CA Statewide
From Bwtm
Contents |
2010
The 2010 California gubernatorial election will be held on November 2, 2010, with the primary election on June 8,
news
Democrat Jerry Brown has moved into a narrow lead over Republican Meg Whitman in their fractious contest for governor, while his party colleague Barbara Boxer has opened a wider margin over GOP nominee Carly Fiorina in the race for U.S. Senate, a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll has found. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/09/brown-boxer-ahead-in-new-timesusc-poll.html
California governor candidate Chelene Nightingale: "Why can't we question what happened with 9/11?" http://www.examiner.com/x-27692-LA-County-Libertarian-Examiner~y2010m3d31-California-governor-candidate-Chelene-Nightingale-Why-cant-we-question-what-happened-with-911
Schwarzenegger resigns, will not complete term. "Sarah Palin is my hero." “If I do not get all of the things that we need ... I will not sign a budget and it could actually drag out until the next governor gets into office,” Schwarzenegger told reporters after an event at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, according to a recording provided by the governor’s office. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/07/schwarzenegger-no-budget-until-hes-gone.html
REGION: Democratic registration lead holds. Demographics turning county blue, analysts say. http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_eb7fb8b3-5d5a-5870-aa71-aa040f8d856e.html
20 Worst CEOs: 19, Carly Fiorina, Hewlett-Packard, 1999-2005. A Consummate self-promoter, Fiorina was busy pontificating on the lecture circuit and posing for magazine covers while her company floundered. She paid herself handsome bonuses and perks while laying off thousands of employees to cut costs. The merger Fiorina orchestrated with Compaq in 2002 was widely see as a failure. She was ousted in 2005. The Stat: HP stock lost half its value during Fiorina's tenure. http://www.portfolio.com/companies-executives/Portfolio%20List%20of%2020%20Worst%20CEOs.pdf http://www.portfolio.com/executives/2009/04/22/Best-and-Worst-CEOs-Intro
A close relative of mine went to work for Compaq in Houston, TX. A few years later, Fiorina came on board as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard in California, and the brutal merge between Compaq and HP unfolded. My hard-working relative was let go along, with TENS of THOUSANDS of other good employees. Fiorina is a piece of work. She ran HP company into the ground, ran off many of the employees, and then was run off herself, taking with her millions in a golden parachute. She is bad news, bad business, and a bad excuse for a politician. If California thinks they have problems now, they ain't seen nothin' yet if this shrew gets elected to the U.S. Senate. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/13/carly-fiorina-regrets-moc_n_610380.html
After the primaries, will 'mama grizzly' Palin lose her bite? http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2010/06/palin-brown-whitman-fiorina-california-election.html
On primary night, he likened Whitman to the current governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Like Whitman, he campaigned as an outsider with business savvy, yet he has failed to deliver the budget and tax reforms he promised. "It's not enough for someone rich and restless to look in the mirror one morning and decide, 'I want to be governor of California.' We tried that. It didn't work," Brown said. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100612/ap_on_bi_ge/us_california_governor_two_worlds
Hewlett-Packard's share price fell by more than 50% during Carly Fiorina's tenure. Her successor charitably has described the Silicon Valley company as "not performing to its potential." So, naturally, HP loaded Fiorina down with cash, stock options and other goodies when showing her the door. In addition to her 2004 salary of $1.4 million, the ousted chief executive reaped $1.6 million in performance bonuses. Her severance package was valued at $21.3 million. What else? Six months of administrative support, home security payments for a year, her desktop computer and three months of tech support. Oh, and $50,000 for financial counseling and legal and outplacement services. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-carly-fiorina-cold-copy,0,4575363.htmlstory
Check out all the results for local elections. Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-06-09/politics-city-county-government/check-out-all-the-results-for-local-elections#ixzz0qbE78Y23
At the beginning of the video, Fiorina also appears puzzled that Republican gubernatorial Candidate Meg Whitman would choose to go on Sean Hannity's Fox News show on the "first day of the general [election]." "I think it's bizarre, I mean she's never been on Sean Hannity. I think it's a very bad choice actually. You know how he is," Fiorina continued. "Why after saying no to all these people would you go on Sean Hannity?" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/09/carly-fiorina-open-mic-vi_n_606723.html
A day after Meg Whitman won the Republican primary for governor, Democratic nominee Jerry Brown kicked off his general-election campaign by mocking his wealthy rival's lavish campaign spending and her history as chief executive of EBay. "She talks about waste and abuse," Brown told reporters at a morning news conference in downtown Los Angeles. "She paid herself $120 million, and then EBay had to lay off 10% of its workforce. Now, is that waste and abuse? Is that what you want?" The state attorney general, who faced only token opposition in the Democratic primary, ridiculed Whitman's spending of $71 million of her personal fortune on the campaign so far, suggesting it shows she would lack fiscal discipline as governor. "Whitman only has a history of spending money wildly to get whatever she wants," Brown said. "I have a history of reining in my desire to get this or get that, or spend this, in the campaign or the government." Brown cast his tenure as governor from 1975 to 1983 as proof he could impose the kind of austerity that California needs to recover from its fiscal crisis – and rejected Whitman's charge that his record shows he would tax and spend too much. "Look, she wasn't here most of the time, and she wasn't voting or paying attention," he said, an allusion to Whitman's record of not voting most of her adult life. "When I was governor of California, we built up the largest surplus in history -- $4.5 billion. We created 1.9 million jobs. We reduced taxes by billions, OK?" http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/06/brown-comes-out-of-the-gate-swinging.html
The California Chamber of Commerce has pulled an ad off the airwaves after objections from Jerry Brown and Brown's allies in the business community. Brown was instrumental in pulling the ads by exerting pressure through board members on chamber President Allan Zaremberg to take the ad off the air. Numerous sources confirmed that Brown and his wife, Anne Gust, who once served as chief operating officer of the Gap, made calls to chamber members Wednesday imploring them to put pressure on the group to take the ad off the air. "To any reasonably minded person this is nothing more than a typical political attack ad. It undermines the chamber's credibility to justify it as anything other than that," http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/04/chamber-pulls-antijerry-brown-ad-off-the-air.html
