Jerry the Explorer

Jerry Brown decided to start raising big-boy money , just in case, he maybe possible might want to contemplate running for governor next year.

Carla Marinucci reports, "Democratic state Attorney General Jerry Brown, the former two-term governor of California, took the first step Tuesday toward recapturing the job he held more than a quarter-century ago by forming an exploratory committee for a 2010 gubernatorial campaign.

"The move sets up what is expected to be a historic race between Brown, 71, who served as the state's chief executive from 1975 until 1983, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, 41, who officially entered the race for the Democratic nomination in April.

"Brown - also a former Oakland mayor, U.S. Senate candidate and three-time Democratic candidate for president - filed papers Tuesday with the secretary of state's office, a move that allows him to begin raising significantly more campaign money.

"As a candidate for attorney general, Brown could raise just $6,500 per contributor for the primary and general elections. As a gubernatorial candidate, he will now be able to raise $25,900 from each contributor per election."

From our Christmas in September Files, the tax commission finally released a long-anticipated report Tuesday.

Cue crickets.

But Eric Bailey was there.

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed a plan Tuesday to radically alter the way Californians pay taxes, calling on state lawmakers to make dramatic changes before year's end to take the state off the "roller coaster ride" of boom-and-bust budgets.

"The governor called a special session of the Legislature to consider proposals in a 415-page report from a government commission that spent nine months studying ways to modernize the state's tax system.

"Among the ideas from the bipartisan Commission on the 21st Century Economy presented in the report and draft legislation are dramatically reduced income levies and a revolutionary new business tax that would replace existing retail sales and corporation taxes.

"I would sign it immediately," Schwarzenegger declared at a Capitol news conference. "It's an unbelievable compromise between Democrats and Republicans."

Oh, and dead on arrival, too. Dan Walters proclaims it so.

Kevin Yamamura looks at how the plan would actually work , in a parallel universe in which the plan would be adopted. 

"The plan would cut the highest state income tax rate to 7.5 percent on millionaires and 6.5 percent for single filers earning between $28,000 and $1 million.A new consumption tax, called a business net receipts tax, would capture revenues from firms that now escape taxation, such as service-based industries."