EDITORIAL STATE OFFICE ENDORSEMENTS THE BEST COME FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.

WHEN it comes to down-ticket statewide offices in the Nov. 7 general election, partisan pedigrees aren't the best way to determine the best. The following recommendations are based on which of the top candidates seemed most prepared and able for the job, and who would do it with the most honesty and integrity.

Tom McClintock for lieutenant governor: Every candidate for this second-in-command job says they are going to make the position less ceremonial and use the bully pulpit to push important policy.

We believe that McClintock, the longtime legislator from Thousand Oaks, will actually do it. The Republican state senator particularly wants to focus on cutting taxes and reducing the state's debt load, two things that have been out of control in California.

As well, the conservative would be a good foil to the prevailing fiscally freewheeling pols in Sacramento and makes him the choice over Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, a Democrat with a long record of public service.

Debra Bowen for secretary of state: Nothing against Republican Bruce McPherson, who was appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger, but Bowen, a Democratic senator from the South Bay, has a stronger grasp of the details of the job.

Both in the Senate and earlier in the Assembly, Bowen has been an advocate of campaign-finance transparency. She's got a healthy concern about electronic voting systems and appears to have been preparing for this job her entire career.

John Chiang for controller: Having served on the state Board of Equalization for two terms qualifies Chiang for the job as California controller over his rival, former Republican Assemblyman Tony Strickland. Chiang's intelligence and background in finance makes him more than just a better candidate -- it makes the Democratic candidate the right man for the job as the state's top money manager.

Claude Parrish for treasurer: Republican Claude Parrish, also a veteran of the state Board of Equalization, promises he's going to get California a better deal on its bond sales than his Democrat rival and that he will get Californians saving again. Maybe he will, maybe not, but Parrish's fiscal conservancy paired with his vast experience in high finance and small business are sure to be a benefit to the job as the state's top investor.

The Democratic candidate, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, has done a capable job as the state's top cop. But being a career politician and lawyer does not qualify him as the state's financial manager.

Steve Poizner for insurance commissioner: Silicon Valley entrepreneur Poizner, a Republican, has never held elective office, a fact that some seem to think is a bad thing. Indeed, it's his political newness and energy that make him a more attractive candidate than Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who hasn't recovered from his disastrous run for governor in the Gray Davis recall election.

Bustamante is running primarily on his success at losing weight and his affiliation with the Democratic Party. In contrast, Poizner has a well-formed platform that serves Californians well, including keeping insurance companies from red-lining rates, pushing for the development of affordable disaster insurance and rooting out fraud.

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