San Bruno B.A.R.T.

  If San Mateo County is any indication, the field of candidates hoping to replace Gov. Gray Davis will be very crowded.

  So far, eight County residents have taken out papers to run for governor in the Oct. 7 recall election. And with filing open until the end of next week, and the office open to almost any registered voter who can come up with 65 signatures from members of the same party, plus the $3,500 filing fee -- or 10,000 signatures in lieu -- the ballot could be a long one.

  The potential County candidates include five Democrats, a Republican, a Libertarian and an independent. Some have never run for office before, while others sit on appointed or elected governmental panels. Jack Hickey's not sure, off the top of his head, how many times he's run for office. But over the years, the Redwood City Libertarian has unsuccessfully sought offices ranging from U.S. Senate to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District before winning a seat on the Sequoia Healthcare District board last November. And now, he's seeking the state's top elected post.

  A lot of problems are created at the state level, Hickey said, including seismic requirements that are forcing Sequoia Hospital to spend millions to retrofit or rebuild. Those problems, he said, "could be addressed by a governor who had an interest in doing something about it and was not beholden to the unions or the construction industry."

  To help balance the budget, Hickey said he'd eliminate "unnecessary agencies" and unneeded gubernatorial appointments, which he described as "political payoffs." He'd also like to offer property-tax credits for educational expenses and facilitate dissolution of special districts around the state -- including the one whose board he sits on -- that he thinks are no longer necessary.

  David Stanley, a Woodside attorney and businessman, said he'd want to work in a bipartisan mode to solve the state's financial crisis. Both spending cuts and tax increases would need to be looked at, the Republican said.

  "For the last seven years, I've been working with financially troubled companies, and I feel like California needs somebody with that kind of experience right now, not a politician," Stanley said.

  Stanley has never run for office before and said he wouldn't plan on running beyond the end of the term that expires in 2006.

  Independent candidate Jerry Morissette lives in a trailer at a rest stop off of Interstate 280 in Hillsborough. Morissette, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, made the news earlier this year when Caltrans wanted to evict him. The Vietnam veteran told the Times the rest stop was run-down and had crime problems before he became its caretaker, helping people and planting flowers.

  None of the five Democrats could be reached for comment Wednesday. They are William Pratt of San Bruno, Jeff Klagenberg of Moss Beach, Stanley Hilton of Pacifica, Pacifica Planning Commissioner Christopher Ranken and San Mateo resident Jonathan Miller.