** 7 PM UPDATE: (Note: The “bolding” problem below is due to a web site glitch.)
The Angelides for Governor campaign has responded on the issue of the more than $40,000 in reimbursed campaign expenses for campaign finance co-chair Angelo Tsakopoulous. Angelides press secretary Brian Brokaw, in an e-mail, explains: “It’s reimbursement for use by the treasurer and campaign staff of a private plane owned by Angelo Tsakopoulos for campaign-related travel.”
This does not separate the funder of the Californians for a Better Government independent expenditure campaign from the official Angelides campaign, for which he is the leading fundraiser.
… ON THE MATTER OF THE ABC PROTEST AT ARNOLD’S HOTEL. A good NWN source, let’s call him “Old Advance Man” (OAM), did a drive-by of the labor rally outside the fabulous Capitol Park Hyatt, circling the building a few times in a green British car. He estimated the size of the crowd turned out by Arnold’s “Year of Reform” nemesis, the Alliance for a Better California labor coalition, at “a few hundred.” Noting that he was listening to Schwarzenegger’s favorite film score — the Basil Poledouris classic Conan the Barbarian — as he drove around the hotel, OAM reports that the ABC crowd was spirited and loud, “but not loud enough to drown out the sound of Arnold’s trumpets.”
Since he was in, as he puts it, “Polo mode rather than Armani mode,” OAM did not pull his customary stunt of infiltrating the funder. Did he think that the governor and his extraordinarily well-heeled guests were intimidated by the demonstration? In a word: “No.”
** MY GUT TELLS ME PHIL ANGELIDES GETS THE STATE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION ENDORSEMENT THIS WEEKEND. I’ve been to a couple dozen of these state Democratic conventions. Delegates are a sentimental lot, on balance. And the interest groups many of them represent have endorsed the treasurer and longtime frontrunner, but either don’t have the money for him in the primary or simply aren’t going to spend the money on his behalf. But they can help get their members who are delegates to vote for him in an endorsement. That would stave off the embarrassment of his not getting what he was long expected to get.
I think that the former chairman of the party, who has worked these delegates assiduously in their Democratic clubs, Democratic county central committees, local Democratic fundraisers, regional Democratic meetings, state Democratic executive board meetings, state Democratic conventions, for many many years, will prevail upon the delegates to endorse him in his home town.
Phil Angelides was a great state party chairman, taking over when former Governor Jerry Brown (who had, ironically, defeated Steve Westly, to Westly’s ultimately greater good fortune) resigned to run for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination. George Herbert Walker Bush had just won the Gulf War. People like Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters asked Angelides at his first press conference why he would even bother to be state party chairman with the Republicans so strong. Then Bill Clinton went on to win California in 1992, and Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein made it the Year of the Woman, winning both Senate seats. Angelides was important in both their elections, and especially key in the narrow victory of Boxer.
There is a lot of sentimentality at work. The only other time the state party has made a pre-primary endorsement in a contested primary was in 1990. Then state Attorney General John Van de Kamp — who, like Angelides, had locked up most of the Democratic establishment endorsements — won the endorsement over San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. But Feinstein went on to a big win in the Democratic primary election.
** WESTLY FILES LEGAL COMPLAINT. The longtime Democratic powerhouse law firm of Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips (headed by former Democratic National Chairman Chuck Manatt), on behalf of Controller Steve Westly, has filed two complaints with the California Fair Political Practices Commission regarding what he sees as illegal use of independent committees — one of them financed by Angelides’ decades long patron and former business partner, Sacramento development kingpin Angelo Tsakopoulos — to fund the campaign of his opponent for the Democratic gubernatorial campaign, Treasurer Phil Angelides.
I am awaiting a response to the most intriguing charge from the Angelides campaign before writing further.
2:50 PM UPDATE: One hour later, still awaiting response from the Angelides campaign.
4:20 PM UPDATE: Two and a half hours later, still awaiting response from the Angelides campaign. Meetings were underway last I heard, although presumably not entirely on this point. As a point of reference, responses usually come very quickly on much more trivial items.