A new Rasmussen poll about the California's budget woes reveals a deeply frustrated electorate unhappy with its elected leaders and their options to balance the budget. A startling 94% called the fiscal crisis "very serious," while only 2% rated Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budgetary leadership as excellent. Half those surveyed, 50%, called his handling of the crisis poor. Schwarzenegger's plan to fill the budget with billions of dollars in federal aid, when framed as a "bailout," was supported by 46% of those surveyed. Asked if the state should file for bankruptcy, cut back on services or raise taxes. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/01/rasmussen-poll-94-percent-say-budget-crisis-is-very-serious.html
Arnold Schwarzenegger aims to be the model modern governor of this 21st century, the Republican state executive who successfully melded liberal ideals and conservative concerns. Since Jan. 1, he has heralded achievements and goals that could seal this legacy. Some might. Most won’t. Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-01-20/columns/barber-is-schwarzenegger-the-model-modern-governor#ixzz0daBLqMuU
Schwarzenegger leaves California in worse shape than when he arrived, poll finds. 27% approval rating. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/schwarzenegger-leaves-california-in-worse-shape-than-when-he-arrived-poll-finds.html#more http://field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2324.pdf
Zero Man Arnold Schwarzenegger
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating has dropped to a new low as Californians continue to worry about the economy and the state’s dismal finances, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. The poll found that just 27% of Californians approve of the job the governor is doing -- a career low for Schwarzenegger in the institute's surveys. The Legislature also remains unpopular, with approval from just 17% of Californians, matching a record low in July. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/12/schwarzenegger-approval-rating-hits-new-low.html
He was never as empty-headed as his enemies imagined, nor the cartoon character he sometimes portrayed. A Reagan Republican who married into the royalty of America’s Democratic dynasty, Arnold Schwarzenegger had everything going for him – no ties to party leaders, interest groups or the past. Now the swagger, the audacity, the blush of the new — it’s all gone for the Governator in Winter. He was grim-faced and hollow-eyed last week in his final state of the state speech, standing in front of the Bear Flag, a reminder of the days when giants ruled California, and further back, when even the Los Angeles basin had grizzly bears. The governor had no choice but to talk like one of the “economic girly men” he used to deride. The new budget numbers, like the old ones, are catastrophic. Despite furlough Fridays and hocus-pocus spreadsheets, despite college tuition spikes and long lines at understaffed licensing bureaus, he still needs another $20 billion just to keep the ship of state from sinking. Does his fall — down to 27 percent approval — signal the end of a certain kind of citizen politician? Or is it because modern California destroys anyone who dares try to govern it? Schwarzenegger has been reduced to desperation of the saddest sort, urging the feds to bail him out, or else there will be more pain for elderly shut-ins, for sick children, for the schools. Watching the action figure beg, and threaten to shred an already torn safety net, is pathos on a public stage. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/arnolds-last-yodel/?ref=opinion
Whitman’s new strategist advised her opponent 16 months ago http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/whitmans-new-strategist-advised-her-opponent-16-months-ago.html
Brown
Jerry Brown for governor. To a state desperate for leadership, he brings the seen-it-all-before wisdom of a political veteran. Californians must choose. One candidate is a stranger to the political and governmental landscape; the other knows every superhighway, back road and dead-end. We opt for real-world experience, know-how and creativity. The Times urges a vote for Brown. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-governor-20101003,0,913011.story
Former President Bill Clinton endorsed Jerry Brown’s bid to become governor on Tuesday, saying he and Brown had put the ugliness from their 1992 primary battle behind them and that Republican Meg Whitman’s ad that featured him was misleading. "I strongly support Jerry Brown for governor because I believe he was a fine mayor of Oakland, he's been a very good attorney general, and he would be an excellent governor at a time when California needs his creativity and fiscal prudence," Clinton said in a statement to The Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/clinton-overlooks-browns-slight-endorses-him-for-governor.html
Brown emphasizes 'uniting Californians'; Whitman attacks 'mismanagement'. The gubernatorial candidates kick off Labor Day weekend with campaign speeches in Santa Ana and Columbia, Calif. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0905-campaign-20100905,0,6798326.story
New pro-Jerry Brown ad hits the airwaves [Updated] http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/07/new-probrown-ad-hits-the-airwaves.html
Meg-o-Millions Whitman
ONE LAST WHITMAN CHECK: California Watch has discovered that Meg Whitman's generous donations to her own (failed) campaign for governor continued all the way to election day. "...Hours before California voters rebuffed the Republican challenger in favor of Democrat Jerry Brown, Whitman wrote her campaign another check, this one for $2.6 million, according to a filing with the California Secretary of State. That pushed Whitman’s self-donations to more than $144 million. No American politician has spent that much personal money on a campaign, win or lose." http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2A1qoE/californiawatch.org/watchblog/election-day-whitman-wrote-herself-one-more-check-6780/r:t
Nearly a full day later, Meg Whitman's spokeswoman is still linking to cross-dressing Korean bass player. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/10/meg-whitman-bass-player.html#more
Meg labels my neighborhood "low income". http://talktomeg.ning.com/forum/topics/latest-smear-campaign-american
