UC Davis is Debate Central next week and the week after, when the leading candidates for governor and attorney general are due on campus for separate events.

The gubernatorial debate between Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 28, and will be preceded that afternoon by a Debate Watch Forum with three UC Davis professors on the panel.

Tickets for the debate are being distributed by lottery. Students, staff and faculty also are invited to attend any of a number of debate watch parties. More information below.

A week later, on Oct. 5, the School of Law is hosting a debate between attorney general candidates Steve Cooley, Republican, and Kamala Harris, Democrat.

Debate Watch Forum: 12:10 p.m. Sept. 28

The School of Law and the Institute of Governmental Affairs are among the sponsors of this event, during which political experts from UC Davis and elsewhere are expected to offer suggestions and insight on what to listen and watch for in the gubernatorial debate.

The other sponsors are the UC Center Sacramento and the UC Davis News Service.

The forum, free and open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 12:10 p.m. in the Kalmanovitz Appellate Courtroom, which is in the newly opened addition to King Hall, home of the School of Law. Seating is limited to 125.

A webcast is planned; look for the link on the UC Davis home page, the day of the forum.

The UC Davis panelists are Vikram Amar, professor of law and associate dean for Academic Affairs; Larry Berman, political science professor and founding director of the UC Washington Center; and Robert Huckfeldt, political science professor and director of the Institute of Governmental Affairs and the UC Center Sacramento.

The other panelists are Carla Marinucci, senior political writer, San Francisco Chronicle; and Dan Schnur, former political strategist and debate coach.

In addition to tips on what to look for in the debate, the panelists are expected to discuss the defining issues in the race and offer insider accounts from many past debates.

The moderator will be A.G. Block, associate director of the UC Center Sacramento. The former California Journal editor is a seasoned observer of California politics.

More about the panelists.

The gubernatorial debate: 6 p.m. Sept. 28

This first debate between Brown and Whitman, who are in a neck-and-neck contest, is being sponsored by UC Davis, KCRA-TV, Capital Public Radio and The Sacramento Bee. Southern California partners are Southern California Public Radio and La Opinión.

The venue is Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

The sponsors established a pair of lotteries to give away tickets, with one lottery for UC Davis students and the other for the general public, including the rest of the campus community.

As announced last week, lottery entries from the general public and the campus community were due by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 21. Student entries are due by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 25.

You can watch the debate, live, on television (KCRA Channel 3, Sacramento) or online, or listen on Capitol Public Radio (on your radio, 90.9 FM, or online). La Opinion will provide live streaming with Spanish translation.

The university has issued more than 130 media credentials — which means lots of reporters and camera crews all around the Mondavi Center. TV outlets will bring in satellite trucks, while major communications providers are already bringing in portable antennas to boost cell phone capacity.

To accommodate the media, the university announced the closure of the south entry parking garage through the morning and afternoon Sept. 28, and two road closures (Mrak Hall Drive and Alumni Lane) from about 4 p.m. to midnight. See separate story.

More information about the debate and the candidates.

Debate watch parties: Sept. 28

Student Housing announced a couple of viewing parties, one of which is open to all UC Davis students. The party is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. in the main room of the Tercero commons.

The Center for Leadership Learning plans a viewing party for undergraduates, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Community Center (Building 180) at The Colleges at La Rue.

Campus Unions announced that it will host a viewing party in the ArtLounge on the Memorial Union’s second floor.

The Graduate School of Management is hosting an invitation-only party for the GSM community.

Off campus, the Davis College Democrats are planning to gather at 5:40 p.m. for a viewing party at Bistro 33.

Attorney general candidates debate: noon Oct. 5

This debate is sponsored by the School of Law and The Sacramento Bee.

Tickets are not available to the public due to limited space in the Kalmanovitz Appellate Courtroom at the School of Law.

Some public seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in a nearby classroom, where the debate will be simulcast. The event also will be carried live via webcast.

Cooley and Harris will field questions from a panel comprising Marisa Lagos, reporter, San Francisco Chronicle; Jack Leonard, reporter, Los Angeles Times; and Dan Morain, columnist, The Sacramento Bee. Kevin Riggs, KCRA 3’s political reporter, will moderate the session.

More about the candidates.