"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political team on Monday
debuted its first re-election ad of 2006, focusing mostly on the governor's accomplishments of two years ago," reports Kate Folmar in the Merc News.
"As his campaign unveiled the positive television spot, it also announced a new creative team that includes hard-hitting veterans of President George Bush's re-election squad."
"The
30-second ad, called 'Tomorrow,' appears to be a montage of San Francisco cityscapes and stock footage from the 2003 recall election. A narrator cites Schwarzenegger's early-term successes in cutting the deficit, overhauling the worker's compensation system and reducing California's vehicle license fees.
It closes with a shot of Schwarzenegger's face and says his 'leadership is making California work again.'"
...well, at least making political consultants work.
But we're expecting some tough ads from the governor's campaign in the fall, now that the governor as
brought on Alex Castellanos to make his political ads. "
Alex Castellanos, who is based in Alexandria, Va., has a reputation for being a hard-nosed media maven. Castellanos was also hired by the Bush campaign in 2004, and has worked for the president's brother Jeb, in his campaigns for Florida governor. Castellanos, considered one of the GOP's top media consultants, is perhaps best known for the infamous "
Hands" spot on behalf of Jesse Helms in his 1990 reelection bid, attacking racial quotas," reports Capitol Weekly.
"Political observers had different takes on the wisdom of buying airtime now, given that Schwarzenegger faces a basically uncontested primary in June."
OK, are these the same "political observers" who criticized the governor for
not buying airtime early enough as he came under attack from labor unions?
Let's ask an
area woman."'The governor obviously needs to go on the air because he's so weak in every public and private poll that's been taken,' said Democratic political strategist
Gale Kaufman, who led the effort to beat back Schwarzenegger's ballot initiatives last year. 'That's the only reason he's going on air, regardless of what anyone else is doing.'"
Are you sure that the governor isn't trying to woo his base before they succomb to the power of the
hypnotic cross on Republican primary challenger
Robert Newman's web site?
"Kaufman would not say whether the union-backed Alliance for a Better California, which she advises, planned to run anti-Schwarzenegger ads. Many political experts expect unions to lambaste Schwarzenegger while Angelides and Westly duke it out."
"'The Schwarzenegger forces are putting out the positive word on the governor's record in anticipation of union attacks during the primary season,' GOP consultant
Kevin Spillane said."
"Democratic gubernatorial candidates
Phil Angelides and
Steve Westly have
accepted invitations for a Los Angeles debate on environmental issues, even though their political camps have reached no direct agreements on a series of campaign faceoffs."
"But the California League of Conservation Voters has guaranteed there will be at least one Democratic primary debate after each candidate accepted its offer to appear in Los Angeles on May 3."
"'They (Westly and Angelides) are both eager to have our endorsement, and this is the path they have to follow to get there,' [League Southern California Director
David] Allgood said."
It looks as though Phil is ready to
throw down, any time, any where. According to a statement from the Angelides campaign, "Angelides agreed to participate in a debate sponsored by the ABC television affiliates in California, a debate co-sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Commonwealth Club, KQED-FM, KPIX, and KCBS-AM, and a debate on the radio program 'Which Way LA' on KCRW-FM.
The campaign also announced that Angelides is scheduled to participate in joint appearances with his Democratic Primary opponent at the Education Trust-West forum on April 3 and on the Univision public affairs program, 'Voz y Voto,' taped April 5."
"Tens of thousands of youths protesting legislation that would make it a felony to be an illegal immigrant
walked out of schools Monday in California and other states, tying up streets and even making dangerous forays onto freeways. Most were peaceful, but rock- and bottle-throwing led to some arrests," reports Robert Jablon for the AP.
"On California's Cesar Chavez Day,
36,000 students from 25 Los Angeles County school districts walked out, officials told a news conference at City Hall, where more than 1,000 protested for much of the day."
"'I want you to know that there are people right now all across the country that agree with you that we need immigration reform that rewards work, that gives people a pathway to citizenship, that allows families to stay together,' [LA mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa told the crowd."
"He drew jeers, however, when he added: '
Now that you've come, it's important that you go back to school.'"
"The California Republican Party issued a statement calling for an end to the protests."