U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina was boosted by Palin's endorsement in the Republican primary. But now that the general election is underway, Fiorina is opting to keep her distance. [Updated 4:00 p.m.] A spokesman for Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman confirmed that Whitman would also skip the Oct. 16 rally with Palin. "“It is a national [Republican National Committee] fundraiser and we are unable to attend because we have interviews for a new housekeeper scheduled,” said Whitman spokesman Tucker Bounds. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/10/fiorina-avoids-palin-rally-as-general-election-nears.html
Immigration is by far the most divisive, most volatile and most intentionally misrepresented issue driving elections and politics today. Immigration is not about protecting the rule of law, as Whitman and others like her claim. Whitman's rhetoric on immigration only serves to fuel a race and class war in our state. This is a shortsighted, mean-spirited and deceptive strategy that will only hurt our state in the long run and put our future at risk. As Californians, we must have the courage to face our state's greatest challenge head on and lead our nation in the issue of our time: how to create more equitable economic development that will lift up the poorest in our state. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-oew-perez-whitman-immigration-20101004,0,914063.story
Meg Nixon is a crook
What really ought to concern people most are Diaz Santillan's allegations that during the nine years she worked for Whitman and her husband, they repeatedly forced her to put in more than her agreed-upon hours without compensation and refused to pay her mileage even though she had to use her own car to perform household errands. Whitman denies all this, but she does agree that she fired Diaz Santillan within days of the June 2009 conversation in which the housekeeper asked for help in legalizing her status. That may not be labor code-style mistreatment, but it's an odd way to treat somebody who'd worked in your home and taken care of your children for nearly a decade and who Whitman herself describes as "a member of our extended family." Lots of tough love, one surmises, in that house. Diaz Santillan alleges that Whitman fired her in a phone call, saying: "From now on you don't know me, and I don't know you. You never have seen me and I have never seen you. Do you understand me?" With that, according to Diaz Santillan, Whitman hung up. "She was," Diaz Santillan said, "throwing me away like a piece of garbage." The facts of Whitman's relationship with Diaz Santillan remain to be sorted out, but we already know for certain that undocumented workers are treated like garbage — exploited as if they weren't human beings. They're forced into the shadows; darkness makes them vulnerable to every form of mistreatment. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-1002-rutten-20101002,0,640374.column
GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman accused Democratic rival Jerry Brown on Saturday of making her hire an illegal immigrant housekeeper ten years ago. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/10/02/politics/p114200D27.DTL
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/10/02/politics/p114200D27.DTL#ixzz11FLfEGAX
rookie Meg Whitman is calling revelations about undocumented housekeeper "clearly a coordinated political attack". duh... http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/allred-produces-evidence-she-says-shows-whitman-to-be-liar.html
Pierre Omidyar, who created EBay and hired Meg Whitman as his company's chief executive, said Tuesday that he would not endorse her and would find it "difficult" to vote for her for governor if he still lived in California. Omidyar praised Whitman's leadership skills and said she would do a "great job" if elected, but said he could not back her candidacy because of her stance on gay marriage and her alignment with former Gov. Pete Wilson. Wilson, who is a co-chairman of Whitman's campaign, was a vocal supporter of taking away taxpayer-funded benefits from illegal immigrants. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/ebay-creator-pierre-omidyar-wont-endorse-meg-whitman-for-governor.html
Whitman's economic plan will do little to bring jobs to California, experts say The GOP gubernatorial candidate promises to cut spending and suggests that lower taxes and less regulation will spur business. But experts say the bleak economy is mostly due to the real estate crisis. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-governor-economy-20100919,0,4270300.story
Insiders detail Fiorina and Whitman's fraught history. People who have worked with the GOP former executives say friction runs through their relationship dating back to John McCain's presidential bid. Others have a different view. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/11/local/la-me-fiorina-whitman-20100711
Claim about Brown and taxes in Whitman ad is false, according to source. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/claim-about-brown-and-taxes-in-whitman-ad-false-according-to-source.html
A Closer Look at Citizen Whitman. http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/a_closer_look_at_citizen_whitman_20100909/
there are anti-fraud mechanisms in state government, though none with the all-encompassing scope that Whitman envisions for a statewide grand jury. For example, the Department of Health Care Services reviews complaints of Medi-Cal abuses and refers suspected fraud cases to a unit of the attorney general's office. The attorney general can sue or file charges against doctors, hospitals and other providers, convene a county grand jury or refer cases to local prosecutors. The attorney general's office filed 165 criminal charges against Medi-Cal providers last year, the most in the 32-year history of the fraud unit, and recovered more than $200 million from providers in a recent 12-month period, said Mark Zeiger, the unit chief. Whitman's campaign is unimpressed. It cites a report by the California Taxpayers Association, a business-funded nonprofit, asserting that the Schwarzenegger government has wasted $18.9 billion since 2000. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/06/MNPT1F5GJ8.DTL
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/06/MNPT1F5GJ8.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0ym5vdOHa
Meg Whitman launches searing attack in Republican convention speech. She says Jerry Brown would bring higher taxes and more government spending, and shows a video mocking his previous election bids and casting him as old-fashioned. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-republicans-20100821,0,4685217.story
Whitman writes another big check to her campaign. The billionaire Republican gubernatorial nominee contributes an additional $13 million of her own money, bringing her personal stake in her election bid to $104 million. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-whitman-20100815,0,6499390.story
$531,378. That's the amount of money Meg Whitman spent per day on her gubernatorial campaign from May 23 to June 30. Just to put that in some perspective: Democrat Jerry Brown has spend a little more than $377,000 total since Jan. 1. Though to be fair, labor groups did spend about $4 million on Brown's behalf from the end of May through June. Whitman has now spent $99.7 million on her race since she first formed an exploratory committee in 2009. Since January, Whitman has spent more that $80 million on her campaign. All told, Whitman has spent $91 million of her own money on the race thus far. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/08/meg-whitman-campaign-spending.html
