Some have called it a boondoggle and a misuse of state funds. Others have touted the project as an economic boon and a momentous boost for residents of the Central Valley.

But whichever way it’s been regarded, the University of California’s 10th campus - the first for the Central Valley - has frequently appeared center stage in the state’s political battles.

UC Merced made its first foray into the state’s gubernatorial recall election earlier this summer when former candidate Bill Simon criticized its spending.

On Friday, staff for two remaining candidates - Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger and Green Party candidate Peter Camejo - took an opposite stance. Both campaigns indicated their support for the as-yet-unopened Merced campus.

Other top recall candidates - Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, a Democrat, and state Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks - did not respond to repeated calls from the Sun-Star over the past two weeks. Arianna Huffington, who is running as an independent, also could not be reached for comment.

The two campaigns that did offer opinions on the UC Merced project - Schwarzenegger and Camejo - both said they were in favor of opening the campus and increasing the Valley’s access to higher education.

Todd Harris, Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, said the Republican candidate thinks the campus’ development should not be put on hold.

Schwarzenegger knows that every dollar invested by the state will attract three to four times that in federal dollars, grants and other sources, according to Harris. He said that the expansion is an important step for the region, as well as for strengthening the UC system.

While Schwarzenegger’s plan to pay for projects like UC Merced includes auditing the state’s finances and increasing efforts to bring business back to California, the Green Party’s Camejo hopes to raise funds by equalizing the state’s taxing methods.

Tyler Snortum-Phelps, Camejo’s campaign manager, said his candidate proposes taxing California’s haves and have-nots equally, which he said is not being done today.

Regarding the Merced campus, Snortum-Phelps said it is particularly heartening to see a UC going into the Central Valley - an area that is historically underfunded and where students are underserved.

Regarding possible environmental concerns, however, he said the candidate would not be comfortable commenting on those issues without further study.

Camejo believes that institutions need to be very sensitive when siting campuses, said Snortum-Phelps, who added that the state is so built out that pretty much any site would have some environmental concerns.

Despite repeated calls from the Sun-Star, both Bustamante and McClintock did not respond.

However, according to UC Merced spokesman James Grant, both Bustamante and McClintock have gone on the record regarding the university project.

Historically, Bustamante has been a supporter of the Merced campus. And according to Grant, the Valley native has been in favor of UC’s 10th campus in the Central Valley since the project’s inception.

Grant also said that as reported in the Los Angeles Times, McClintock indicated support for an additional delay for the Merced campus’ opening.

But, according to Grant, that doesn’t necessarily show a lack of support for the project.

Last month the campus’ scheduled August 2004 opening was delayed by a year after $4 million were cut from its 2003-2004 budget by state legislators.

Gov. Gray Davis, who has fast-tracked the campus’ development previously, signed that budget last month despite the delay.

On Friday, Davis’ spokeswoman Hilary McLean said that signing another budget that includes a delay for UC Merced is “certainly not” something the governor would like to do.

But, she added, she doesn’t have a crystal ball.

A Valley campus is one of the major goals of the Davis administration, according to McLean, and the governor is concerned about the impacts of this year’s budget reductions on the UC system and its students.

Davis is also concerned that progress on the UC Merced project could be disrupted as a result of the recall election, she added.

Whoever is governor after California’s gubernatorial recall election, UC Merced officials have said they aren’t concerned their project will be lost.

“We are confident that the project will be supported by the elected officials of the state,” Grant said, adding that the new campus has historically represented a bipartisan effort that has involved three governors - Republicans George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson and Democrat Gray Davis.