"Movie producer
Stephen L. Bing set a new California campaign contribution record with Thursday's announcement that he
has donated $40 million to Proposition 87, the oil tax initiative on the Nov. 7 ballot."
"While other wealthy activists have contributed large sums to their own political campaigns, campaign finance experts said no individual has ever contributed this much to a California proposition."
"'This is completely unprecedented to have an individual pump this much money into a ballot measure,' said
Robert Stern, Center for Governmental Studies president."
"
Ned Wigglesworth, California Common Cause policy advocate, said Bing's donations rival the amounts given by entire industries in ballot measure battles."
"'It's ridiculous that one person thinks they have a right to assert so much influence over public policy because they have the money to do so,' Wigglesworth said. '
This is a power grab, albeit a well-intentioned power grab, by a rich guy.'"
In other green news, "Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg -- both trying to burnish their environmental credentials -- Thursday
praised a Sunnyvale start-up for developing fuel-cell technology that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing a clean source of energy," writes Edwin Garcia in the Merc News.
"Bloomberg, a possible future presidential candidate trying to make his mark as an environmental mayor, used his visit to Bloom Energy Corp. to announce major initiatives for his city of 8 million people, with the goal of making New York environmentally sustainable."
"'This is the future of California, of the nation and of the world,' Schwarzenegger said at the start-up that until Wednesday, when a name change took effect, functioned as a top-secret lab known as Ion America. 'It's clean energy that produces jobs, creates a clean environment. It helps our fight against global warming, and this is key here, the fight against global warming.'"
While the governor was working on his green credentials with Bloomberg,
Phil Angelides was
working his base in an Orange County union hall.
Martin Wisckol writes in the Register: "If the folks filling the UFCW union hall Thursday had been average voters, Phil Angelides would be one happy man."
"The Democratic gubernatorial candidate, lagging in the polls, got a boisterous standing ovation."
"'Are you ready to work?' Angelides asked as he brought his talk to a rousing finale. 'Are you ready to win? … Let's go!'"
"But those were not average voters whistling and clapping their hands in support. They were shop stewards for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324 in Buena Park – the type of union folks who will be walking door-to-door and running phone banks on Angelides' behalf."
"'
It's seven weeks from the election, and he's still talking to union members?' said
Allan Hoffenblum, whose Target Book handicaps elections in California. 'At this stage, he needs to be talking to independent voters and crossover voters.'"
"'This is a 12-round fight,' [Angelides] said to the stewards. '
We are going into the 11th round. We are going to knock out him and his corporate buddies."
Meanwhile, the governor also found time for some ping-pong. "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and 80-year-old Lodian Byng Forsberg
played their celebrated pingpong match in Stockton on Thursday, but what had been conceived as an event to raise awareness for cancer research had to end in a private game played at Stockton Metropolitan Airport," writes Hank Shaw in the Stockton Record.
"Blame a tight campaign schedule and demands by scores of television stations to cover the event, some from as far away as Japan. Schwarzenegger officials said they wanted to avoid what they suspected would have become an international media circus."
"So they closed the game to the media, although spokeswoman
Julie Soderlund did relay the events to The Record, which had a hand in setting up the match."
"According to Soderlund and Forsberg, they played at the airport for about a half-hour, mostly rallying back and forth. They didn't keep score."
"'It was a friendly game,' Soderlund said."
Chicken.
From our
You Sunk My Battleship Files,"Republican U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mountjoy has claimed in his campaign biography that he served aboard the battleship Missouri during the Korean War, but his
military record shows no assignment on the famous vessel, The Times has found," writes Paul Pringle.
"In an interview Thursday, Mountjoy acknowledged that he did not serve on the Missouri. Last week, when first asked about his record, he said his Missouri stint had been "very brief" and that he otherwise served on the U.S. heavy cruiser Bremerton, which has a less celebrated history."
"He said later that he occasionally boarded the Missouri during the Korean conflict and was on the ship for 'a couple of days at a time.'"
Well, there go the wheels right off the surging Mountjoy campaign...
"Burying the hatchet from last year's election, Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa greeted a group of Los Angeles business leaders at City Hall on Thursday, acknowledging that many of them had questioned his suitability for mayor but
expressing appreciation that they have supported his major initiatives in his first year," reports Jim Newton in the Times.
"'
I would say there is no single entity that has been more supportive of this administration than the chamber,' Villaraigosa told a standing-room-only audience at a forum sponsored by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and held in the city's elegant council chambers."
"Specifically, Villaraigosa thanked the chamber for supporting his effort to take partial control of Los Angeles schools and to raise trash fees in order to underwrite an expansion of the city's police force."
From our
Let There Be Light Files: "The UC Board of Regents unanimously agreed Thursday that 140 university executives can
keep at least $6 million in pay and perks that they received earlier without proper approval or public disclosure," reports Tanya Schevitz in the Chron.
"The vote is the second time regents have given retroactive approval for questionable payments that were cited in three audits of the university's compensation practices. In July, the regents retroactively approved more than $1 million in compensation items for about 60 top-level executives."
"Among the largest items blessed Wednesday by the regents was a one-year paid administrative leave worth $258,000 for UCSF Dean
Clifford Attkisson when he stepped down from his executive position and returned to the faculty."
"Other employees got promises of a full year's pay if they were terminated. For
Tomi Ryba, UC San Francisco Medical School's chief operating officer, that will mean at least $364,200."
Finally, from our
Stupid Human Tricks Files, a big Roundup congratulations to
Richard Brooks who
drunkenly hit himself with his own car!
Brooks "inexplicably drove at a band of bikers while waving a pool cue in Contra Costa County this morning suffered minor injuries after he got out of his car, left it in reverse gear and was struck by his own vehicle, authorities said."
"The impact sent Brooks sprawling into traffic. As his car continued in reverse and hit the center median of Highway 4, some of the bikers grabbed him and pulled him out of danger."