February 13, 1998

1998 gubernatorial race in California appears poised to set record as most expensive state election campaign in American history; much of spending comes from demibillionaire Alfred A Checchi, 49-year-old investor who has come from nowhere to virtually dominate Democratic field at moment; Sen Dianne Feinstein, whose husband is onetime partner of Checchi and himself a millionaire, chose not to run for governor last month--though she led in all polls--because she confessed dreading prospect that Checchi would spend millions of dollars attacking her in primary; Leon E Panetta, former Congressman who served as Pres Clinton's chief of staff, concluded last week that he could not possibly raise enough money to compete; Lt Gov Gray Davis, who has spent years planning a gubernatorial bid and amassing war chest of more than $4 million, now finds Checchi nipping at his heels in public opinion polls; only other Democrat who decided she could afford to join fray is Repr Jane Harman, who represents coastal district on south edges of Los Angeles and whose husband has fortune akin to Checchi's; on Republican side, conservative State Atty Gen, Dan Lungren, faces only token opposition; Checchi photo (M)

Planning Their Moves Federal prosecutors and Administration officials are considering their next moves in the investigation of President Clinton's relationship with a former intern. Page A22.

French skier Jean-Luc Cretier wins gold medal in men's downhill race at Nagano Games; Lasse Kjus (Norway) wins silver medal and Hannes Trinkl (Austria) bronze; Tommy Moe of US, defending Olympic champion, finishes 12th; Hermann Maier (Austria), Luca Cattaneo (Italy) and five other skiers skid off course and crash; Cattaneo is airlifted to safety; photo (M)

Terry W Patterson, first woman to lead Frederick's of Hollywood in its 50-year history, must move retailer from wobbling, publicly traded family business into privately held company with hopes of reigniting strong growth after decade of running in place; Frederick's, which let Victoria's Secret run away with much of market it initially created, has lost touch with its customers; graph; photo (M)

Elinor R Tatum in Dec 1997 became editor in chief and publisher of Amsterdam News, New York City's oldest, best-known black newspaper; she replaced her father, Wilbert A Tatum, who owns paper; Elinor Tatum, who is 27, has her work cut out for her; circulation of 89-year-old Amsterdam News has dropped to 25,962 from 58,905 in 1977; while newspaper remains Harlem institution, it is facing strong competition from host of new publications; some critics say Amsterdam News has not done enough to reflect changing face of New York metropolitan region; photos (M)