understanding of the important work that goes on inside, the grounds are kept well-groomed.

Last week the Capitol received one of the most important guests in its history: Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. Gov. Gray Davis pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable and safe visit.

A large Mexican flag hung from the front of the Capitol, and a red carpet was unfurled down the west steps. Security was tightened with temporary fences, snipers on rooftops, and police officers posted every few feet.

Before Zedillo arrived, the press corps was briefed on the visiting president's agenda. One of the first items on Zedillo's schedule puzzled them: His arrival time into Sacramento International Airport Tuesday was at 1:45 a.m. The reason: The Mexican Congress will only allow the president out of the country on certain days at certain times.

But does he use it?

Another Capitol visitor last week was former Vice President Dan Quayle, who wants to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee.

During his trip, he appeared with Assemblyman Tom McClintock, R-Granada Hills, and Sen. Ray Haynes, R-Riverside, to push another cut in the vehicle license tax.

The previous day in San Francisco, on the seventh anniversary of his infamous ``Murphy Brown'' speech, Quayle was asked how the GOP could get out in front of the technology issue in the presidential campaign.

``Well, it's true I did not invent the Internet,'' Quayle quipped, homing in on the presumptive Democratic nominee, Vice President Al Gore, who recently claimed to be father of the Internet.

After the laughter died down, Quayle took a poke at himself: ``But I did invent spell check.''

Roads scholars

The Capitol grounds often serve as protest sites.

Last week, the shouting protesters were part-time college professors and, judging from the decibel level, these were some of the angriest academics ever to climb down out of the ivory tower.

``Hey, hey, Governor Gray: Won't you give us equal pay?''

They were angry because community colleges, in particular, tend to hire part-time instructors because they're cheaper and provide last-minute flexibility.

As a result, about 40 percent of community college courses in California are taught by 35,000 part-time instructors. These teachers jokingly call themselves ``roads scholars,'' because of the freeway miles they log among campuses, trying to patch together a full schedule.

Typically, they are paid on an hourly basis and earn about half as much as their full-time counterparts. Few receive health benefits or sick leave.

``I've been a part-time teacher and I've been a full-time teacher and I can tell you this: Full-time is better!'' Assemblywoman Sally Havice, D-Cerritos, told the crowd. She held both roles at Cerritos Community College.

Assembly Bill 420 by Assemblyman Scott Wildman, D-Glendale, would address some of their complaints by granting part-timers seniority rights, comparable pay and health benefits to some. The change could cost the state as much as $2.8 million - money not included in the governor's revised budget.

Bills to watch

AB 109, by Assemblyman Wally Knox, D-Los Angeles, would require employers to permit workers to use up to half their earned sick leave to attend to an ill child, spouse or parent. The bill passed the Assembly by a vote of 50-26 and next will be considered by the Senate.

AB 1222, by Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, D-Encino, would bar private prisons from accepting inmates from outside California without prior state approval. The Assembly voted 71-3 in favor of the measure, which now goes to the Senate.