"'Student walkouts will only further the problems that currently plague our state educational system,' such as a high dropout rate, the statement said."
Gov. Schwarzenegger
weighs in with an LA Times Op-Ed today on immigration reform. "As our nation begins a national debate on immigration, I propose that we lower our voices and lift our sights. We need a debate that attacks the issue without attacking individuals. And we need a comprehensive new law that respects immigrants and protects our nation. Frankly, the debate in Congress thus far has focused too much on politics and too little on principles. Ever since I first ran for office, I've talked about the importance of having a comprehensive immigration policy. Now the moment has arrived."
"Our goal should be to create a policy that reflects our national motto: e pluribus unum — Out of many, one. Here are the basic immigration principles that have always guided me and that I believe should guide Congress."
To get all those principles, you're just going to have to click the link above...
In Los Angeles yesterday,"
Marco Antonio Firebaugh, the former assemblyman who died last week at age 39, was remembered Monday for his loyalty and integrity in championing the lives of immigrant and low-income families."
"Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lt. Gov.
Cruz Bustamante and Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nunez were
among 2,000 people gathered for the funeral at the downtown Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels."
"'I loved my dad so much,' his young daughter Ariana tearfully said during an emotional funeral mass. Burial followed at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier."
"
Al Alquist, who grew up working for the railroad and never forgot his labor roots in three decades representing Santa Clara County in the state Senate, has
died at the age of 97," report Phil Yost and Mack Lundstrom in the Merc News.
"A Democrat who believed in unions, helping the poor and looking out for his district, Alquist was the Senate's longest-serving member when term limits forced him to retire in 1996. For 15 years he had been at the center of power, chairing the Senate's budget-writing committee in the blunt, no-nonsense style of the days 'when chairmen were chairmen,' as one longtime legislator put it."
"Alquist died early Monday morning of complications from pneumonia at a Sacramento nursing facility where he had been cared for in recent weeks. His wife,
Elaine, 61, a state senator who now represents much of the same district her husband had, was by his side. Monday was their 13th anniversary."
Also yesterday, former
Ronald Reagan aide
Lyn Nofziger died. He was 81. "Nofziger went with Reagan to Sacramento, serving as communications director. One of his lasting contributions to the Reagan effort, according to reporters who covered the capital at the time, was his success in getting Reagan to hold a weekly televised news conference."
"Years later, he speculated about the impact of those forums."
"The voters 'see Reagan on television,' Nofziger said. 'They identify with him. He comes across to them as a nice man and a decent man. And they just don't believe that he's capable of doing [bad] things. And I think, maybe
if there were no television, there could well be no Ronald Reagan.'"
"A raucous man who often
sported Mickey Mouse ties and other colorful apparel, Nofziger was so irreverent at times that he was considered ill-suited for the role of White House press secretary after Reagan was elected president in 1980. Nofziger became assistant to the president for political affairs instead."
With the loss of three California political figures (not to mention
Buck Owens), you might be thinking of drowning your sorrows in beer. Well, "a family brewery in the Czech Republic has
opened the world’s first beer health centre in its cellar. The Chodovar Family brewery in Chodova Plana offers beer baths, beer massages and beer cosmetics."
"The cellar has seven huge Victorian style baths where visitors can swim in beer while enjoying a pint poured at a bathside bar."
"Beer can treat a range of conditions, particularly skin conditions, and the health centre should appeal to men who are put off by 'posh' traditional spas. I have heard of some places in other countries where people can swim in beer but it's just a gimmick.
We believe in the healing properties of beer and we offer the full range of treatments. We are a fully-fledged beer spa,' Ananova quoted
Jiri Plevka, the owner as saying."
Where the candidates areGov. Schwarzenegger is in San Francisco today, to "unveil a new Web site aimed at making it easier for entrepreneurs to start a new business in California at a speech to the regional economic, business and government leaders convened by the Bay Area Economic Forum."
Phil Angelides "will appear live on the Ronn Owens show on KGO AM 810 on Tuesday. Angelides will appear live from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM." You can listen to the broadcast online at
http://www.kgoam810.com/listenlive.asp.
Steve Westly has no public events scheduled today.
