As expected, Controller
Steve Westly opened an exploratory committee to run for governor yesterday. Speaking of his potential Democratic challengers, Westly said, "'They are both good public servants, but you can't beat Arnold just by bashing him' ... '
I've got a different message, a different background.'" We fully expect discussions of the controller's recent political background, namely standing with the governor in the Prop. 57 and 58 fight, will be highlighted at this weekend's Democratic Party convention.
GOP spinster
Karen Hanretty dismissed Westly as
Gilligan to Schwarzenegger's
Skipper. ""Now we've got the anti-Arnold vs. Arnold's little buddy," she said.
Westly can start his campaign off by
passing out the unclaimed money that he's holding for difficult-to-find people like
Arnold and Maria.
While Westly is explaining his political swings,
Phil Angelides is
getting national ink with an AP profile. "[P]olitical observers warn that he should not underestimate Angelides, a man regarded as
shrewd and aggressive by his friends, ruthless and mean-spirited by his enemies."
In "One Bullet in the Chamber" news, the
Alliance for Better California claims to have enough signatures to qualify a ballot measure
to require pharmaceutical companies to sell the state drugs at a discount. They do not plan to turn them in immediately, however, hoping a legislative solution will avert a multi-million ballot campaign of dueling pharmaceutical measures.
Meanwhile,
PhRMA asserts that it will qualify its ballot measure. "'We will have the signatures we need,' [spokesman
Dave] Puglia said. 'We'll have major resources available if this goes to a full campaign.
You ain't seen nothing yet.'"
The LA Times's Peter Nicholas
profiles Schwarzenegger's chief of staff, Pat Clarey. The article mostly highlights the job's difficulty under the current governor: "Impulsive to the core, her boss blurts out ideas whether they're ripe or not.
He agrees on a policy direction, then changes course. He sends conflicting messages: At a news conference last year, Schwarzenegger described legislators as his 'partners,' then said he wanted them busted down to a part-time body."
"Having someone
who's really experienced like Pat and then
someone like me who sees no limits and no obstacles and is optimistic, together that is a good combination," Schwarzenegger said.
On this Tax Day, the Register's Kimberly Kindy takes a look at the history of the Manufacturers' Investment Credit, as an example of
unproven ideas that often take flight at the Capitol. "Just a handful of lawmakers in the Capitol routinely demand hard evidence that a program works before
they are willing to give money away - despite an anticipated state budget deficit for 2006-07 of $8 billion to $10 billion."
Reunited and it feels so good: The former capital roomies were back on the same stage yesterday, as
Bob Hertzberg endorsed Antonio Villaraigosa. The endorsement forced Hahn advisor
Kam Kuwata to shed his gloves "'They are the Sacramento twins,' Kuwata said, describing Hertzberg and Villaraigosa. 'They both raised money from Enron. They both did favors for Enron. And both wrote letters for a convicted drug dealer.'"
Let there be light: "Cooks, janitors, groundskeepers and other service workers
staged a one-day strike Thursday at
University of California campuses and hospitals, protesting their job conditions and stalled union contract negotiations. The walkout caused minor disruptions throughout the university system."
For some politicians, their stationery survives longer than their political careers. Anyone remember
Andrea Seastrand? Well, her name popped up in a recent
profile of South Carolina governor Marc Sanford. "To cut down on paper costs, his staff used the letterhead of Rep. Andrea Seastrand, a California Republican who was defeated for reelection in 1996. "We found reams and reams of her stationery sitting in the hallway and decided to put it in our fax machine, " says Scott English, a longtime Sanford aide.
"I think we finally ran out in December 2000." Sanford’s office ultimately returned more than $1.2 million in unused office funds.
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder
Mabel Teng resigned yesterday amid "accusations that she
hired cronies and gave breaks to friends."
And for those of you keeping score at home,
the finger that was bitten off by the leopard is apparently
not the one that wound up in the Wendy's chili. "A Nevada woman who fueled speculation that one of her fingers ended up in a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's after it was bit off by a leopard believes her digit is too small to be the one that has garnered worldwide attention, her attorney said Thursday."
