Setting the scene for the final push to Election Day,
Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman stormily confront each
other in San Rafael over the issues that have defined the 2010 gubernatorial campaign -- taxes, immigration and public employee unions.
From Capitol Weekly: "But the story of the debate was not policy. It was the punch and counterpunch between the two,
punctuated by repeated applause from the audience.
Indeed, during the encounter in San Rafael at the Dominican
College of California, interruptions from the audience
accounted for perhaps 10 minutes of the debate -- time that could have been spent in questions and answers
from the canidates."
"Whitman clearly was more combative than in the previous
two debates. Brown searched for chinks in her armor
and found them, as when he pointedly wondered how much
she would personally benefit if her plan to cut taxes
on capital gains ultimately became law. "How much money
will you save?" he asked."
The Bee's Dan Walters saw the confrontation as payback by Whitman for the tongue lashing that Brown
gave her at the second debate in Fresno.
"By and large, both stuck to their standard positions
on those issues and at every opportunity returned to
their core campaign themes – Brown that Whitman is a tycoon who lacks political
experience, Whitman that Brown is a political retread
beholden to unions."
"However, Whitman presented a more animated and extemporaneous
demeanor than she had in past debates, while Brown,
one of the glibbest politicians ever to draw a breath,
often found himself on the defensive and made a couple
of verbal gaffes."
Moving right along, would California's new pot law derail Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization initiative on the Nov.
2 ballot?
From the Ventura County Star's Timm Herdt: "It will take effect Jan. 1 — unless voters render it moot between now and then."
"The fact that lawmakers discovered the resolve now
to do what judges have long asked them to do is no
coincidence. The action is a direct response to the
presence of Proposition 19, the initiative to legalize the adult possession of
small amounts of marijuana, on the Nov. 2 ballot."
"Some reluctant advocates of the new law hope it will
stymie support for Proposition 19 by blunting the argument that enforcement of the law
against marijuana possession wastes police resources
and needlessly penalizes much of the population."
And still more on Proposition 19: The L.A. Times's John Hoeffel reports on the findings of a new study on the impact of Proposition 19 on criminal drug cartels.
"The Mexican drug gangs to the mafia after alcohol
prohibition, the researchers also say that they are
likely to find other businesses, just as the mafia
did to replace bootlegging. In the short term, they
conclude, violence might even increase as gangs fight
over smaller revenues."
"Proposition 19 would allow cities and counties to authorize the cultivation
and sale of marijuana. It’s unclear, even if the initiative passes, how many
would do that. It’s also unclear whether the Obama administration would
allow it, since marijuana is illegal under federal
law. The researchers do not address those issues. The
initiative would also allow people 21 and older to possess as much as an ounce and grow
up to 25 square feet of marijuana."
Baghdad by the Bay -- that's San Francsico -- is making a techie comback, as The City enjoys a revivial fueled by geekie companies
and the Web.
The Wall Street Journal's Pui-Wing Tam and Nick Wingfield report: "While there has long been plenty of high-tech ferment 30 miles to the south in Silicon Valley, San Francisco
itself has traditionally been the region's finance
and cultural center rather than a tech magnet. Now,
the city is seeing growth from start-ups such as micro-blogging service Twitter Inc. and social-gaming company Zynga Game Network Inc."
"Late last month, Zynga announced a seven-year lease for a 270,000-square-foot space in the South of Market neighborhood, one
of San Francisco's biggest commercial-rental deals in years."
And finally, from our "Mack the Knife"
file comes the tale of the topless woman, a meat cleaver
and the cops.
"Lasich continued to swing the cleaver in wild slashes,
but got caught up in the window screen that had been
set against her door," the statement said. "Lasich
was topless and screaming that she was going to kill
the officers."
"The woman eventually lay down on the ground in compliance
with the officers' commands, investigators said. As
the officers took Lasich in to custody, she told them,
'Thank God you are here! They've been coming to kill
me all day!'" according to the statement."
Just another day in Portland...
