In the only debate between California’s gubernatorial candidates, State Treasurer Phil Angelides and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger verbally sparred Saturday night on issues including taxes and college fees.

Animated discussion between the candidates highlighted their conflicting views on balancing the budget, transportation and education.

Schwarzenegger, who is leading Angelides in the polls, countered the treasurer’s efforts to explain how he would return college tuition to its 2002 rates and improve mass transit by accusing Angelides of wanting to raise taxes excessively.

“I can tell by the joy I see in your eyes that you love to raise taxes,” the governor said to Angelides. “Look out there right now and just say, ‘I love increasing your taxes.’”

Angelides criticized Schwarzenegger right back, saying he was hurting middle-class citizens with his tax breaks given to wealthy corporations and college fee increases.

“I’m going to close those corporate tax loopholes that are big enough for you to drive your Hummer through,” Angelides said.

Both candidates made efforts to discredit the other by associating him with unpopular politicians – former Gov. Gray Davis and President Bush specifically.

While Angelides tied Schwarzenegger’s political philosophies to Bush’s, Schwarzenegger linked Angelides to Davis, who was recalled in 2003 amid a statewide economic crisis.

Sticking close to his platform of improving the quality of life for the middle class, Angelides accused Schwarzenegger of being too kind to wealthy corporations and of taxing the middle class through college fee increases, mimicing the Bush administration.

But the governor rejected Angelides’ attempts to associate him with the president, telling Angelides, “If you want to talk about Bush, go to Iowa,” referring to the nearing presidential campaigns which usually begin in Iowa.

Schwarzenegger further refuted some of Angelides’ criticisms, for example by blaming some of the student fee increases on recalled Gov. Gray Davis’ administration, which Angelides was a part of.

“The treasurer always says I want to increase tuition fees,” Schwarzenegger said. “Before I ran for governor, the Davis administration increased tuition fees by 40 percent.”

At the end of the hour-long debate, which included questions sent in from voters, each candidate was allowed to ask one question of the other.

Schwarzenegger asked an unexpectedly light-hearted question: “What was the funniest moment you’ve had during your campaign?”

Angelides, on the other hand, asked Schwarzenegger why he started privatizing the pension plans of law-enforcement officials.

Angelides did not joke as much as Schwarzenegger, and Bruin Democrats President Gabe Rose said he believes the debate showed that Angelides is more serious than Schwarzenegger about laying out plans to address issues.

“(Schwarzenegger) apparently didn’t take it too seriously,” Rose said. “He got to joke a lot more because he’s already a movie star, but he was also dodging serious issues of the debate.”

Hector Barreto, a state chairman of the Schwarsenegger reelection campaign, however, said the governor has been able to appeal to both leading parties based on his platforms and methods of campaigning.

“He’s been able to work across party lines and been able to come up with results that nobody expected. I think a lot of people are surprised,” Barreto said.

University of California Student Association President Bill Shiebler, a student at UC Santa Barbara, said the format of the debate was itself problematic because it did not allow each candidate to clearly address his platforms, and because it resembled a question-and-answer session rather than a debate.

“The moderator kind of picked and chose when he wanted to interrupt and it wasn’t consistent,” he said.

Angelides, who has trailed Schwarzenegger in public opinion polls, said he hoped this debate would give his campaign a sorely needed boost.

“This is my first opportunity to talk directly to the people of California, not through the lens of the governor’s $35 million in attack ads paid for by all his corporate sponsors,” Angelides said. “This is my chance to tell people what was in my heart.”

But some students said they were not aware of the debate, which aired opposite Major League Baseball playoffs and during the UCLA football game v. the University of Arizona.

“I didn’t even know about it,” said Sunthree Acosta, a fourth-year English student.

Angelides will have a chance to express his views to UCLA students when he comes to campus Tuesday.

With reports from Bruin Wire Services.