NOTEBOOK: 3 OF 4 CALIFORNIA VOTERS SAY STATE'S IN BAD SHAPE.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Less than six weeks before deciding whether to recall Gov. Gray Davis, three of four California voters think the state is on the wrong track and its financial condition has become worse in the past year, according to a Field Poll released Wednesday.

The 76 percent of those surveyed who offered a dim assessment of the state's finances is the highest figure recorded by the poll since the question first was asked in 1982.

Two-thirds of those questioned said they were either very dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with the new state budget, though nearly twice as many Republicans as Democrats fell into the very dissatisfied category.

Stand and deliver votes

Jaime Escalante, whose astonishing success at teaching college-level calculus to students at a struggling inner-city high school was the subject of the 1988 movie ``Stand and Deliver,'' is trying these days to deliver the vote to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

``I'm going to come up and help him out,'' Escalante, 72, said in an interview from his native Bolivia, where he now lives. The retired teacher added that he expects his contacts in the Hispanic community to benefit Schwarzenegger's campaign for governor.

Over the years he has supported other Republican candidates, including President George W. Bush.

Loyal support

New campaign finance reports show Davis is still the king of fund raising, collecting more than $2.4 million this month in contributions greater than $1,000. The governor's donations continue to outpace contributions to oust him. Two labor groups wrote checks as large as $250,000 each, while traditional Davis supporters in finance, construction and business are still giving.

Among new checks: $100,000 from E&J Gallo Winery in Modesto.

Where to get off

Davis, at a town hall forum Tuesday night in San Francisco, took a swipe at Schwarzenegger, saying he lacked the experience to be governor.

``He likes to say he's strong on leadership, but if I got on a plane and the pilot said, well, I have no idea where we're going but I'm a great leader, some of us might get off,'' Davis said.

Debate announced

Major candidates in the recall campaign will debate on Sept. 30, one week before the election, in an event to be aired live nationwide on CNN, it was announced Wednesday.

The Los Angeles event, to be hosted by CNN and the Los Angeles Times, will begin at 6 p.m. Davis and candidates who have garnered the support of at least 10 percent of likely voters in major polls will be invited to participate.

``The California recall election will be a watershed event in state politics,'' said Teya Ryan, a CNN executive. ``Viewers across the country are following the story with interest, and a debate will offer insights about the candidates that viewers will find worthwhile.''