Mary Carey is pledging to make lap dances tax deductible and to swap guns for smut if elected.

She joins other potential candidates such as Terminator movie star and Republican activist Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, who also covet the embattled governor's job.

"My goal is to bring happiness to the streets of California," Carey told reporters as she tried to gather the 65 signatures needed to put her name on the October 7 ballot.

The 22-year-old blonde said her electoral platform would include taxing breast implants to generate revenue and hiring porn stars to help negotiate better wholesale electricity prices in the energy-strapped state.

She also wants to create a "Porno for Pistols" program under which gun owners would be urged to swap their weapons for X-rated movies in a bid to reduce violence in the freewheeling golden state.

"If more guys had orgasms, they'd be less violent," she said, adding that she would present herself as an independent candidate if she achieved the requirements to run by Saturday's deadline for candidacies.

She was clad in a star-spangled bikini top, designer shorts and was tottering on platform shoes as she strutted her stuff in Los Angeles, stopping passers-by to sign her petition.

The 1.76m x-rated candidate was flanked by her manager and two supporters, one carrying a sign that read "Californians Prefer Blondes", echoing the title of a 1954 Marilyn Monroe movie.

She also came up with a novel solution to a key global problem, global warming: "Wear less clothes."

Actor and former body builder Schwarzenegger is meanwhile due to formally announce today whether or not he will fight Democratic Governor Gray Davis for his job when special elections to oust him are held in October.

Aides however said he was now inclined not to run for family reasons.

Flynt said Monday he would file his candidacy by Saturday providing polls could prove that Californians would accept a "smut peddler" as their leader and make him a serious candidate.

More than 250 people have taken out application forms to run for the governorship of the most populous, but most broke, US state.

Anyone can run provided they gather 65 signatures from supporters and stump up the $3500 fee required to stand.