Latest News Insights

Meg Whitman ups the ante with another $13 billion

August 17, 2010

OPINION: Dave Paulson/Examiner

A book could be written about what Meg Whitman doesn’t know about government, the public sector in general and most specifically, public education. But the fact is that she wants the governor’s office and is willing to buy, lie and pander to get it. Unfortunately for Ms. Whitman, the price seems to keep rising.

California Governors since 1975: A Mixed Record

December 30, 2009

A governor has many tools beyond the pen used to sign and veto bills, including appointments, executive orders, the annual budget proposed to the Legislature, and the vigor with which his administration carries out existing laws.  Moreover, the governor is seen as the leader of the state and, as a result, can influence public opinion and help promote an agenda of environmental protection.

CLCV has tracked the performance of the legislature and the governor since 1972. Here are the last 35 years of governors’ actions on the environment, in a nutshell:

An Odd Start to the Gubernatorial Primary

October 30, 2009

The gubernatorial primary is nine months away. Attorney General Jerry Brown has opened up an exploratory committee and is the lone Democratic (undeclared) contender. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom dropped out on October 30, citing personal and mayoral obligations. On the Republican side, former Congressman Tom Campbell, State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, and former eBay executive Meg Whitman are all officially in. Do I have that right? I thought so.

Whitman's Rebuttal? More Deception

November 3, 2009

Your integrity gets called into question when you lie and get caught, but you're in serious trouble when the defense of your lie is yet another lie and people notice. That's particularly true when you're a candidate for governor.

Add 3 More C's to Climate Change: Copenhagen, CA, and Cap & Trade

December 10, 2009

Source: Beth Gunston/CLCV

The world is waiting to see what's going to come from discussions among our leaders in Copenhagen on the most pressing issue of our time - climate change.  Have you thought about what the U.S. is bringing to the table?

What is $38 million worth?

December 15, 2009

Source: Mike Young/CLCV

What can you do with $38 million in a single year? You can clean up the polluted and undrinkable brown water that comes out of the taps in the City of Maywood and still have $30 million left over.  You can fund the entire California Conservation Corps and have a $3 million left over. You can even fund half of California's state parks... or you can fund two campaigns in the Republican primary for governor (well, some of it anyway).

California governor's race is "key" to national climate change approach

March 1, 2010

CLCV launched the "Build a Greener Governor" campaign exactly one year in advance of the critical November 2010 governor's race. As environmental voters know, the candidate that becomes governor of California will have enormous opportunity to continue to lead the nation, and the world, in developing solutions to environmental challenges including climate change.

Now, a Reuters analysis says that the outcome of our state's 2010 gubernatorial contest is "key" to the national response to climate change. We couldn't agree more.

According to the Reuters article:

Republican candidates for governor debate state’s landmark global warming law

March 16, 2010

Source: Jenesse Miller/CLCV Blog

Last night, the two major Republican candidates for governor, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and ex-eBay executive Meg Whitman, appeared at their first debate together, hosted by The New Majority, a Republican organization.

Meg Whitman spent $27 million on governor's race in last 11 weeks

March 24, 2010

Source: Michael Rothfeld/LA Times

Republican Meg Whitman spent $27 million on her campaign for governor in the first 11 weeks of this year, according to a disclosure report she filed today. The record-shattering pace stems largely from a television ad blitz intended to portray Whitman positively in the minds of voters and tarnish her opponents.

By contrast, Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, the leading Democrat in the governor's race, spent $142,000 since Jan. 1. Although Brown is not facing a serious primary opponent and Whitman is, that difference would not normally result in one candidate spending 190 times more than another in less than three months. In an appeal to donors on his campaign website, Brown said the "spending binge to purchase California's airwaves is shocking."

Opinion: When it Comes to California, eMeg Wants to Buy It Now

March 24, 2010

Source: Mike Young/CLCV Blog

Adding the Buy It Now feature was one of the best things eBay ever did for buyers and sellers alike. Gone were the days where buyers had to choose between bidding an enormous price for an item to guarantee that nobody else would be able to compete against them or be willing to sit by their computers refreshing the page during the last seconds of an auction to outbid any ghost buyers who were trying to make a last minute steal on an item.