This
week will be pivotal for
Phil Angelides's campaign for governor, write Matier and Ross. The week ends with the Democratic Convention in Sacramento where Angelides hopes to get the 60% vote needed for a pre-primary endorsement, while a "new ad produced by the California Professional Firefighters -- and largely paid for by Angelides patron and business partner
Angelo Tsakopoulos -- began hitting the cable airwaves across the state Sunday."
"Spokesman
Carroll Wills with the firefighters organization said the group plans to spend as much as $4 million over the next two weeks and beyond to send the message that firefighters and cops stand firmly behind Angelides. In fact, backers of the independent campaign have been vowing to raise as much as $10 million -- in unlimited contributions -- to help bolster Angelides' thus-far tepid TV presence, according to Democratic sources following the play."
"If neither play works -- and at this point the party endorsement looks shaky -- even Angelides' allies privately say his once-promising campaign (complete with backing from just about every ranking Democrat in the state) may be in real danger."
Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan takes a look at the committee, and finds both Tsakopolous and his daughter
Eleni have ponied up big bucks already. And then there's that weird little detail about the former employee of the
Recall Gray Davis Committee who is now working for the pro-Angelides IE.
"The new committee, which officially operates independently of Angelides' campaign for governor, was launched with $5 million from Sacramento developer Angelo Tsakapolous, a long-time business partner of Angelides, and Tsakapolous' daughter,
Eleni Tsakapolous-Kounalakis.
"The committee's assistant treasurer is
Vona Copp, who previously worked for Rescue California … Recall Gray Davis. This was the group founded by Rep.
Darrell Issa, R-Vista, which got the ball rolling on the sequence of events that landed Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Governor's office. Other Copp clients have included Rep.
Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, and Assemblyman
Alan Nakanishi, R-Lodi."
The Chron's John Wildermuth
takes a look at Westly's ad campaign. "Since Westly, the state controller running for governor, went on the air in February with a multimillion-dollar package of soft, feel-good TV spots introducing himself to voters, he has watched his poll numbers soar."
"'They're not called image ads for nothing,' said
Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at Sacramento State University."
"But Westly has a long way to go before he closes the deal with Democratic voters.
"'It's a two-step process,' said
Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. 'First, people want to know who you are, why you're running, the whole nine yards. Then there's the second stage, where they ask the tougher policy questions about what you believe and what you'd do.'"
Meanwhile, Kevin Yamamura's "The Buzz" column in the Bee
reports on Angelides's failed "Big Spin" stunt last week, during which the wheel broke after the first spin.
They should have consulted the governor's prop department.
George Skelton looks at
Phil Angelides's
frank discussion on taxes. "'Beyond idiotic,' says
Garry South, chief strategist for Angelides' front-running opponent in the Democratic gubernatorial race, state Controller
Steve Westly."
Angelides says "'I'm not going to bamboozle people. I'm not going to tell them that with some fairy dust we can close the budget deficit and fund our schools.'"
"And as for [Westly's promise of] raising taxes as a 'last resort,' Angelides says: 'When? When we're in our seventh year of deficit spending? When our schools have fallen from 48th out of 50 [states] in achievement to 50th? When is enough enough?'"
"'
The fact is, Steve Westly's just too timid. He's not willing to stand up and call it like it is.'"
However, the two do
agree that California needs more school counselors, writes Seema Mehta in the Times. "State Treasurer
Phil Angelides has proposed doubling the number of counselors statewide. He said doing so would cost $500 million and was among several education proposals that could be funded by eliminating tax breaks for the wealthy."
"'It's one of the crying needs of our state,' he said. 'I've seen it up front — too many kids going down the wrong path but for one adult, one mentor, one helpful hand that could set them on the right course to college or a good career.'"
"State Controller
Steve Westly has also called for increasing the number of counselors by boosting the percentage of lottery revenue spent on education."
"Counselors 'can make sure to steer our kids in the right direction, whether it's pursuing higher degrees or career vocational education,' said Westly spokesman
Nick Velazquez."
"Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday
said that building a 700-mile wall along the border with Mexico to deter illegal immigration would amount to "going back to the Stone ages" and urged the federal government to use high-tech gear and more patrols to secure the nation's southern boundary."
"'We are landing men on the moon and in outer space using all these great things. I think that other technology really can secure the borders,' the Republican governor said in an interview on ABC's 'This Week.'"
"'If I say now, 'Yes, let's build the wall,' what would prevent you from building a tunnel? How many tunnels have been built in these last 10 years? I mean, we've detected tunnels left and right that people can drive trucks through,' he added."
While the state has been successful in detecting tunnels, critics argue that its not detecting workplace violations in the underground economy. "A task force unveiled last year by Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger faces accusations that it is failing in its mission to investigate wage violations in agriculture, janitorial services, garment factories, construction and other industries where unscrupulous employers are known to exploit immigrant workers."
"'This was a new program designed to get at the underground economy,' said
Mark Schacht, an attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance. 'If you can't find overtime and minimum-wage violations in the underground economy, have you even found the underground economy?'"
President Bush came to California this weekend to meet with Gov. Schwarzenegger about levee repair. "The governor Friday continued to push the president to provide emergency federal funds to shore up the state's weakened levee system, but the president declined and instead ordered the government to streamline the permitting process so state-paid construction can begin," reports the Mercury News.
OK, just so we're clear on this one, the president basically said, "I can't help you pay for those levees, but we can help you spend your money faster?" Gotta love the government.
The Contra Costa Times reports
many counties are going back to paper ballots for the June primary. "Merced and Plumas counties also will switch back to paper ballots. And earlier this week
Los Angeles officials agreed to upgrade their current optical scan system that counts paper ballots instead of spending more than $100 million to buy a touch-screen system," reports Chris Metinko.
"'The laws for electronic voting are changing at a dizzying pace,' said Conny McCormack, registrar-recorder and clerk for Los Angeles County. 'We've seen how other counties have gone out and bought systems and in a few years they can't even use them. For us, with the kind of financial commitment we'd need to make, it doesn't make sense at this time.'"
And from our
News on Repeat Files Michael Gardner chimes in on
the Rasputin of California politics, the Peripheral Canal.
"The Peripheral Canal – one of the battle cries in the historic north-south water wars – is back, but under euphemisms such as the Delta Protection Project, the Clean Water Project, or the Isolated Facility."
"But will the public swallow a Peripheral Canal by any other name? That's what state Sen. Joe Simitian wants to know. The Palo Alto Democrat has proposed a $3 billion bond measure for the November ballot that would pay for a range of Sacramento Delta improvements, including a new north-south delivery system."
Good news!
The spirit of John Lennon has been reached! And
for only $9.95, you too can listen in on the conversation.
"A controversial television seance airing on Monday will claim it has reached the spirit of John Lennon, but viewers will have to pay $9.95 to find out what the peace-loving Beatle has to say."
"The special, being carried on pay-TV service In Demand, was organized by the producers of a 2003 attempt to channel the late
Princess Diana. That show failed to find Diana and received reviews that could have sunk the Titanic but it is estimated to have grossed close to $8 million."
"
Yoko Ono's spokesman
Elliot Mintz has called the entire exercise "tacky, exploitative and far removed" from the icon's way of life."
"'
A pay-per-view seance was never his style,' said Mintz."
We imagine not.