CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS / GOVERNOR : Brown Finds Door to Debate Still Shut : Challenger tries to meet Wilson at his office but is rebuffed. Governor’s camp says she should accept his conditions for format.

SACRAMENTO —  Democratic challenger Kathleen Brown took her demand for a pre-election gubernatorial debate directly to Gov. Pete Wilson’s office in the Capitol on Tuesday but was told he was too busy to debate the debate.

Fighting to regain the lead over Republican Wilson in opinion polls, Brown staged a small rally Tuesday morning with placard-waving supporters in the rose garden of Capitol Park to accuse him of ducking a debate by insisting on “silly” format restrictions.

“You know, I bet Pete Wilson doesn’t even know that his handlers and lawyers have insisted on that long list (of conditions),” Brown, the state treasurer, said Tuesday. “I bet if I just go over there and talk to Pete Wilson, we can work this out.”

Trailed by reporters and about a dozen backers, she led a march into the Capitol and to the lobby of Wilson’s office, where she was met by press secretary Sean Walsh. He told Brown that the governor was too busy “doing his job” and signing bills to meet with her.

As a Wilson campaign official interrupted and challenged her to accept Wilson’s conditions on a debate format, Brown gave up on her chances for a personal meeting. “I’m giving you my home phone number,” she said as she handed over a piece of paper. “Ask him to give me a call so we can work this out.”

Outside, Dan Schnur, chief spokesman for the Wilson campaign who had tagged along in the Brown procession, brushed aside her march as an “embarrassing” demonstration by a trailing candidate who “decides to make a public spectacle of herself.”

“We’re happy to debate. We’re eager to debate,” Schnur claimed.

Brown ticked off a list of what she called Wilson’s “Top 10 Debate Dodging Excuses,” culled from a proposed format agreement that Wilson made public last week.

Among other details, the proposed agreement demanded that the television studio include a “neutral color background” and that each candidate appear behind a slanted podium with a “shelf underneath with a glass of water.”

Brown charged that Wilson wanted “friendly questions only” and that he wanted to “handpick the political reporters who ask the questions.”

But Schnur countered that Brown had misrepresented the document. He noted that under Wilson’s proposal, the reporters would have to be “mutually acceptable to both campaigns.”

Brown said Wilson’s heavy schedule of political fund-raisers this month is proof that the governor is not spending all his time reviewing legislation. She released a purloined Wilson campaign schedule showing he had 17 money-raising events scheduled on 10 days in September.

Last week, Wilson campaign adviser Larry Thomas told The Times that the governor would have just nine fund-raisers this month. He corrected the number Tuesday, blaming the mistake on a clerical error.

But Steve Glazer, an aide to Brown, accused the Wilson campaign of deliberately understating the number of fund-raisers on his schedule to deflect criticism about the governor’s refusal to debate his opponent.

“They lied,” Glazer said.

Negotiations for an Oct. 16 televised debate sponsored by the California Broadcasters Assn. collapsed last week when Wilson rejected a format favored by the broadcasters. He advanced his own alternative.

Times staff writer Daniel M. Weintraub contributed to this report.

Political Scorecard

48 days to go before Californians go to the polls.

THE GOVERNOR’S RACE

* What Happened Tuesday: State Treasurer Kathleen Brown took her demand for an election debate directly to Gov. Pete Wilson’s office in Sacramento, but was told he was too busy doing his job to talk with her.

* What’s Ahead: Brown will tour a Los Angeles aerospace facility today, talking about her plan to revive the economy in the basin. Wilson attends a $5,000-a-plate fund-raiser tonight in San Francisco.

THE SENATE RACE

* What Happened Tuesday: Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced that she has agreed to three debate dates and called on Rep. Mike Huffington to do the same. Huffington’s campaign, which has proposed one debate a week from now until the election, welcomed Feinstein’s decision but stopped short of agreeing to specific dates.

* What’s Ahead: Both Feinstein and Huffington are expected to remain in Washington for most of the week.

NOTABLE QUOTE

“Kathleen Brown chose here today to make a public spectacle of herself.”

--Dan Schnur, Gov. Pete Wilson’s campaign spokesman, referring to Brown’s unscheduled visit to the governor’s office.

A LIGHTER NOTE

Republican Tom McClintock, the former assemblyman who is running for state controller, has unveiled a new campaign poster that portrays him as “the cheapest man in California.” The poster draws attention to McClintock’s 10-year-old suit (“Gray. Cotton-polyester blend. Cost $129.”), his 5-year-old shoes (“Sensible black oxfords. Resoled.”), his belt (“Reversible.”) and the pen in his pocket (“Bic. Free with razor.”). “Tom McClintock,” it concludes. “He’s got a list, a new Bic pen and an attitude.”