Jack Chang reports on a new Field Poll that shows Jerry
Brown losing ground in the race for governor, while
Meg Whitman is opening up a wide lead over Steve Poizner.
"In a matchup with Whitman, Brown wins the support
of 46 percent of
likely general election voters while 36 percent back the Republican. In
October, Brown's lead over Whitman was more than double
the current
margin.
"Brown's lead over Poizner, the state's insurance commissioner,
also shrank, from 25 to 17 percentage points.
"Brown's
diminishing leads are yet more evidence that he and
other Democrats
will face strong head winds this election year as voters
take out their
frustrations about the economy and other issues, said
UC San Diego
political science professor Thad Kousser."
You can download the poll here.
John Myers and Anthony York discuss the new poll and
the rest of the week's political events in this week's podcast.
The LA Times reports Jerry Brown was called to duty while sitting in the acting governor's chair.
"State
Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown got the chance today to do something
he hasn't
done in more than 27 years -- put his signature on an official
declaration from the California governor's office. Brown
signed a document creating an official state of emergency
in five
counties, including Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside,
as storms
continue to batter the state."
Michael Rothfeld and Richard Simon say lawmakers' trip
to Washington this week was a case of extremely bad timing.
"They arrived Wednesday to find Capitol Hill buzzing
with the election
of a populist Republican to fill Democrat Edward Kennedy's
Massachusetts Senate seat, and confronting the consequences
for the
national healthcare plan, the Democrats' hold on Congress
and Barack
Obama's presidency. The timing added to the difficulty
of an already
daunting task: persuading the federal government, with its own budget
stretched tight, to find an additional $7 billion to help California
close a $20-billion deficit."
And many members of Congress were not impressed. "It's sort of hard to take seriously somebody who comes
to us with hat
in hand and tries to lay the blame at our feet for
the budget problems
California is experiencing," said Rep. Linda T. Sanchez
(D- Lakewood).
She referred to a meeting between the state officials
and California's
House delegation scheduled for Thursday afternoon as
"mostly a
photo-op."
Shane Goldmacher looks at how yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance
law may impact races in California.
"The infusion of such funding into federal races could
be a game-changer.
How much the state's political landscape will change
was the subject of
much debate Thursday.
"It's taken what might have been a two-dimensional chess game and made
it a three-dimensional game," said Kevin Eckery, a GOP strategist.
Boxer's reelection campaign will largely be the testing
ground for the
new rules in California. Though several California
congressional seats
could be competitive this fall, none is expected to
lure the national
attention -- and money -- of Democrat Boxer's bid for a fourth term."
Steve Harmon reports a little-known law is prohibiting access to Jerry Brown's gubernatorial files.
"A
little-known law is making it difficult for historians, journalists
and
First Amendment advocates to gain access to Attorney
General Jerry
Brown's papers from his two terms as governor.
"With Brown all
but declared as a candidate for governor again, his
papers — documents
that cover the wide swath of decisions he made in office
from 1975 to
1983 — are that much more relevant, analysts say. But a 50-year secrecy
shield instituted with the help of Brown himself shortly
after he left
office has kept much of his historical records under
strict control of
caretakers at the University of Southern California."
Josh Richman reports the state's high court struck down limits on the amount of marijuana a medical
marijuana patient may possess.
"The
California Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously struck
down state
limits — and, most likely, local limits, too — on how much marijuana a
patient or caregiver can possess or grow for medical
purposes.
"But
the state's highest court revived another part of state
law that a
lower court had ordered voided, protecting the state's
voluntary
identification-card program for patients and caregivers."
And finally, you know the rules, pal. Throw a taco, go to jail. It's that simple.
AP reports, "An Alaska man who hit a Taco Bell manager
in the face with a double-decker taco has been sentenced to one day in
jail and one year probation. Warren Strickland of Fairbanks
must also
pay a $100 fine after pleading guilty Tuesday to disorderly conduct.
"The
31-year-old says he threw the taco because it contained spit
after he
went through the drive-thru twice because the restaurant messed up his
order. He claims the manager accused him of lying to
get free food."
Gross.
