Confused and financially strapped California is facing a critical recall vote for Gov. Gray Davis. Then if the bungling Davis is ousted, which most agree he should be, there will be an election of a new governor.

The Democrats seem to have a leg up on gaining the office because there are some 135 Republicans, some frivolous and some not, seeking the job. So far, the only Democrat of note in the race is Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, a bland, untested man who is sure to command big voter totals from Hispanics. He might also prevail simply because his name will be so easy to spot on the ballot while the GOP list will seem interminable, and be unalphabetized “in the name of fairness.”

Much of the attention about which Republican will win has been focused on entertainment personality Arnold Schwarzenegger and higher profile people such as television performer Arianna Huffington. Even if they were elected, could they govern?

Overlooked by too many, something that likely will doom his bid for office, is Peter Ueberroth. He’s one of the Republicans, and he is far better qualified to serve and administer the ailing state than virtually all the others, including probably Bustamante.

Ueberroth made his fortune in the travel agency business, doing so relatively quietly. But when Los Angeles was chosen as host of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, he was put in charge.

The Olympics had been struggling since Montreal and had run up a $1 billion debt for its hosting efforts in 1972. Costs kept rising and all serious security problems accrued after the terrorist strike at Munich in 1976.

Ueberroth not only marshaled a highly efficient and effective program that was lauded the world over, but he guided the Olympics into showing a profit, actually banking money for the future. There were no major security threats and the Olympic movement seemed to be getting back to the glory it once had known.

When major league baseball needed a top-flight executive, Ueberroth was the choice. And he did an excellent job there of dealing with big dollars and massive egos in the owners’ lounges and on the field.

Ueberroth is smart, qualified, experienced and has a long list of credentials for success. Nobody could be expected to inherit the California governor’s office and work miracles in a few months. But Peter Ueberroth has indicated with his many past achievements he is far better-suited to the massive task than many of the contenders.

The trouble is, Ueberroth lacks the current high-profile status of the others and has been out of the mainstream long enough that many have forgotten or have never learned what he has to offer.

That is a shame for California, which needs the kind of guidance that Ueberroth gave the Olympics in 1984 and major league baseball since.