Meg Whitman's lead over Steve Poizner has dropped to just nine points, according to a new PPIC poll.

Cathleen Decker reports, "Her opponent Steve Poizner's attack on her as being too liberal on illegal immigration lacked traction for weeks, then found footing with the passage of a tough new Arizona law that Whitman opposed.

"The business background that was an early advantage for the former EBay chief turned into a liability with publicity about her ties to a controversial Wall Street firm.

"Attacks from both the right, via Poizner, and the left, from Democrats, left Whitman whipsawed. Anti-establishment voters may have taken their angst out on a high-flying frontrunner.

"The result: According to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, Whitman's once-massive lead over state Insurance Commissioner Poizner has dwindled to nine points, 38% to 29%. Whitman's support dropped 23 points in two months, the survey showed, while Poizner gained 18 points. Democrat Jerry Brown now narrowly leads Whitman in a general election matchup, a reversal of their standing in March."

You can check out the results in graphic form here.

The Chron's political team delves a bit into the crosstabs.

"Whitman's support has fallen 17 points across all demographic groups, including a 29 percent drop among non-college graduates and 28 percent among those who earn $80,000 or more.

"The GOP gubernatorial candidates' strong stances against illegal immigration - each of them opposes amnesty for undocumented workers - have cost them Latino voters, the state's fastest-growing electorate. Among Latino voters, Brown leads Whitman 58 to 26 percent and Poizner 64 to 13 percent.

"Brown leads among independents, another key electorate that could be pivotal in the November general election because they represent 1 in 5 voters in the state. He leads Whitman 38 to 34 percent among independents and Poizner 40 to 27 percent.

"Brown leads Poizner and Whitman among male and female voters. Boxer has a strong lead among women when matched up against the three GOP candidates for senator, but she loses to Campbell among male voters, 44 to 42 percent.

The race also shows a dead heat in the GOP Senate primary and early support for the June open primary measure. You can see the full poll here.

Capitol Weekly reviews this year's competitive legislative primaries. 

"On June 8, the fate of 100 legislative seats will be decided, but just a handful of the races are remotely competitive. The vast majority of these races will be decided in the primaries. Of the seats listed below, only one race – the Hanford-area, 30th Assembly District being vacated by Republican Danny Gilmore – is expected to be competitive in the fall. While there are other races not listed below that will demand attention and resources, we run down the races to watch on Election Day next month."

Michael Rothfeld unearths a 2006 survey Poizner filled out for the Sierra Club in which he touts his environmental record.

"In his Sierra Club questionnaire, Poizner called global warming one of the three most pressing environmental problems facing California (along with clean air and clean water). He said he would be "a strong voice" on the National Assn. of Insurance Commissioners' global warming task force. He said California could "take a leadership role" in the world on environmental protection, and, through the state's 2006 legislation to curb global warming, "show the nation how to reduce [carbon dioxide] emissions and benefit by reducing our dependency on foreign oil."

"This year, Poizner backs an initiative to indefinitely suspend the same law, which he now calls "Draconian," and says California should not get ahead of other states, because global warming is not "state warming."

George Skelton says the polarized Legislature is simply a reaction to the voters who elected them. 

"Gerrymandered districts drawn by the legislators themselves, combined with a semi-closed primary election system, have tended to send the most extreme, non-pragmatic ideologues to Sacramento in the last decade. Voters can correct both flaws when they cast ballots this year.

"And unique to California, rendering our Legislature particularly dysfunctional, is a two-thirds majority vote requirement for both passage of a budget and an increase in taxes.

"So if 51% of voters do agree on how to stanch the profusely bleeding state budget, it still must be approved by two-thirds of each legislative house. And that's a formula for gridlock."

Robin Abcarian looks at Carly Fiorina's time at HP.

"Fiorina's personal story, which includes treatment for Stage 2 breast cancer, has made her an appealing figure on the campaign trail. Her fortune has made her a viable one: She has lent her campaign $3.6 million so far.

"She describes her Republican primary opponents — former Rep. Tom Campbell, who has led most polls this spring, and Irvine Assemblyman Chuck DeVore — as professional politicians and argues that running one of the world's largest tech companies gave her the "real-world" experience that voters seek.

"But the imperatives of operating a global business have been known to clash with what voters may consider the greater good. At a time when employment is a top concern of voters, Fiorina's aggressive push to move jobs overseas, coupled with extensive layoffs on her watch at HP, have made her vulnerable to charges that she put profits above American jobs."

And finally, from our Irony Files, the Octomom is now touting birth control -- for pets. "Nadya Suleman, the 34-year-old mother of 14 whose delivery of eight babies conceived through in vitro fertilization last year earned her the nickname "Octomom," has made good on her promise to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals by unveiling a sign promoting animal birth control in her front yard.

"Facing financial difficulties that could have meant eviction from her La Habra home, Suleman agreed in March to place the sign advocating spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats in her yard. Around the same time, she declined an offer from an adult-film production company to appear in a porn movie.

"No porn. Just Peta. Nadya prefers animals over men," her lawyer Jeff Czech wrote by way of an explanation in an e-mail to the Associated Press."

What's good for the goose...