Amid bickering, Whitman and Brown agree to two fall debates. http://www.latimes.com/news/la-brown-whitman-debates-m,0,4965944.story
Whitman proposes tax incentives to create "academic enterprise zones" around major universities. Unfortunately, the history of enterprise zones in this state is already a scandal, given that the ones we have cost some $500 million a year and don't seem to create jobs. Costigan says Whitman's academic zones are a "more focused approach," though why technology firms need new incentives to locate near Berkeley, Stanford, UC San Diego and UC Irvine, neighborhoods already bristling with them, isn't too clear. The common flaw in these proposals is the absence of evidence that they'll create new jobs, much less produce growth in a cost-effective way. Without that, Whitman is just offering a menu of handouts to favored industries and the rich. The campaign says it ran all these ideas past business groups such as the California Chamber of Commerce. But I wouldn't trust the chamber for objective advice on business tax policy any more than I'd trust an edited videotape from Andrew Breitbart. If Whitman were really interested in remaking the state's tax policy for the better, she'd be talking about the obvious flaws in the fabric. For starters, there's the lack of an oil severance tax. She's against it, even though Alaska, which she praises for having a 0% capital gains tax, charges oil companies 25% of the value of the crude they pump out of the earth. Then there are the property tax inequities created by Proposition 13, rewarding commercial landowners at the expense of homeowners. (She's also against rectifying those.) http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20100725,0,1228882.column
Is it too much to ask that the best-financed statewide political campaign in the country — maybe in U.S. history — get things right about a central tenet of its electoral platform? The question arises from GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's new glossy campaign brochure, titled "Creating Jobs for a New California." In it she proposes killing the state tax on capital gains. "California is one of a few states in the country that taxes capital gains at a higher rate than traditional income," the booklet states. Sorry, but that's not remotely true. California taxes capital gains — profits from investments in stocks, bonds, real estate or businesses — at exactly the same rate as any other income, whether it's wages, dividends or your prize from Publishers Clearing House. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20100725,0,1228882.column
Meg Whitman dummy
Radio hosts pounce on Whitman's softening her tone on immigration. John and Ken turn up the volume as the GOP candidate, who spent a fortune courting the right for the primary, now spends another fortune on her path back to the center. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-theweek-20100725,0,4800044.story
"The state is facing a painful budget crisis and Jerry Brown is using more taxpayer-financed state resources than ever to bolster his political image," said Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei. "After 40 years in politics, Governor Brown appears to be someone who will try to take advantage of his incumbency, even if it costs taxpayers money. Voters deserve to know what they're spending on Jerry Brown's personal P.R. campaign." Brown spokesman Sterling Clifford said the candidate is careful to keep campaigning separate from his official actions as attorney general, noting that the campaign pays for any trips that feature both official business and campaign activities. He dismissed the records request as “more misdirection from the Whitman campaign,” saying the filing would result in a waste of taxpayer money because of the staff time involved in responding. “Jerry Brown is attorney general of California, a job he took an oath to do and a job where he has aggressively pursued the interests of the people of this state, going after everything from fraudulent mortgage companies to polluters to serial killers,” Clifford said. “We are certainly proud to stand on his record of accomplishment. I’m sure if Meg Whitman had any accomplishments, she’d stand on those too.” http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/07/whitman-requests-rival-browns-official-records.html
72-year old Jerry Brown will have to demonstrate his vitality and energy, but Whitman can never change the fact that she hasn't voted and has no experience working with legislative leaders. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/the-machinations-of-meg-w_b_650116.html
Insiders detail Fiorina and Whitman's fraught history. People who have worked with the GOP former executives say friction runs through their relationship dating back to John McCain's presidential bid. Others have a different view. "In the early days, Meg was very down to earth," said a former EBay employee who worked closely with her and did not want to be named criticizing her. In the later part of Whitman's tenure, the former employee said, Whitman was seen as pushing for personal gain and perks. Whitman's temper also became an issue. In an instance in 2007 that has created a dust-up in the gubernatorial campaign, she physically removed a subordinate from a conference room after a verbal dispute. The subordinate was paid a confidential settlement estimated at $200,000 and continues to work at EBay. Fellow EBay employees said Whitman's hair-trigger fuse was common knowledge at the company's San Jose headquarters. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fiorina-whitman-20100711,0,4870411.story
As Jerry Brown continues to, as he says "hold his powder" (aka his cash), one of the union-backed anti-Meg Whitman groups is firing at Meg-a-millions in his stead. Starting tonight, a group called...take a deep breath...California Working Families for Jerry Brown for Governor 2010, a Coalition of Public Employees, Firefighters, and Building Trades Organizations...will begin airing a 30-second TV spot pounding Meg. It's going statewide on cable and on broadcast in select major markets around the state. The, ahem, CWFFJBFG2010ACOPEFABTO says that Whitman's last commercial was full of whoppers about Jer. It even linked to the nonpartisan FactCheck.org's analysis of ad, saying the independent fact-checkers "called her ad highly misleading, saying 'it's Whitman who fails when it comes to the facts.'" Team Whitman retorted by saying that not all of their ad was a lie: "NOTE: FactCheck.Org Did Not Call Whitman Ad Claims On Browns Mayoral Tax Increases Misleading Or False." The first line of the FactCheck analysis: "We find Meg Whitman's attack ad fails to tell the truth." Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?
