Fox And Hounds Blog

A Whitman Surge

Joel Fox — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:44:31 -0400

Momentum, thy name is Meg Whitman. The newly released Field Poll caps an extraordinary surge in energy for the Republican gubernatorial candidate in less than one week.

Just a week ago, Whitman was being excoriated by the media for holding a press availability and then would not talk to the press. Questions were asked whether she could handle the heat of a political campaign and the knock-about, unscripted situations that test one’s mettle during a campaign.

She quickly turned those doubts around with two steady performances in front of the media microphones at the state Republican convention and topped it off with a confident turn at the Monday debate with Republican gubernatorial rival, Steve Poizner.

Now the Field Poll finds Whitman pulling away and trouncing Poizner by 63% to 14%. For good measure, the poll revealed for the first time Whitman was ahead of Democratic gubernatorial opponent, Jerry Brown, 46% to 43%.

Opening Up Governors’ Papers

Joe Mathews — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:43:03 -0400

Could there be a small break in the dam protecting records of California’s former governors?

Maybe. Last month, I received notice that former (and perhaps future) Gov. Jerry Brown had granted me a waiver from state laws that permit him and other former governors to restrict access to their papers for 50 years or until their death, whichever is later.

The waiver applies only to me, however, and not the public at large. (Peter Scheer of the California First Amendment Coalition told me that he received a similar waiver). The terrible 50-year restriction – part of a state law that effectively gives governors personal control over public papers – remains in place.

In an email, Zackery Morazzini, senior deputy attorney general, said my request for access was “only recently brought to the attention of the former Governor.”

What’s strange about that is that I filed the request in August of last year, and wrote about my request in the LA Times last November.

California Employment Free Fall and Where We’re Heading

Michael Bernick — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:40:12 -0400

EDD released its “benchmarking” of 2009 payroll employment recently, and the results were dramatic. The monthly payroll surveys had indicated that payroll jobs declined during 2009 by 579,836 jobs. However, a fuller review of payroll data by EDD indicated the true job loss was 818,400 jobs—an additional 338,000 jobs lost. .

Taking this recent information, the chart below shows the payroll job numbers in California by sector in December 2006 and in December 2009—a period in which the state payroll jobs decreased by 1,400,000 jobs.

Forced March to the Cities

Joel Kotkin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:36:57 -0400

Cross-posted on NewGeography.com.

California is in trouble: Unemployment is over 13%, the state is broke and hundreds of thousands of people, many of them middle-class families, are streaming for the exits. But to some politicians, like Sen. Alan Lowenthal, the real challenge for California "progressives" is not to fix the economy but to reengineer the way people live.

In Lowenthal's case the clarion call is to take steps to ban free parking. This way, the Long Beach Democrat reasons, Californians would have to give up their cars and either take the bus or walk to their local shops. "Free parking has significant social, economic and environmental costs," Lowenthal told the Los Angeles Times. "It increases congestion and greenhouse gas emissions."

Scarily, his proposal actually passed the State Senate.

One would hope that the mania for changing how people live and work could be dismissed as just local Californian lunacy. Yet across the country, and within the Obama Administration, there is a growing predilection to endorse policies that steer the bulk of new development into our already most-crowded urban areas.

They Brought Knives, not Bazookas, to the Debate

Joel Fox — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:42:48 -0400

Republican gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner spoke talking points and policy for the most part in their first debate last night in Orange County. The two candidates tried to cut each other but there were no big bombs hurled at the debate after weeks of nasty charges made back and forth.

The focus of the debate centered on two major issues that Poizner emphasized to separate himself from Whitman: an-all-out tough stand on illegal immigration and across-the-board tax cuts.

Poizner attempted to distinguish himself as a bold reformer taking the path that few are too squeamish to follow. Cut taxes across-the-board and pull the benefit rug out from under all illegal immigrants. “Turn the magnets off” that draw illegal immigrants to California, he demanded.

Whitman would not go as far putting out a plan to control illegal immigration by eliminating sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants and requiring verification to determine workers are in the country properly.

Memo to Reporters: Be Careful What You Wish For

Joe Mathews — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:30:30 -0400

To: The California Media

From: Joe Mathews

Re: Meg Whitman

Congratulations. After months of your complaints about how Meg Whitman was ignoring media questions, she gave two press conferences this weekend. Gee, thanks.

Now, we get to hear Whitman say really, really interesting and provocative things like…

“I think it’s firm and its ‘listen, here’s my approach, here’s what I want to get done, here’s what the people of California expect us to do so let’s focus on these three things…”

and

“The legislature is interested in many things but they’re interested in being re-elected, so can we focus the Legislature around my three priorities?”

and

Has “The American Dream” become a Nightmare?

Jennifer Kerns — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:28:43 -0400

A new survey published today by Xavier University reveals that Americans believe “The American Dream” is now harder to attain than ever before.

60% of respondents say that The American Dream is harder to reach today than it was for their parents – the Greatest Generation – even though their parents’ generation was ravaged by World War II.

A whopping 68% of respondents also think that, compared to the current generation, it will be even more difficult for their children to achieve The American Dream in the future.

The survey illustrates that Americans are rapidly losing confidence in America’s future, and it telegraphs every parent’s worst nightmare – that their children are the first generation in history not expected to do better than their parents.

Jobs and Economic Recovery in Washington, D.C.

Gary Toebben — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:28:35 -0400

This week, 225 business and community leaders from Southern California will be in Washington, D.C. lobbying for an agenda that shines a spotlight on job creation, infrastructure development and education. While the focus of Congress this week is on health care reform, the Southern California delegation will remind members of Congress and the Administration that California has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and a bipartisan effort is essential to putting Americans back to work.

The delegation will present 39 different recommendations of advocacy priorities in the areas of aviation, economic recovery, energy, environment and green jobs, education, health care, homelessness, housing, immigration reform, transportation and goods movement and workforce development.

Meg’s Big Moment

Joel Fox — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:40:07 -0400

The Republican gubernatorial debate tonight in Orange County is all about Meg Whitman. Of course, Steve Poizner will be on the stage with her and he will be a big part of the story. He can benefit tremendously if Whitman falls on her face. But, Whitman is the frontrunner and all eyes will be on her. Can she deliver?

Whitman calmed Republican nerves with her impromptu press conferences at the state Republican convention this weekend. She handled herself well with reporters seeming to put to rest the questions about her confidence and preparedness in unscripted situations. The debate will answer whether she can perform under pressure in the give and take of political discourse. She has to be knowledgeable, and tough but not defensive. How she handles attacks will be important.

If Whitman rises to the occasion, doubts about her will be washed away and her position as frontrunner for the nomination will be solidified. However, if she comes off stilted and uncertain or makes a glaring mistake, Poizner can begin closing the gap between them.

No Moderates Seen at GOP Convention

John Wildermuth — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:35:58 -0400

How conservative was the crowd at the state GOP convention this weekend?

Well, consider this. Meg Whitman called Steve Poizner “the only liberal” in the Republican primary for governor. That’s the same Poizner who spent the weekend complaining that the federal government won’t let him kick the children of illegal immigrants out of school and bar them from hospital emergency rooms.

If there were any moderates hanging around the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara this weekend, they were probably waiting for an opening in the witness protection program.

The result was a conservative version of “Can You Top This?” as played by the candidates for governor and U.S. Senate.

Poizner says he’ll cut the capital gains tax by 50 percent. Whitman pledges to eliminate it.