Questions That Weren’t Asked in the Gubernatorial Debate

(Editor’s Note: As part of the first gubernatorial debate between Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown at UC Davis’ Mondavi Center, the university solicited questions to ask the candidates. From this list, the question that did get asked – Number 6 – dealt with restoring cuts to higher education. Below is the university’s list of submissions with some punctuation editing.    Read more »

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Backers – Mainly One Man – of Proposition 20 Hit the Mailbox

Through September 27, Charles T. Munger, a physicist who works at Stanford University’s Linear Accelerator, has contributed roughly $7.5 million to pass Proposition 20 and defeat Proposition 27.

Proposition 20 would vest the power over drawing legislative district lines for California’s congressional delegation in the hands of a citizen’s commission approved by voters as Proposition 11 in November 2008.    Read more »

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Some Facts About Meg Whitman’s Factory and Start-Up Taxes

Twice in her one-hour debate with Democrat gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown, GOP candidate Meg Whitman said she wants to rid California of the “factory tax.”

What Candidate Whitman calls the “factory tax” is the absence of a sales tax exemption or tax credit for purchases of manufacturing equipment.

According to legislative budget writers, such an exemption costs the state $870 million annually in tax revenue.    Read more »

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Some Vignettes From Jerry Brown’s Post-Debate Celebration

Unlike GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, Democrat Jerry Brown elected not to enter the “spin room” at UC Davis’ Mondavi Center after their September 28 debate and field a few questions.

Instead, he repaired to Bistro 33 a few blocks away at 3rd and F Streets in downtown Davis where he celebrated with supporters.     Read more »

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An Advisory for California’s Capitol Readers…

(Editor’s Note: In a recent post sparked by the first gubernatorial debate between Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown, the chief correspondent of California’s Capitol chose to explicate the phrase “boil the ocean” which Candidate Whitman used in one of her answers. Highlighting this phrase with a post of its own seems excessive since anyone who has followed Candidate Whitman’s campaign knows she uses this phrase with callous regularity.    Read more »

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No Real Surprises — Or Knockouts — in Gubernatorial Debate

Mondavi Center, University of California at Davis — The two gubernatorial candidates met for the first time September 28 and echoed their respective campaign themes — neither scoring a knockout punch.

Overall, Republican Meg Whitman stuck tenaciously to her themes, staying on-script and offering little detail as to what she would do as governor.    Read more »

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“Boiling the Ocean…”

At one point during the September 28 gubernatorial debate between Demcorat Jerry brown, Republican candidate Meg Whitman said this:

“I am a big believer in a crisis you can only focus on a small number of things. You cannot go to Sacramento and boil the ocean.”

For those unfamiliar with the idiom, WiseGEEK offers this assistance:

“Boiling the ocean … can have a few related meanings.    Read more »

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A Question to Pose at the Upcoming Gubernatorial Debate

(Editor’s Note: Recently, The Sacramento Bee solicited requests for questions that could be posed to California’s two gubernatorial candidates, Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown.  Here’s one: How are you going to balance the state budget for the first full fiscal year you are in office. Please be specific.)

In its November 2009 examination of the state’s fiscal outlook, the Legislative Analyst identifies a shortfall in the current fiscal year, which began July 1, of more than $20 billion.    Read more »

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Rod Wright Pleads Not Guilty to Felony Charges That He Allegedly Doesn’t Live In the Senate District He Represents

LOS ANGELES — State Sen. Roderick Wright, an Inglewood Democrat, pleaded not guilty September 16 in Superior Court to eight felony charges of not living in the district he was elected to represent.

Wright, 58, was indicted September 13 on charges of perjury by declaration, filing false declaration of candidacy and fraudulent voting.    Read more »

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Comes Now This Missive From the State Republican Party

Where Is John Burton?

Burton Strangely Silent on Brown-Clinton Democratic Family Feud

SACRAMENTO — California Republican Party spokesman Brian Seitchik today issued the following statement:

“Chairman of the California Democratic Party John Burton, known for his razor sharp retorts, has been uncharacteristically silent on the Brown-Clinton family feud.

Does Burton agree with Jerry Brown when he said last Sunday “Clinton’s a nice guy but whoever said he always told the truth?”    Read more »

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