Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown said Monday that he had accepted 10 invitations for town hall meetings and debates with his opponent, Republican Meg Whitman.

The first event Brown said he would attend is set for July 31 and is hosted by the Faith Forum, a Christian organization. Others - including a Sept. 11 debate sponsored by The Chronicle, KTVU and KQED - are planned throughout September and October.

Whitman's team has confirmed that the former eBay CEO will make one appearance at a face-off set for the week of Oct. 11, sponsored by NBC and to be held at Dominican University, but said that it was considering other invitations.

Despite the 3 1/2 month wait until their public meeting, the candidates have already started trading blows over who is guilty of spending more time on the sidelines.

Whitman, who has been accused of being absent from the public and the press, is not avoiding a public debate with Brown, her spokeswoman, Sarah Pompei, said in a statement.

"While Jerry Brown has been on the sidelines, Meg has been busily campaigning in front of real voters for a year and a half," Pompei said. "We are excited to review every debate option on a case-by-case basis, and we will be weighing in accordingly.

"The fact is there will be plenty of time for debates, and we are committed to having strong substantive debates, but we're running out of time to hear what Jerry Brown plans to do about job creation, taxes, pension reform, government spending and so many other issues," Pompei added.

Brown, the former governor and current state attorney general, has not outlined plans for how he would deal with the state's budget, the economy and other issues should he return to the Capitol, but a statement from his campaign said Whitman owes it to the voters to discuss the issues in a public forum.

"There is no reason not to participate, no reason not to say what we really mean, and show the voters who we are," Brown said. "I am calling on Meg Whitman to treat voters with the respect they deserve. It's time to step out from behind consultant-scripted commercials full of falsehoods and distortions and debate."