New West Notes

… F1.

The massive California Teachers Association today overwhelmingly endorsed Phil Angelides for governor, as I reported several days ago that the union would do. Notwithstanding the state labor coalition’s denunciation of my “false rumor.” It was a good day for the state treasurer and former state Democratic Party chairman who, sources tell me, wowed members of the Democratic executive board meeting in L.A. in a back-to-back appearance with his June primary rival, Controller Steve Westly. The two Democratic gubernatorial candidates also appeared in an endorsement review session for California members of the huge Service Employees International Union (SEIU), beamed to SEIU members across the state via the Internet. … Meanwhile, “Barbara” asks: “Why is Mr. South letting this happen? He should be punching someone in the nose or blackmailing someone at CTA…where’s this big dangerous guy who is supposed to be some kind of a political genius when you need him?”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly’s current roll-out of his initial TV ad with intensive local campaigning next week in the rural Northern California market of Chico has a precedent. It’s what Republican Pete Wilson used to do. The former governor and U.S. senator used the Central Valley market of Fresno to air TV ads and try out campaign themes with personal campaigning. It’s one thing to test television advertising and campaign themes in focus groups. It’s another to see how they play out on real TV screens and with real people as they go about their lives in the world. Wilson also used the far North Coast market of Eureka for the purpose. Coincidentally or not, that is where the Westly campaign will go next as the largely untested candidate continues his shakedown cruise.

Time for more amusement. Former Governor Gray Davis consigliere-turned-Westly for Governor chief strategist Garry South contributes some of the take from the campaign’s focus groups last month of conservative Democrats and moderate independents, swing voters in the general election. Here, according to South, are the “first words” associated by focus group participants with the name Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Poseur, over his head, self centered, untrustworthy, naive, actor, dumb actor, bad actor, political actor, fool, clown, egotist, bozo, liar, fraud, out of tough, jerk, incompetent idiot, unrealistic, failure, puppet, lying politician.” Ouch.

Not implausible, though I would bet someone said something positive about Arnold. I wonder how many of those words were associated with the former governor.

I asked former ace San Jose Mercury News political reporter Dion Nissenbaum, now Knight Ridder’s man in the Middle East, how the terrorist organization stunned the world with its election victory this week, a development that is generating millions of turgid words across the globe. He came up with this succinct answer: “They have a great grassroots network of social programs, especially in Gaza, people were disgusted by the corruption in the ruling Fatah Party, they are disciplined and have not launched a suicide bombing in a year, they have effectively taken over governing cities and towns in the last year, and they downplayed their more controversial views during the campaign.”

Former Governor Jerry Brown checks in by e-mail with, as usual, some intriguing thoughts, and this time, with a poll. Which shows him near 50 percent in the Democratic primary race for California attorney general, with a more than 30 point lead over his rival, L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. Which is where they were a half-year ago. Brown, two-time runner-up for the Democratic presidential nomination, now the mayor of Oakland, reports that he has raised $4.3 million for this particular race, nearly half again as much as Delgadillo’s $3.1 million. Given the frugality of his late mother, former First Lady Bernice Brown, it’s not surprising that he has nearly $4 million in the bank, much more than Delgadillo.

Former Governor Jerry Brown checks in by e-mail with, as usual, some intriguing thoughts, and this time, with a poll. Which shows him near 50 percent in the Democratic primary race for California attorney general, with a more than 30 point lead over his rival, L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. Which is where they were a half-year ago. Brown, two-time runner-up for the Democratic presidential nomination, now the mayor of Oakland, reports that he has raised $4.3 million for this particular race, nearly half again as much as Delgadillo’s $3.1 million. Given the frugality of his late mother, former First Lady Bernice Brown, it’s not surprising that he has nearly $4 million in the bank, much more than Delgadillo.

This is, interesting. Who knew?

This is, interesting. Who knew?

The upcoming endorsement of Phil Angelides for governor by the California Teachers Association denounced as a “false rumor” by the labor Alliance for a Better California, of which the teachers union is the richest member. Bets are always accepted.