Republican Meg Whitman is making false claims about Democrat Jerry Brown’s "lifetime in politics" in an attack ad. The two are battling to become the next governor of California.
- The ad claims that "crime soared" while Brown was mayor of Oakland. That’s false. The total number of crimes actually went down by more than 13 percent.
- Also false is the ad’s claim that Brown "damaged the school system so badly the state had to take it over." As mayor, Brown had almost no control over the school district, which was run instead by an elected school board.
- A charge that Brown "lobbies for a corporate polluter" is highly misleading. Brown wasn’t a paid lobbyist. The claim is based on a phone call he made for a past campaign contributor, and it had nothing to do with pollution.
- The ad claims Brown worked to "send California jobs to China," but that’s unproven. The claim rests on an 18-year-old newspaper story that Brown strongly denied.
Some of the ad’s other claims lack context. For example, it’s true as claimed that California had unemployment of 11 percent when Brown finished his time as the state’s governor. But the ad fails to mention that the national unemployment rate was 10.8 percent at the time. http://www.factcheck.org/2010/07/jerry-brown-a-legacy-of-failure/
Whitman's ad invokes the 1960s — sort of. Her effort to link Jerry Brown to the era is not exactly accurate — and not exactly surprising. Pro-War Whitman. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-theweek-20100627,0,4734509.story?
California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman had an altercation with an eBay employee when she was CEO of the company, The New York Times reported Monday, prompting Whitman's campaign to say such disputes are not uncommon in high-stress workplaces. The two later overcame their differences, and the employee continues to work at the online auction site. The Times posted a story to its website based on anonymous sources that said Whitman became angry and pushed the employee in an executive conference room at eBay's Silicon Valley headquarters. The employee, Young Mi Kim, was helping Whitman prepare for a media interview for which Whitman felt unprepared, according to the newspaper's account. The story said Kim threatened to sue after the incident three years ago, but later agreed to a mediated settlement that remains private. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/meg-whitman-altercation-m_n_612294.html
Carly "Half Off" Fiorina
Warning: Sarah Palin can be bad for your political health. That's the finding of a new survey from the Field Poll. Palin is scheduled to appear in Anaheim on Oct. 16 to help California Republicans. But it appears the two women at the top of the GOP ticket are opting to stay away. U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina was boosted by Palin's endorsement in the Republican primary. But now that the general election is underway, Fiorina is opting to keep her distance. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/10/fiorina-avoids-palin-rally-as-general-election-nears.html
For us, the choice in the race between Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and her Republican opponent, Carly Fiorina, resolves itself into a simple proposition: Issues matter, especially in the United States Senate. Fiorina is intelligent, energetic and accomplished in the private sector. But on too many issues she reflects the doctrinaire conservatism that is ascendant in the Republican Party. By contrast, Boxer has been a voice — if sometimes a strident one — for values promoted by this editorial page: individual rights, equality, environmental protection and constructive engagement by the federal government with national economic problems, including the crisis in healthcare. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-senate-20101004,0,2248965.story
Fact-checking Sen. Barbara Boxer's attack ad on Carly Fiorina's record at HP. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2010/sep/17/fact-checking-sen-barbara-boxers-ad-carly-fiorina-/
Fiorina serves up what 'tea party' voters in Clovis want to hear: I will crush liberals! In her campaign to unseat Barbara Boxer, she actively courts core conservatives. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0919-fiorina-20100919,0,5307080.story
Team Whitman tweets about H-P -- Fiorina's former company -- sending jobs out of state [Updated] http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/team-whitman-tweets-about-h-p-fiorinas-former-company-sending-jobs-out-of-state.html
Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer said Friday that rival Carly Fiorina's recent embrace of a November ballot measure that would roll back the state's landmark global warming law was evidence that the Republican was "in the pocket of big oil" and "dirty coal." With California's unemployment rate at 12.3%, the three-term senator and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown have argued that the state's 2006 global warming law, which would cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels over the next decade, will play a crucial role in creating jobs and stimulating the green energy sector in California. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0911-senate-20100911,0,1535835.story
Locked in a tight race against California Senator Barbara Boxer, Republican candidate Carly Fiorina just had a curious getaway in Israel. Samuel P. Jacobs on the chutzpah of her High Holy Day gamble. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-09-08/carly-fiorina-jets-to-israel-during-campaign/
While Fiorina was the CEO of HP the stock lost half it's value.