4:25 PM UPDATE: No response to the Westly charges from Angelides, but have just received a press release referencing a legal complaint — which is not attached, so I cannot evaluate it, nor is the law firm filing the complaint named — that WESTLY has violated campaign law by having a “spending imbalance” between his controller campaign committee and his gubernatorial campaign committee, and by allegedly paying gubernatorial campaign staff from his controller campaign.
Former Governor Jerry Brown used to talk about “the squid principle,” in which the sea creature, under attack, sprays dark ink into the water to blind the attacker.
4:30 PM UPDATE: The Angelides campaign has forwarded a response of sorts, from my old colleague, campaign manager Cathy Calfo, to the Manatt law firm’s complaint on behalf of Westly.
There are many aspects to the Manatt complaint for Westly. The one I specifically asked the Angelides campaign to comment on nearly three hours ago concerns Angelo Tsakopoulous. He is, I’ve been told, and documents in possession of the Westly campaign I am told support this, an official of the Angelides campaign. As the treasurer’s biggest fundraiser, he evidently has the title of Campaign Co-Chair. Perhaps more to the point, he has been reimbursed repeatedly over the past few years for campaign-related expensese. These facts, according to the Manatt law firm, tend to make him an “agent” of the campaign.
Here is the Angelides response, from campaign manager Cathy Calfo: “Steve Westly has already poured in $22.5 million from his personal checking account to try to buy the Governor’s race. Angelides 2006 learned of the independent expenditure campaign only through news accounts. The Angelides 2006 campaign co-chairs are Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Dianne Feinstein, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and State Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. Angelo Tsakopoulos, along with hundreds of others, holds an honorary finance council title. Phil Angelides supports clean money laws, and believes that California elections would be better off with serious campaign finance reform that limits the influence of big money and independent expenditures, and guards against the possibility of the super-rich like Steve Westly trying to buy elections.”
There is a lot of rhetoric there to cut through, but I think it’s instructive to see what I get and judge for yourself. Tsakopoulos, of course, hardly ranks among “hundreds” of people in his role as the biggest fundraiser in the Angelides campaign. The title of campaign co-chair — technically, as I pointed out to the Westly people on their media conference call, it is really campaign FINANCE co-chair, though in my experience in presidential and gubernatorial politics, politicians cater to their very biggest fundraisers in this way by omitting the “finance” part of the campaign title — certainly does not belong to hundreds of people. Nor does the response address why Tsakopoulos has been reimbursed for more than $40,000 worth of campaign-related expenses.
Stay tuned …
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If Phil gets the endorsement, it’s “expected” and, therefore, not news. It won’t provide much of a bump.
Any other evenutality favors Steve. No-endorsement? Phil looks weak, Steve looks strong. Dual-endorsement (don’t know if the by-laws make this possible)? Democrats don’t believe enough in Phil and are hedging their bets with Steve.
Phil is in an intractable position. The bar of expectation has been set too high for him to overcome.
Let me add, I say this not to spin, but to forecast how the stories will be written.
It’s news either way, because if he gets it, people will see it as having the potential to kick-start his flagging campaign.
If he gets it, they should require him to pledge that he’ll actually leave Sacramento and campaign throughout the state to meet the voters. Which would get Westly out there too. Which would be good for both campaigns and the party.
It’s going to take more than pleasant campaign ads to beat Arnold.
This is the endorsement Phil Angelides needs. If he can’t get these people to endorse him his campaign is deader than a doornail.
Adam, I agree with your point of the endorsment having the “potential to kick-start [Phil's] flagging campaign.”
However, I’d wager the headline and news content will be more along the lines of “Is This Enough?” as opposed to “Underdog Triumphs, Wins Hearts and Minds of Party Faithful.”
Party activists may reward Phil for drinking the “let’s raise taxes” kool-aid.
Democratic voters will reward this bravery by voting for the other guy.
In no event will either campaign “leave Sacramento and campaign throughout the state.”
Well, I am going to repeat what I said to your April26 post because in this post of yours today you said the delegates are going to be”sentimental”….
