I would be surprised if several candidates did not meet the letter of the specification, at least the first time around.
Amendments are acceptable, at least at the local level, and the same therefore should logically go for the state level.
It sounds as if the McClintock campaign sent the amended statement by fax. If so, one observation is that fax machine delivery is technically unreliable-- the receiving fax may malfunction.
I don't think we know the full circumstances yet. McClintock may have gotten a verbal OK to fax the amended statement in, but the SoS may have reneged on the OK.
Let me state this: last night I saw the Friday evening (PBS affiliate) KQED program on politics, "This Week in Northern California". It "covered" the recall election by covering only Arnold and Bustamante, and only Arnold's platform was described. Why not Bustamante's, as well as McClintock's? I think either the media is herding the public towards Arnold or they've changed their spots and come out with a republican bias (which alternative is more likely?) In this context, the shutout of McClintock statement from the state ballot fits into a rather familiar pattern. McClintock is the neutron bomb of California politics and the best and only defense the liberals have is to find any and every excuse to shut him out and deny him "face time".
I guess we'll see as time goes on how this unfolds...
It could well be because they have already covered Bustamante's and McClintock's platforms. News is just that, its news. If McClintock hasnt said or done something new, why would they report it. The news media is not a propaganda forum for politicians. You actually have to generate NEWS to get news coverage. As the EXPERIENCED and COMPETENT politician, McClintock ought to know that.