UNIVERSAL CITY — Hoping to raise the status of women and the visibility of issues that affect them, several hundred community and business leaders from across the state will gather for a

three-day conference starting today. A special emphasis of the conference, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles City Commission on the Status of Women, will be a call to action to put a woman on

the next presidential ticket. But organizers said they are also concerned about the small percentage of public officials who are women, especially at the local level. Scheduled speakers

include state Controller Kathleen Connell, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, columnist Arianna Huffington and former White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers. The conference