I not so sure you are right….The party is about them,i.e., the delegates, they are working in the trenches and alot of the work is thankless and grunt work …the GUV office is too important to throw away ..for many of them it means jobs, appointments ….they want a winner …I do not think they will be sentimental….I think they will be practical and self-serving …and decide to be out front on the winning team….which is Westly…
And don’t you and Sooth start inferring again that I take drugs …never have, never will… I am Miss Organic ! except when I eat at Spataro…
Dear Centox Nerve Gas,
It’s spelled Sentox. Made by the Omicron Corp.
Don’t mess with “24″ unless you want “24″ to mess with you.
Yours,
Vladimir
Yo, Dude. Listen up dog. I haven’t been wowed. Phil has been a little shaky but he’ll work it out and get the nomination.
Phil touches my soul. But, Steve is going to be in this business a long time. I’m torn and will be sad for the loser but happy for the winner.
Phil not winning would be appalling .
What is Angelides stalling you on? Inquiring minds want to know. lol
I hope that the Democrats decide not to endorse in the gubernatorial race. To do so implies that Angelides is far and away the better Democrat than is Westly, and I just don’t think that’s true. I can understand why individuals would support either one of them, but, as far as I am concerned, they are both serious minded candidates. I will admit that my personal preference — at this point — is Westly because I have a belief that he will be a stronger candidate against Schwarzenegger this November. Ultimately, I want to see a new Governor; with both Democrats being acceptable, at least to me, my preference is for the one who will be the stronger horse in November.
Aside from what the Angelides campaign has to say about this (I’m sure you can guess what they’re gonna say), I sure would like to hear from the Westly campaign what is they reasonably hope to accomplish with this highly publicized complaint.
It would be nice to have a Democratic leader in this state who could tell the two candidates to stop nuking each other. This is getting out of control.
Democrats need to keep the eye on the prize: ousting the flip-flopinator.
Gavin? Antonio? Anybody home?
I don’t think this out of control yet. I’ve criticized the candidates before for a sophomoric back and forth. This needs to play out, my newbie friend “W.”
I applaud someone for finally having the guts to call BS on what everyone else in this blog, besides Phil’s staff, has acknowledged is a sham IE and violation of the law. I believe in my kids saying that “cheaters never win and winners never cheat.”, and I am glad that Phil’s cheating is finally being investigated. Bill why did’nt you file the complaint?
Bill, I see you get a lot of BULLSHIT in your e-box. You ought to sterilize that thing every night.
Hey Bill are you coming out? We have a couple hundred people here who are going to do YMCA in your honor. The sewage has stopped flowing out of the Hyatt garage.
I am in, as Arnold S would put it, stealth mode.
Woah Bill! Everything is bold – is it ALL really THAT important? Haha.
Seriously though, I have a hard time believing that Angelo’s former FPPC folks aren’t prepared for this.
I wonder how it plays going into the convention. Does it make Westly look stronger like he’s “following the rules” – or does it make Westly look like a whiner because now he has to spend more money to fight back?
Are delegates even paying attention? It sure seems like the average voter isn’t.
Actually, James, and you might have guessed this, all the bolding is due to the latest LA Weekly software glitch. The right need never fear the left taking power in this country.
Yes, this is all very unimportant, you are right.
This is all so very disappointing.
Steve Schmidt must be slapping his knee and chortling happily……
It is funny you should mention that …
Bill try adding a end bold html tag to the end of the post: (/b) subsitute for )
That sucks. I thought you just got a little bold happy, but it looks like the problem is worse now than it was before. Oy!
Julia, I loved the YMCA song…some huge man with a long pony tail and orange T-shirt that read “Red Dog Security” told me “That was some dancin’ you were doin” The best part was the union member hanging out the banner from the sixth floor window of the hotel! That got the crowd going! I was talking to a CHP Officer around 5 ish and he said he estimated the crowd at 500…then the nurses told me no Fighterfighters Union was there …she said “they were doing their own thing down south”…I think they did not show up because they are embarassed how Phil and Angelo duped them into breaking campaign finance laws…
Mr. Bradley, Is Cathy Calfo an attorney with an expertise on campaign finance laws ?….I find it odd and not so smart that she is responding to Manatt if she is not an attorney with any expertise in this matter….
