"...I am standing here before you tonight as the
nominee for governor of the state of California," [
Phil] Angelides told supporters shortly after 12:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Grand in downtown Sacramento," reports the Bee's Kevin Yamamura.
"His rival, Controller
Steve Westly, conceded the race in a phone call to Angelides at about 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, 15 minutes after the Associated Press declared Angelides the winner."
...must have been a pleasant call. Speaking of that, did
Garry South call
Bob Muhulland?
Now that the Democrats have spent some $70 million finding a nominee,
Arnold Schwarzenegger is
ready to fight for reelection in November, reports Peter Nicholas for the Times.
"The Republican governor will set out today on a statewide bus tour to make the case to voters that he is mastering the office after some costly stumbles, and that there is no compelling reason to hand the job to his Democratic rival. Schwarzenegger is considering airing campaign ads this week, according to people familiar with his reelection bid."
"'The choice is clear,' said
Steve Schmidt, the governor's campaign manager. '
Arnold Schwarzenegger has held the line on taxes and repealed the unfair car tax…. The state is back from the brink of bankruptcy. The path the Democrats have called for is one filled with the failed recipes of the past: higher taxes, more spending and partisanship.'"
"In the Democratic contest for lieutenant governor, Insurance Commissioner
John Garamendi claimed a sizable lead over two rival state senators early Wednesday. He led with 44 percent of the vote, with 90 percent of precincts reporting. Sen.
Jackie Speier of Hillsborough, who ran ads highlighting her personal story of survival, had 38 percent of the vote," writes Clea Benson in the Bee.
"Speier, who was shot by followers of cult leader Jim Jones as a young congressional aide on a fact-finding mission to Guyana in 1978, had 42 percent of the vote. State Sen.
Liz Figueroa of Sunol trailed with 18 percent."
Garamendi will face
Tom McClintock, who had only a minor primary challenge.
"
Jerry Brown, California's iconoclastic ex-governor turned big city mayor,
won the Democratic attorney general primary Tuesday in a bid to return to statewide office after a two-decade absence," writes Eric Bailey in the Times.
"Brown, 68, held a commanding lead against Rocky Delgadillo, the Los Angeles city attorney who ran a spirited but uphill fight against a foe who remains a household name in California political circles."
"'As my father always said, I accept the nomination,' Brown proclaimed, before quipping, 'but he'd say that anytime a crowd gathered.'"
The race sets up the long-awaited showdown of
Pooch v. Moonbeam.
"Meanwhile, Democrat state Sen.
Debra Bowen defeated state Sen. Deborah Ortiz, 49, in the Secretary of State's race. She faces Republican incumbent
Bruce McPherson, an appointee of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who has not faced voters before," reports Samantha Young for the AP.
For controller,
John Chiang pulled to a sizable lead late in the evening, and it appears he'll face
Tony Strickland, who has a 43,000 vote lead over
Abel Maldonado.
In the race to face
Bill Lockyer for treasurer, BOE member
Claude Parrish won the nomination battle with
Keith Richman.
With votes left to count,
Michelle Steel has a 16,000-vote lead over
Ray Haynes for the 3rd Board of Equalization seat.
It was also a busy night in the Legislature, where 80 Assembly seats and 20 Senate seats were up for grabs. But most of the action was on the Democrats' side.
It was a bad night for the Legislative Wives Club, as
Renee Chavez, Dianne Harman and Laura Canciamilla all went down to defeat. But the Legislature’s own Dennis Thatcher,
Mike Eng, is poised to replace his wife, Judy Chu, in the Assembly after winning a contested primary last night.
The Legislature will also be 100 percent
Baca free as Jeremy Baca lost his Assembly race, and
Gloria Negrete McLeod crushed Joe Jr. in the race for state Senate.
“A would-be Baca family political dynasty went up in smoke Tuesday, with both Assemblyman Joe Baca Jr. and his brother Jeremy defeated in their Democratic primaries for Inland legislative seats.
Only patriarch Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, will be on the November ballot. He faced no primary opposition in his bid for a fourth two-year term,” reports the Press-Enterprise’s Jim Miller.
You can view all the latest Assembly race results
here.
In the Senate, Jenny Oropeza pulled off a minor upset, besting former Assemblyman George Nakano, while
Lou Correa dismantled Tom Umberg.
In other contested primary news,
Leland Yee bested Mike Nevin and
Alex Padilla defeated Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez. Ellen Corbett
put the boys in their place, defeating John Dutra and Johan Klehs. and
Ron Calderon appeared to eek out a win over CCPOA’s own Rudy Bermudez.
“Calderon's 20,257-19,863 margin might be close enough that it could change. There still remain uncounted absentee and provisional ballots.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's Office has the month of June to finish counting the ballots,” reports the Whittier Daily News.
The SOS has the full Senate breakdown
here.
In initiative land, preschools and libraries both lost as the library bond, and Rob Reiner's Proposition 82 went down to defeat.
"Throughout much of the evening, returns showed that 60 percent of voters statewide opposed Prop. 82 while just 40 percent supported it, making it nearly impossible for the measure to ever get the simple majority it needed to pass," reported the Merc-News.
'It doesn't look good,' admitted Hollywood director Rob Reiner, who spoke to about 200 supporters at a Los Angeles hotel ballroom shortly after 10 p.m. But he vowed to fight on, saying that the push for universal preschool would not go away. 'This is important, and if it is not today the train has left the station.'"
A couple of races remain too close to call. In AD 51, the battle between Curren Price and Steve Bradford appeared headed for overtime. And thanks to slow vote counting in Alameda County, the race between John Russo and Sandre Swanson remains up for grabs. The SOS's Web site should have updates throughout the day.