Poor Carly Fiorina. To make conservative ideologues happy, she has to abandon science and her previous positions on the key issues of global warming and clean energy. But to win election statewide, she has to appeal to the majority of California voters, who understand that clean energy is the key to the state's long-term economic and job growth -- and that unrestricted emissions of greenhouse gases will devastate California more than most states. And so in her first debate with climate and clean energy champion Sen. Barbara Boxer, she simply couldn't give a straightforward answer to the simple question of whether she supported the Big Oil funded Prop 23 effort to gut California's landmark climate and clean energy law, Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32). http://www.grist.org/article/2010-09-03-carly-fiorina-barbara-boxer-california-senate-debate-prop-23/
Before Mark Hurd, another H-P CEO left in disgrace. When Fiorina ascended to the top job at one of America's great companies, she shattered glass ceilings. After six years that saw an unsuccessful merger with Compaq, and a stock price that had been roughly halved, she left, with a push from the board, with a shattered reputation —and a parting package of roughly $40 million in cash and stock. H-P shareholders filed suit, trying to get back the parachute, but Fiorina, who is now vying to become the next senator for California, prevailed. http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/1947/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-08-09/mark-hurd-and-the-most-outrageous-ceo-parachutes
Boxer shows vast fundraising advantage over Fiorina. the fortune of the former chief executive of Hewlett Packard is estimated to be between $27.7 million and $121 million, according to financial disclosure forms http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/07/boxer-shows-vast-fundraising-advantage-over-fiorina.html
Insiders detail Fiorina and Whitman's fraught history. People who have worked with the GOP former executives say friction runs through their relationship dating back to John McCain's presidential bid. Others have a different view. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fiorina-whitman-20100711,0,4870411.story
Fiorina town hall reaches out to Latinos. The Republican launches a Spanish-language website, but her support for Arizona's anti-illegal immigrant law could pose a challenge. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0627-fiorina-20100627,0,7670969.story?
Carly Fiorina gets mixed reactions from crowd at Juneteenth event. The GOP Senate nominee, hoping to broaden her appeal, attends South L.A. celebration. One woman says her appearance shows bravery and a willingness to listen; another calls her a 'two-faced liar.' http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0620-fiorina-juneteenth-20100620,0,3974686.story
ballot initiatives
Schwarzenegger and James Cameron team up to terminate Prop 23. http://www.grist.org/article/2010-10-27-schwarzenegger-and-cameron-prop-23-avatars-team-up
Proposition 23 and the damage it would do to California. Setting aside the state's climate change law would damage the state's green economy and imperil California's commitment to fighting greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-farber-prop23-20101004,0,551916.story
Fight over bid to suspend California's global warming law gets ugly. George Shultz warns of the dangers of dependence on foreign oil, and backers of Proposition 23 respond with attacks on him and his co-chairman in the opposition campaign, Thomas F. Steyer. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prop-23-20100910,0,75571.story
Last year, California's clean-tech sector received $2.1 billion in investment, accounting for 60 percent of all clean-tech investment in North America. The clean-tech sector is now one of the fastest growing sectors in the state, creating jobs at a rate 10 times faster than the statewide average and employing more than 500,000 Californians. As a result, California is home to seven of the top 10 clean-tech businesses in the country, earning it a reputation globally as a pre-eminent leader on climate change and a favorite to provide the technologies for the clean-energy revolution taking shape around the world. But despite this success, some vested interests are supporting a November ballot initiative - Proposition 23 - that would suspend AB32, arguing that its implementation will cost California jobs. While I'm not an economist, I disagree. With the unemployment rate in California near its 20-year high, undermining one of the state's fastest growing sectors would only make matters worse. Instead, California should continue to support the growth of its clean-tech sector, which promises to bring hundreds of thousands of new jobs to the state. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/12/INPG1F7BGP.DTL&type=politics
California's Prop. 23, backed by oil giants with a lot to lose, needs to go down in flames. It's up to voters to save the state from big oil interests. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0905-lopezcolumn-20100905-29,0,1573926.column
The Texas-based oil companies that are the primary backers of a November ballot effort to suspend California's global warming law are among the state's biggest polluters, according to a report issued Tuesday by two groups advocating for inner-city residents. Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp. have contributed more than $4.5 million to Proposition 23, which seeks to suspend a 2006 law intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their contributions represent nearly 75 percent of the funding for the initiative. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/10/prop-23-supporters-are-ma_n_677661.html
Qualified Statewide Ballot Measures http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures.htm
The latest California ballot measure to make a national splash addresses neither marijuana nor gay marriage, but an even more contentious issue these days: cap-and-trade. Proposition 23 would suspend California's statewide cap-and-trade plan, currently scheduled to take full effect in 2012, until unemployment drops to 5.5 percent in the state for a full year. The carbon pricing scheme is one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's pet projects, and it is a key component of the emissions reduction measure known in California as AB 32, which Schwarzenegger signed in 2006 despite intense opposition from the oil lobby. Now, as the state gears up to replace Schwarzenegger in November, the industry has launched another attack on the plan, this time through a ballot measure. The California Jobs Initiative, the group behind Prop. 23, is funded largely by Texas oil companies Valero and Tesoro. When the initiative made the ballot in June, its supporters had already raised about $3 million, and it was expected to attract as much as $150 million by the November election. http://www.grist.org/article/2010-07-09-the-climate-wars-western-front/
The California Teamsters, one of the state's most powerful unions, has voted to oppose a proposed ballot initiative to delay enforcement of the state's Global Warming Solutions Act, the nation's toughest law to control greenhouse gas emissions. The Teamsters, with more than 250,000 members in California, is the first major union to officially oppose the measure, which is backed by a group of oil companies, Republican legislators and conservative activists. The group is gathering signatures to place the initiative on the November ballot. http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/scimedemail/la-me-trucks-20100424,0,737058.story
2009