The nurse was correct. The firefigters have their convention down south and Barbara Kerr is addressing them.
I am going to have the YMCA stuck in my head for a long time.
Glad you made it Barbara. It was a ton of fun, lots of energy among the crowd.
“that WESTLY has violated campaign law by having a “spending imbalance” between his controller campaign committee and his gubernatorial campaign committee, and by allegedly paying gubernatorial campaign staff from his controller campaign.”
even if this were to be true it is not in the league of the alleged “illegal IE”….just re-read Calfo was responding to you not Manatt …if you can call that a response it is not like she addressed the issue in dispute…
It was Julia …and what was intersting to me is how much support the group got from people just driving down “L” street with thumbs up and honking for over an hour and a half!
Rally those troops ladies!
Not that it matters…
The filing of the complaint with the FPPC by Westly tends to be evidence of his own weeniness. Voters simply aren’t going to be moved by pensive Phil sitting off in the corner of your tv screen with a few firefighters pointing to him and saying in essence that hey, Phil has always been there to protect our bloated pensions, so we think he is a swell guy. Why complain about that? Heck I feel sorry for Angelides that he has to be so pathetic before even talking about his secret plan to raise our taxes.
Maybe Westly wants to send a message to the California Democratic Party in advance of the convention that endorsing Angelides might be an entanglement it doesn’t really want. Given that the CDP took pains to make sure it was excluded from the independent expenditure restrictions in the recently enacted laws, I have been thinking all along that it is quite possible that if Angelides wins the nomination, he might immediately push for a large Democtratic Party “independent” expenditure on his behalf Monday morning after the convention. Filing the complaint might just give CDP officials the reason they need to either not endorse anyone in the first place, or to at least give it the excuse to tell Phil that the party cannot afford the negative publicity that would flow its way if it stepped into this independent expenditure untidiness by flagrantly exploiting the loophole it enacted back when this was a mere backroom trick.
In any event, the FPPC has 120 days to decide what, if anything, it will do. If they don’t act, then Westly can proceed on his own, and might recover $5000 in civil penalties if he is able to prove any coordination. Since this would be a case of first impression, it is not likely that anything will come of it, since there is no controlling authority or some such nonsense. Of course that is another problem with these overly complex campaign laws — they can’t be enforced, they just add to the caustic rhetoric, nothing more.
Bill you may know the answer to this but given Angelo’s support of many, many dems besides Angelides, do you think that the state party really has an interest in pursuing this or of upsetting Angelo? I know he’s given way more to Phil than to others but he’s hardly been stingy when other Dems came knocking from what I hear. It would seem to me that most of the state dems might want to keep this from blowing up into anything bigger than it already is. But maybe I’m wrong…what do you think?
The big winner here is Arnold. I wish Westly and Angelides had stuck to their pledge to run a positive campaign.
Well, given how the FPPC is understaffed and underfunded, there not going to touch this before the primary. That’s my guess. Especially since one of the bills they were pushing for more funding died recently.
But I doubt there’s anything actually illegal here. There’s too much at stake for the parties not to have played it by the book. And Angelo probably knew that and that’s why he hired two former FPPC people.
I doubt this will have an effect on the delegates at the convention. I’ll bet most of them made up their minds a long time ago. They’re all activists that have long ties to both Phil and Steve. I don’t know that Phil will get the endorsement, because it’s hard to get to 60% of anything. If he doesn’t get it, it’ll be close.
Interesting that Julia mentions firefigters convention is being addresses by Barbara Kerr. The CTA is again in attack mode against the Guv–heard their ad a few days ago on KNX newsradio. Included comments by disappointed parents. You will almost need a scorecard to keep track of all the players impacting this campaign.
Well, let’s see the FPPC just finished their work on the 2003 recall campaign, so I guess
we can expect a ruling around 2008.
Non-issue.