FAMILIAR THEMES MARK SPEECH; EDUCATION, ETHNIC UNITY RECEIVE MOST ATTENTION.

Byline: Dan Smith Scripps-McClatchy Western Service

Pledging to ``restore California's public schools to greatness'' and ``ring down the curtain on the politics of division,'' Gray Davis on Monday became California's 37th governor and its first Democratic chief executive in 16 years.

``I pledge to you an administration that is at once tough-minded and big-hearted,'' Davis said. ``We will restore a standard of decency and compassion to government. And we will reward merit and insist on accountability.''

With a blinding array of camera flashes, the Democrats packed into Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium clearly relished the moment - at 11:46 a.m. - when Davis placed his left hand on a nearly 500-year-old Bible checked out of the state Library and took the oath of office from California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George.

The estimated 3,500 in attendance erupted into thunderous applause, triggering an ovation that lasted nearly five minutes. Davis kissed his wife, Sharon, and led the cheers, pumping his fists in the air.

Garry South, the Davis confidant who masterminded the come-from-behind victory last year, waved both fists above his head in celebration. And Davis' mother, Doris Morell, wiped tears from her eyes, watching the son who as a young boy imagined himself a governor.

Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. led the group of political supporters and family flanking Davis on the stage.

Jerry Brown, California's last Democratic governor and Davis' former boss, had another engagement - he was being sworn in as Oakland's new mayor.

Gore, who has filed papers to seek the presidency next year, appeared with Davis to greet well-wishers after the ceremony at the Capitol rotunda. He then spoke to Davis supporters at a private lunch closed to reporters, but skipped Monday night's inaugural balls to watch his home state University of Tennessee play football in Arizona's Fiesta Bowl.

Davis' 34-minute inaugural address concentrated on familiar themes from his campaign - education and ethnic unity - and launched no new proposals. Aides said the governor's first State of the State address, scheduled for Wednesday evening, will include more specifics.

No new proposals

But the crowd liked what it heard from Davis on Monday, greeting his words more than three dozen times with applause and 11 times with standing ovations.

As he did throughout the campaign, Davis promised to govern from the middle of the road, ``propelled not by ideology, but by common sense that seeks better results.''

He called on Californians to commit their ``personal engagement'' to improving the state.

``Choose not indifference and mistrust; choose hope, commitment and renewal,'' Davis said.

More bluntly than he had during the campaign, Davis said California schools are failing, but said the responsibility for improvement should be spread among all education stakeholders.

``Blaming teachers, as some have done, is no solution,'' Davis said. ``Yes there are some deficient teachers and principals out there. Under my administration, either they will get better or they will be encouraged to find another line of work.''

Improving education, he said, will be the ``primary mission'' of the Davis administration. ``And I will undertake it with the same sense of purpose, discipline and focus that I learned 30 years ago, courtesy of the United States Army,'' he said. ``We are going to get it done.''

The budget Davis will unveil Friday is expected to include several new initiatives for public schools, some which could be outlined in Wednesday's speech. Moreover, Davis sometime this week will officially call a special session of the Legislature to expedite legislation that seeks to improve teacher training, ensure that all public school pupils can read by age 9 and hold schools more accountable for student performance.

Wilson reaction

Noticeably unimpressed with parts of the speech were Republican Pete Wilson and his wife, Gayle.

Seated in the front row of the stage behind Davis, both appeared perturbed at Davis' references to Wilson's campaigns against teacher unions, illegal immigration and affirmative action. The Wilsons were the only attendees to keep their seats during four of the standing ovations and held their applause in other instances.

``Throughout my campaign, I pledged that the day I took the oath of office, the era of wedge-issue politics in California would be over,'' Davis said at one point. ``Well, my fellow Californians, that day is here. That time is now. And you can finally ring down the curtain on the politics of division.''

Davis' approach especially pleased Bob Mulholland, the California Democratic Party's political adviser and longtime Wilson antagonist. Davis, Mulholland observed, ``was not shy with the punches, even though Wilson was sitting there.''

One senior aide said Davis had ``no intent to insult Gov. Wilson . . . (but) there was no way, after running a campaign saying these very same things, that he could back away from them.''

Davis confirmed two related campaign promises - that he would soon lead a delegation to Mexico City and formally ask the University of California Board of Regents to adopt a new policy to ``seek to ensure diversity and fair play'' by guaranteeing admission to UC for all students who finish in the top 4 percent of each high school.

The legacy of his governorship, Davis said, could be ``that men and women of different races and ethnicities were brought together as never before - that here in California, we made Martin Luther King's dream a reality, that by judging people by the content of their character, we united as one people and found common purpose in our unparalleled diversity.''

Abortion rights

He promised to sign a measure that strengthens the state's ban on assault weapons and drew perhaps his biggest ovation reciting one of the cornerstones of his campaign - support for abortion rights.

``Don't waste the Legislature's time trying to pass bills restricting women's constitutional rights. It simply will not happen on my watch,'' Davis said.

Sandra Acosta, a union activist who came up from Los Angeles for the inaugural events, said Davis' comments on abortion rights were important to her.

``The thing that stuck with me was the issue about a woman's right to choose - don't waste my money, don't waste the Legislature's time. We have bigger issues,'' she said.

Republicans were less impressed. Assembly Republican Leader Rod Pacheco of Riverside said Davis might have set his education improvement sights too high.

``I only hope he can live up to it,'' Pacheco said. ``It will be difficult.''

Conservative Republican Assemblyman Tom McClintock from Simi Valley called the speech ``standard fare for such addresses . . . In its pristine form, an inaugural address is a definition of lofty principles. I didn't hear any lofty principles,'' he said.

At one particularly poignant - if scripted - moment, Davis noted that the auditorium was dedicated to veterans and asked that the audience salute a group of veterans sitting together in the mezzanine. Davis then moved away from the podium, looked up to the group and held a military salute for several moments.

``We really appreciated his recognition,'' said Vietnam veteran Ralph Lopez. ``He's one of us.''

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Photo: Gray Davis and his wife, Sharon, arrive at his inauguration as the 37th governor of California.

Bob Galbraith/Associated Press