As Democrats gather in Sacramento this weekend for their state party convention, Gov. Gray Davis will play a minor role.

Presidential candidates will work the crowd, peace activists will rally at the Capitol and party strategists will plan how to win more seats in Congress and re-elect liberal Sen. Barbara Boxer.

"People are not so interested in the governor -- good, bad or indifferent," said Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles. Davis "is not the focus of what people are coming up here for."

The governor and his aides can thank their lucky stars.

A NEW LOW: Just four months after his re-election, Davis' popularity has hit a new low. According to a Los Angeles Times poll taken Feb. 27 to March 3, 64 percent of 1,300 adults surveyed statewide disapprove of the governor's job performance while only 27 percent approve.

Davis is not the only one with plummeting ratings. The stagnant economy and financial trouble in states across the country have produced similar negative fallout for many governors.

"California has been harder hit than other states, so I think the governor is taking it more on the chin," said Steve Maviglio, his press secretary.

Maviglio doesn't expect a Davis rebound soon. "I don't think so, given the budget situation we're under and given the dour forecasts for the economy."

In fairness to the governor, the state has far less sway over the economy than the federal government.

Still, the poll highlighted a remarkable development: A majority of Democrats (54 percent) now rate Davis unfavorably. They cited the budget shortfall and his education record as the top two reasons.

LEADERSHIP: The poll shows rank-and-file Democrats are reaching the conclusion of many party legislators and activists: The governor is a poor leader.

The relationship between the governor and members of his own party in the Assembly is "chilly at best," said one Democratic campaign consultant who did not want to be named.

The lawmakers "don't see him out there leading the charge to protect base Democratic values in this budget."

To cover a deficit expected to reach nearly $30 billion next year, Davis proposed $8.3 billion in new taxes and slashing many programs, from Medi-Cal to K-12 education, that Democrats consider sacred.

Then, a standoff with Davis over vehicle license fee hikes infuriated many Assembly Democrats.

"There are clearly very sharp policy divisions between the governor and many Democrats in the Legislature," said Darry Sragow, a Democratic campaign strategist.

WHO'S NEXT?: Instead of warmly welcoming the first Democrat governor to win re-election since Jerry Brown in 1978, party activists are buzzing about his replacement.

Three years before the next primary for governor, three candidates -- Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Treasurer Phil Angelides and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante -- are galvanizing Democratic supporters in way Davis has not for years.

At past state gatherings, Davis has thrown lavish parties for the delegates. This time, Goldberg said, the governor is "not real relevant to the convention."