Our credit rating has been downgraded to near junk status, and we have almost exhausted our options for collateral."

Arnold Schwarzenegger? Tom McClintock? Cruz Bustamante? Nope. That's a quote from Georgy Russell, the perky 26-year-old computer programmer from Oakland better known for selling thong underwear with "Georgy for Governor" emblazoned across it in her campaign colors.

Conventional wisdom says the California campaign is a circus, a carnival, because 135 candidates are running and many of them are clearly doing so on a lark. But hidden among the smut peddlers, porn stars and billboard models are dozens of candidates who, while they may not have a serious chance of winning, do have serious messages. They are running because they are concerned about the future of their state. And they know that in a political world where regular citizens aren't warmly welcomed, this election gives them a unique chance to be heard.

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't any easier for candidates from the major parties to qualify for this recall. But the recall has captivated Californians like no other campaign. Millions are watching on television. And the record number of souls who decided to participate by running represent, in a way, a spontaneous expression of democracy. Other than a few possible logistical problems on election day, I can't see any downside to their involvement.

In addition to her critique of the budget, Russell has been campaigning for higher taxes on the rich, gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana. She also advocates ending the death penalty.

Russell's political opposite is another young woman, Brooke Adams of Orange County. Adams, 25, says it's time for a failed generation of leaders to step aside and let young people who believe in individual freedom, personal responsibility and smaller government take over.

"Over 150 years ago, this great state was founded by rugged individuals who had the unalienable right to succeed and the equally unalienable right to fail," Adams, a former cheerleader and homecoming queen at Huntington Beach High, wrote on her campaign Web page. "There was no safety net to save these freedom-loving pioneers who built hundreds of towns and villages, many of which are now world class centers of commerce and culture. The Adams administration ... will give Californians back their basic civil right to prosper or fail."

The list of candidates is also filled with single-issue crusaders, people for whom one issue looms among all others in their lives.

Rich Gosse of San Rafael is running to raise awareness about what he calls discrimination against singles. From tax laws to employee benefits, he says, single people are treated as second-class citizens.

"I can't lose this election," Gosse told me. "Either I win or I don't. But even if I don't, I will have won by bringing the attention of the people of this state to the inequality faced by singles."

Warren Farrell of Carlsbad is running on a fathers' rights platform, hoping to focus Californians on the damage done by welfare and divorce laws that encourage single parenting, usually by the mother. Farrell advocates laws that encourage dual parenting and stress "female empowerment rather than victim power."

"In a normal election, no candidate would say these things," Farrell says. "No one would discover, for example, that children raised by single dads do better than children raised by single moms in part because both parents are more likely to be involved when the dads are the primary caretaker."

Joe Guzzardi of Santa Barbara also has what he considers a taboo topic on his mind: illegal immigration. Though it sits just below the surface of almost every major issue in California, from education to health care and the state's deteriorated infrastructure, the issue has been moved off the table by mainstream politicians of both parties.

"Enlightened Californians know exactly what's wrong," Guzzardi, a senior fellow for Californians for Population Stabilization, wrote in a recent opinion piece. "Every day we see evidence of how illegal immigration has changed California. But you would never know about it if you counted on Gov. Gray Davis to tell you."

Even many of the joke candidates have offered serious thoughts on the state's future. Actor Gary Coleman, interviewed on television the other day, proposed that the state explore the construction of desalination plants that can produce electricity and fresh water at the same time. Although Coleman is exhibit A in the "recall-as-circus" case, he said he sees no reason why Californians can't enjoy themselves as they decide who should guide their state.

"This is the entertainment capital of the world," Coleman said. "Why can't our elections be fun and interesting, and still be on point as well?"

So far, it seems, this one is all of the above.