Spanky Panky update: Heidi DeJong Barsuglia Denies Mike Duvall Affair: Energy Lobbyist Reinstated After Recorded Sex Talk. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/02/heidi-dejong-barsuglia-de_n_343013.html
A tax train wreck. Sacramento must stop its habit of raiding dedicated funds to balance the budget. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-transit2-2009oct02,0,1309770.story
What governor - once an actor, then a Terminator, married to a major women's leader - has the chutzpah to wipe out 100 percent of the domestic violence budget of California, the biggest state in the country, with a single grope of his veto pen? What same governor does this as the state economy is plummeting and violence is escalating? When the STAND Hotline, that serves Contra Costa County, fielded more than 12,500 calls for help in the first seven months of 2009, triple the number in a normal year (if violence is ever normal)? In a state where over the past six months at least five men, desperate from losing their jobs, have murdered their families and themselves? What other governor is willing to sacrifice the lives of his constituent daughters and mothers in order to protect oil corporations from paying taxes on their multi-billion-dollar profits - fair taxes that could easily fund these same programs? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/the-terminator-is-back_b_263493.html
Putting California back together. The state's Constitution needs a rewrite -- and the federal Constitution should be the model. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-karako26-2009jul26,0,757702.story
How did California get into this mess? There's plenty of blame to go around in the budget crisis. Fingers can be pointed at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Democrats, Republicans -- and you and me. By John Vasconcellos. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-vasconcellos10-2009jul10,0,646349.story
The root of this bipartisan intransigence is a redistricting process that elects only the most conservative of Republicans and the most liberal of Democrats to the Assembly and state Senate. Of the 120 legislators in the state Capitol, only a handful were elected in legitimately competitive races. The rest ran in districts drawn to be safe for members of one party or the other, which means that most legislators are understandably much more concerned about the prospect of losing a primary campaign to an even more ideologically intense member of their own party than about being defeated in a general election. The result is a Legislature far more attuned to the needs of its most extreme and vocal members, with precious little incentive to put aside partisanship under all but the most unusual circumstances. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-schnur22-2009may22,0,5971993.story
2007 - 2008
Schwarzenegger refusing to sign bills. Frustrated with the Legislature's failure to pass a budget, the governor says he also will veto any bills already on his desk until lawmakers approve a spending plan. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnold7-2008aug07,0,6501790.story
Governor sees job approval tumble. State's budget problems are a significant factor. Amid growing state budget problems, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's roller-coaster job approval ratings have again plummeted, from 60 percent in December to 41 percent late last month, according to a new Field Poll. http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080603/news_1n3field.html
Gov. finds himself in a bigger budget bind. Many of the spending options Schwarzenegger used to have are no longer available. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-crisis24nov24,1,5717764.story?coll=la-headlines-california
Governor
PHIL ANGELIDES, Democrat
Occupation: California treasurer
Age: 53
Hometown: Sacramento
Residence: Sacramento
Education: Bachelor's degree, Harvard University
Political/government career: California treasurer, 1999-present; chairman, California Democratic Party, 1991-93; chief of staff to Assembly majority leader, 1980-83; consultant, Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, 1979-80; head of Division of Research and Policy Development, state Department of Housing and Community Development, 1975-78.
Professional career: president, River West Investments, 1986-98; chief executive officer, AKT Development, 1984-86.
Family: Wife, Julie; three daughters
Web site: www.angelides.com/
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Republican
Occupation: California governor
Age: 59
Hometown: Thal, Austria
Residence: Brentwood
Education: Bachelor's degree, University of Wisconsin-Superior
Political/government career: California governor, 2003-present; chairman, President's Council on Physical Fitness, 1990-92.
Professional career: Bodybuilder; actor.
Family: Wife, Maria Shriver; four children
Web site: www.joinarnold.com
Little risk to Schwarzenegger of blackouts, thanks to Gray Davis
Despite a midsummer heat wave that has pushed energy use to an all-time high this week, experts say Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger probably does not have to fear the blackouts that ended former Gov. Gray Davis' political career. And he has Davis to thank for that.
The long-term contracts Davis signed, at great political cost, guarantee plentiful energy for the next few years at what now look like good rates.
"In an interesting twist of fate, he's benefiting from the decisions that his predecessor suffered for," said Frank Wolak, a Stanford economist who specializes in energy. "The terrible contracts" Davis "signed at the height of the crisis are now quite reasonable."
Davis was recalled from office in 2003 and replaced by Schwarzenegger, in large part because of the energy crisis.
EDWARD NOONAN, American Independent Party
Occupation: Computer dealer
Age: 58
Hometown: Prescott, Ariz.
Residence: Marysville
Education: Attended California State University, Sacramento
Political/government career: Director, Area 4 American Independent Party; candidate, secretary of state; chairman, Yuba County American Independent Party.
Professional career: Owner, AFI Used Computers
Family: Wife, Patricia; two children
Platform: “Reduce immigration and stop all government subsidies to illegal aliens. No driver's licenses for illegals.
“Defend America's moral values. Keep God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Protect the life of the innocent unborn.
“Support high standards in education, including encouragement of private schools and home schooling.
“Stop the rape of consumers and taxpayers by the energy/utility monopolies. Defend Second Amendment rights.”
Web site: www.ednoonan4gov.org
ART OLIVIER, Libertarian Party
Occupation: Engineer
Age: 49
Hometown: Lynwood
Residence: Bellflower
Education: Associate's degree, Cerritos College; certificate, advanced computer technology, University of California Irvine
Political/government career: Bellflower mayor, 1998-99; Member, Bellflower City Council, 1994-97; candidate, vice president.
Professional career: Self-employed engineer; engineer, McDonnell-Douglas, Boeing
Family: Wife, Joyce; four children
Platform: “The governor is encouraging illegal immigration by declaring that illegal immigrants have rights to health care, schooling and so on.
“Taxes are too high because government is too big. Big government is inefficient, corrupt and very expensive and our current governor wants to make it bigger. To reduce taxes, spending must decrease. To do otherwise is irresponsible and just puts the burden of today's big government on future taxpayers.
“The California Legislature has put the largest public works bond package in history on the November ballot. The bonds are unnecessary and will burden the state with massive debt.
