"Facing underwhelming support from Democratic voters, gubernatorial candidate
Phil Angelides spent Thursday
emphasizing his party bona fides while launching a
new television ad taking aim at Republican Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's trustworthiness and move to the political center," report Scott Martelle and Patrick McGreevy in the Times.
"But neither effort broke new ground a day after a Public Policy Institute of California poll indicated Angelides has failed to light a fire among voters who a year ago were ready to abandon Schwarzenegger."
"Angelides campaigned with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean at separate Los Angeles events, while Schwarzenegger spoke before business and government leaders at Fresno State."
Meanwhile, Green Party candidate
Peter "Camejo did a little grave dancing,
announcing radio and TV ads Thursday pronouncing Angelides' campaign dead."
"'
The race for governor is over. Once again the Democrats have handed the governorship to the Republicans. You're free to vote for whoever you want,' Camejo says in one of the spots, urging Democrats to defect to a Green platform against war, the Patriot Act, the death penalty and three-strikes sentencing laws, and for higher taxes on the rich and corporations. '
It would be a powerful message ... to vote for peace, fair taxes, funding education, universal healthcare and to save our planet.'"
LA Observed declares today
Barak Obama Day in Los Angeles. "Seems like it anyway. He's on "Larry Mantle's Airtalk" on KPCC pretty much the whole 10 am hour, at USC's Norman Topping Student Activities Center at 2 pm (with
Salma Hayek and Ben Affleck) for Prop. 87, and with
Angelides, Villaraigosa and the Democratic ticket at a rally on the Doheny Library steps at 3 pm.
"Employing technology honed in President
George W. Bush's 2004 victory, the [
Arnold Schwarzenegger's] re-election team
has created a vast computer storehouse of data on personal buying habits and voter records to identify likely supporters. Campaign officials say the operation is the largest of its kind in any state, at any time," reports Michael Blood in the Daily News.
"Some strategists believe consumer information can reveal a voter's politics even better than a party label can."
"'
It's not where they live, it's how they live,' said
Josh Ginsberg, the Schwarzenegger campaign's deputy political director."
"The idea is an outgrowth of techniques that businesses have long used to find new customers. Using publicly available data, the Bush campaign in 2004 knew voters' favorite vacation spots, religious leanings, the music and magazines they liked, the cars they drove."
"'
No amount of microtargeting is going to save Republicans,' said California Democratic Party adviser
Bob Mulholland."
Yeah, the guv could probably win this one with macrotargeting.
Republican AG candidate
Chuck Poochigian went to the Jacques card yesterday, criticizing Jerry Brown for
turning a blind eye to his long-time confidant's sexual harassment. Hey wait, that may have come out wrong. The Bee's E.J. Schultz explains it better.
"A woman who five years ago settled a sexual harassment claim against a former longtime aide and friend to Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown came forward Thursday to criticize Brown's handling of the case."
"Appearing next to Chuck Poochigian -- Brown's Republican opponent in the state attorney general's race -- Nereyda Lopez-Bowden accused Brown of ignoring her complaints about Jacques Barzaghi, who had been at Brown's side for decades before he was fired in 2004."
"
More than $500 million has been spent so far in the 2006 state election, a figure that shatters previous records and bewilders voters and advocates for changes in campaign finance law," reports the Chron's Tom Chorneau.
"According to campaign reports filed Thursday, about half of that amount has gone to promote or oppose 13 ballot measures, $100 million has been spent on the governor's race and tens of millions more has been spent by down-ballot candidates and independent committees weighing in on a variety of races."
"'
It's an orgy,' said
Matthew Krohn, 49, an independent voter from Oakland, who said he is tired of the election spending."
For the record, as orgies go, this is the worst one
ever. But we digress...
"'We're being bombarded by all sides with information that is not usually very accurate. It's not just the state elections -- it starts in Washington,' he said. 'So much more could be done with that money.'"
The Bee's Matt Weiner writes up Prop. 84. "Proposition 84 was certified for the statewide ballot after a coalition of environmental groups collected more than 600,000 signatures. It would
raise $5.4 billion to acquire public lands for recreation, improve state parks, restore wildlife habitat, protect water quality and boost flood control."
"In the past, Californians have strongly supported using bonds for these purposes, approving two-thirds of such measures historically -- four since 2000."
"But a recent Field Poll showed Proposition 84 with just 50 percent support, barely enough to pass on Nov. 7. A poll released this week by the Public Policy Institute of California showed voters split over Proposition 84, with only 42 percent saying they would vote 'yes.'"
"This is despite broad support from farmers and environmentalists, Democrats and Republicans, even both Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and his challenger,
Phil Angelides."
"The reason may be simple: Supporters didn't do any advertising until this month. By Election Day, they expect to spend $9 million on mailers, TV and radio ads."
The Bee's Aurelio Rojas looks at how the Bonnie Garcia-Arnold Schwarzenegger relationship
is affecting her campaign. "Whether that works to her advantage in one of the rare competitive legislative races in the state will be decided by voters on Nov. 7. But the publicity she's gotten amuses supporters."
"'She's eating it up, and why shouldn't she?' said Imperial County District Attorney
Gilbert Otero, who praises her service to constituents. '
And she is hot.'"
"Garcia, 44, has spoken about her breasts and panties on the floor of the Assembly -- in political context, she maintains. She takes umbrage at suggestions she enjoys the public attention her comments have wrought."
Steve "Clute has launched an advertising blitz capitalizing on Garcia's classroom comments, including a TV spot in which a narrator intones, 'With sex scandals rocking the country, people (are) sick and tired of this behavior. ...'"
"Clute said Garcia's statements are fair game."
"'She seems to be obsessed with a relationship with the governor that she likes to share with everyone she can,' Clute said."
"Her close working relationship with the governor, she said, has only increased the determination of Democrats to defeat her."
"'I have access to the governor because of our relationship, and I tell him, ' 'Hey, I'm here on behalf of the Republican woman's caucus,' ' she jokes. ' 'And, by unanimous consent, this is what we're here to talk about.'"
"New Jersey's Supreme Court ruling on same-sex unions is
likely to make California's top court less receptive to authorizing gay marriage, legal experts said Thursday," writes Maura Dolan in the Times.
"On a 4-3 vote, the New Jersey high court refused Wednesday to declare that same-sex couples should be permitted to wed. The jurists instead said the Legislature must provide same-sex couples with the same rights as spouses, possibly under a civil union law."
"Santa Clara University professor
Gerald Uelmen, an expert on California's Supreme Court, said New Jersey's ruling would incline the California court to be more "restrained" on same-sex marriage."
"'I don't think this will push them in the direction' of approving same-sex marriage, Uelmen said."
"Felony charges were
filed this week against 12 signature gatherers accused of registering Orange County voters as Republicans without their consent – part of a criminal probe into voter flipping," report Larry Welborn and Tony Saavedra in the Register.
"An Orange County Register investigation in April found that more than 100 people who thought they were signing petitions to cure breast cancer and punish child molesters were duped into registering as Republicans. The signature gatherers were part of an Orange County Republican registration drive that paid up to $10 for each "convert," especially in the heated state 34th Senate District."
