SACRAMENTO -- The politics of the recall campaign against Gov. Gray Davis overshadowed Davis' appointments of two Kern County residents to prestigious education posts Wednesday.

The appointment of United Farm Workers union co-founder Dolores Huerta continued to draw the spotlight because it was made abruptly Tuesday in a political deal with a fellow Democrat, who was threatening to torpedo Davis' appointment of a campaign contributor to the regents.

And it became evident that Bakersfield attorney Milton Younger's appointment to the California State University board of trustees may hinge on whether Davis survives the recall.

They were among a blizzard of appointments to all kinds of offices the governorbegan to make after the recall election qualified for the ballot.

That has drawn sharp protests from Republicans who point out that Davis was agonizingly slow to make appointments during his first term in office.

They charge that he is not only inviting campaign contributions from potential appointees now that he's fighting for his political life, but he is also trying to make as many appointments as he can in case he is thrown out of office.

"It's a complete contrast from his first four and a half years in office," said Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield.

"We are days away from the election of a new governor," Ashburn added. "This is not the time to be making a lot of appointments."

Davis' aides have denied that there is a political motive behind the sudden rush of appointments, although it has been widely reported that one of the things former President Bill Clinton advised him to do was to appear to be busy governing the state.

Both Huerta and Younger were sworn in to their new posts in Younger's office Wednesday.

Huerta said in a telephone interview that she was "totally stunned and surprised" when an aide to the governor called her Tuesday afternoon asking if she would accept an appointment to the UC Board of Regents.

"There was a little disbelief, too," she added.

The reason for the unexpected call was that Davis had just agreed to appoint her as a result of an unusual confrontation with Democratic Sen. Gloria Romero of Los Angeles.

Romero had objected to Davis' appointment of one of his major campaign contributors, radio magnate Norman J. Pattiz, to a 12-year term as a regent.

Romero said she was increasingly unhappy with Davis and other governors for naming mostly wealthy white campaign donors as regents.

"I communicated to the administration my desire to see the governor appoint more diverse members to the UC Regents," Romero said in an interview Wednesday.

"It is one of the most prestigious boards in the state," she added, "and education is the number one priority in the Latino community."

Romero has the clout to get the governor's attention.

She is one of three Democrats on the Senate Rules Committee, which must make recommendations to the full Senate on whether to confirm most gubernatorial appointments.

Davis needs votes from all three Democrats on the committee because its two Republicans have vowed to vote against all of Davis' major appointments until after the Oct. 7 recall election.

"There may be a new governor soon," said one of them, Sen. Pete Knight of Palmdale.

Romero said she suggested Huerta for the appointment because she has admired the union co-founder for much of her life.

"She clearly is an inspiration to people to obtain an education and better yourself," Romero said.

Huerta was appointed to complete the last six months of another member's term, but she said she is excited about the opportunity to help govern the University of California.

"I think the only time I've gone to a regents meeting was to protest," she said.

She currently teaches a class on community organizing at the University of California and has lectured extensively on college campuses.

The Senate Rules Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on Huerta's appointment today. The full Senate will likely vote on it by Friday, its last day in session this year.

Not so for Younger.

The Senate's leader, John Burton, said the Senate will not take up the pending nominations of Younger and another man to the CSU board at least until January, when it returns from its winter recess. Unlike UC regents, Burton said state law requires a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate to confirm CSU appointments.

That means minority Republicans can block the appointments.

"We can't get a two-thirds vote," Burton said.

By law, however, Younger can serve for up to a year without Senate confirmation.

If Davis is recalled and a Republican is elected governor, Younger's appointment will almost certainly be withdrawn.

On the other hand, if Democrat Cruz Bustamante is elected to replace Davis, Younger said he is confident Bustamante would reappoint him.

And everything may be different after the recall election, Younger added.

"I would expect that following the madness of the recall election," he said, "wiser heads and less partisan stances will prevail."