“One of the simplest education reforms is choice. Parents should be allowed to send their children to any school they want and funding should follow that child. Compulsory education needs to be re-addressed.”
Web site: www.electArt.com
JANICE JORDAN, Peace and Freedom Party
Occupation: Treatment program manager
Age: 42
Hometown: Ojai
Residence: San Diego
Education: Bachelor's degree, San Diego State University
Political/government career: Member, San Diego County Peace and Freedom Central Committee
Professional career: Treatment program manager, National Crossroads
Family: Single, one child
Platform: “The impact of deregulation has disproportionately affected working-class families and small businesses and most consumers now realize the importance of government regulation of utility services. I support state-owned and regulated utility services.
“I support the legalization of marijuana and the decriminalization of drugs and respect the work of community groups such as Shelter from the Storm and NORML. Drug and alcohol addictions are diseases and should be treated with rehabilitation not incarceration.
“Racial profiling is a national epidemic. Independent agencies are needed to monitor the policies and practices of law enforcement officers.
“Every woman, child and man deserves full health and dental coverage. We are one of the richest countries in the world and the only industrialized nation that does not have universal health care.”
Web site: www.janicejordan.org
PETER CAMEJO, Green Party
Occupation: Financial adviser
Age: 66
Hometown: New York
Residence: Folsom
Education: Attended MIT, University of California Berkeley
Political/government career: Candidate for vice president, 2004; candidate for governor, 2003 and 2002; candidate for president, Socialist Workers Party, 1976
Professional career: Chairman and co-founder, Progressive Asset Management; founder, Ecological Trust for Merrill Lynch; president, RGE Inc.
Family: Wife, Morella; two children
Platform: “It is unacceptable that many people who work full-time are earning so little that they are still in poverty. Enact 'living wage' laws statewide. Fight for the rights of workers, unions and prevailing wage rules.
“End racial profiling by police and the criminal justice system. Enact a moratorium on the death penalty. End the mistreatment of undocumented residents. Legalize undocumented workers. Provide a driver's license for all immigrants.
“Promote increased use of alternative-fuel technology. Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused or abandoned. Support a bond for clean air, parks and water conservation programs.
“To protect Californians from corporations that endanger our economy, health and safety, end the practice of being soft on corporate crime. Increase rehabilitation and training for people in trouble. Abolish California's three-strikes law.”
Web site: www.votecamejo.com
Lieutenant Governor
McClintock touts fiscal caution, land rights
State Sen. Tom McClintock is in the odd position of seeking a position that he once proposed eliminating.
McClintock, a Thousand Oaks Republican who has long been a stalwart of fiscal conservatism, told The Bee Capitol Bureau on Friday that he is running for lieutenant governor as a vehicle to drive public policy.
McClintock, a 20-year veteran of the Legislature, said both he and his opponent, Democratic Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, would use the largely ceremonial office as a pulpit for expounding their ideas.
But while Garamendi would promote issues such as curbing global warming and improving schools, McClintock said he would advocate for property rights, decentralizing government and his signature issue, putting the brakes on state spending.
It would also be a platform, McClintock conceded, for running for governor in 2010.
"No one has any business running for lieutenant governor without the intention of becoming governor ...," he said. "It's disingenuous for anyone running for this office to say, 'Well, I don't intend to be governor. I just want to be the best lieutenant governor the state's ever had.' "
McClintock once proposed eliminating the office to save money, and still thinks the state could do without it.
But "while it exists," he said, "it can perform a far more important function than it has."
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/24309.html http://www.camajorityreport.com/?p=767
Secretary of State
Debra Bowen, Democrat
Age: 50, Residence: Marina del Rey
Background: State senator, 1998-present; assemblywoman, 1992-98. Previously an attorney specializing in small-business startups, tax law, and environmental and land-use issues. Graduated from Michigan State University and has a law degree from the University of Virginia.
Bruce McPherson, Republican
Age: 62, Residence: Santa Cruz
Background: Appointed secretary of state in March 2005 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Democrat Kevin Shelley. Served in the state Senate before term limits forced him out in 2004. Assemblyman, elected in 1993 special election and served until 1996. Reporter and editor of his family-owned newspaper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Degree in journalism from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.
CA State Senate
District 36
http://republican.sen.ca.gov/web/36/
http://www.markhanson4senate.com/
PROPOSITIONS
PROPOSITION 89
- Sets up a system of public financing of political campaigns for state elective offices.
- Candidates who collect the required number of $5 donations receive money from the state as long as they agree to forgo further private fundraising.
- Candidates who instead receive private contributions would be subject to stringent donation limits.
- Corporations prohibited from donating more than $10,000 to ballot proposition campaigns.
- Raises corporation tax rate by 0.2 percent to pay for the system.
2003 Recall
As a state, too, we have ridden the wave: Californians who optimistically cast their lot with an untested movie star now resemble survivors on a reality show, trying to figure out which bugs to swallow in order to stay alive. California's -- and Schwarzenegger's -- flamboyant optimism has proved to be no match for hard reality. Just one measure: In October 2003, when Schwarzenegger was elected for the first time, unemployment in California stood at 6.9%. In November, the last month for which figures are available, joblessness stood at 12.3%. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-week10-2010jan10,0,7209931.story
why was gray davis recalled? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_gubernatorial_recall_election,_2003
http://www.recallgraydavis.com/FiveReasons.asp
Why the Bid to Recall Governor Gray Davis Is the Wrong Response to California's Budget Crisis. http://writ.news.findlaw.com/aronson/20030820.html
