In a pre-debate warm-up, a panel of political experts will offer suggestions and insight on what to listen and watch for on Sept. 28 when Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown square off at UC Davis in their first gubernatorial debate.

The Debate Watch Forum will run from noon to 1 p.m., the day of the debate, in the new Kalmanovitz Appellate Courtroom at the UC Davis School of Law. Seating in the 125-seat courtroom will be open to students, faculty, staff and the public. The event also is tentatively scheduled to be webcast and streamed live on screens throughout the law school. (Updated webcast information will be posted later at http://debate.ucdavis.edu/get_involved/index.html.)

In addition to tips on what to look for in the debate, former political strategist and debate coach Dan Schnur, San Francisco Chronicle senior political writer Carla Marinucci and three UC Davis professors will pinpoint defining issues in the race and offer insider accounts from many past debates.

The panel — sponsored by the School of Law, the UC Davis Institute of Governmental Affairs, the UC Center Sacramento and the UC Davis News Service — will include:

• Schnur, chairman of the state Fair Political Practices Commission and a former strategist who helped prepare Gov. Pete Wilson and U.S. Sen. John McCain, among others, for debates. Schnur is on leave from his position as director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California.

• Marinucci, the veteran Chronicle journalist who specializes in state and national political coverage. Marinucci appears frequently on the PBS public television show “This Week in Northern California” and is a regular political analyst for KTVU Channel 2, Irish Newstalk Radio, the BBC, Australian Broadcasting and NPR stations across California.

• Vikram Amar, UC Davis professor of law and associate dean for academic affairs. Amar is a constitutional specialist who comments frequently in state and national media on state and U.S. Supreme Court rulings and such issues as the legal fight over same-sex marriage, federal power over health care and immigration, and the possible legalization of marijuana.

• Larry Berman, political science professor and founding director of the UC Washington Center. Berman is an expert on the American presidency and the war in Vietnam and the author or co-author of 12 books. He has been featured on the History Channel's "Secrets of War," Bill Moyers' PBS series "The Public Mind" and David McCullough's "American Experience" series.

• Robert Huckfeldt, political science professor and director of both the UC Davis Institute of Governmental Affairs and the UC Center Sacramento, a teaching and public policy research arm of the university. An authority on public opinion and voter behavior, Huckfeldt has written several books including "Politics in Context" and "Race and the Decline of Class in American Politics."

The forum will be moderated by A.G. Block, associate director of the UC Center Sacramento, a former editor of the California Journal and seasoned observer of California politics.

Directions and Parking

Driving from Interstate 80, take the UC Davis exit north on Old Davis Road, then park in the parking structure across the street from the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. From there, Mrak Circle is two blocks north. The law school (King Hall) is on the west side of Mrak Circle.