Arnold G. York
The Malibu Times
election endorsements, Part I
These endorsements are highly personal and reflect the thinking of Karen, myself, our son, Anthony, and also John Howard, managing editor of our Sacramento newspaper, Capitol Weekly. Today, I sat down with Anthony, who edits Capitol Weekly and who is much more clued in to what’s happening in Sacramento than I am. I got an update on the candidates, the propositions and the bonds. Surprisingly, we agreed on a great deal, based, I suspect, less on where these candidates stand politically or their party affiliation, and more on their personalities, what we know about their intellect, their energy and their reputations inside Sacramento, which are sometimes quite different than their general reputation outside the Capitol. It’s not difficult to see my bias. I believe that governing California is a complex and often difficult job, and being smart goes a long way toward being effective in the process.
Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican
The measure of the man is not the hits you take as governor, because every governor takes hits, but how you respond to those hits you take. The governor’s recovery from his disastrous support of the propositions that failed exhibited flexibility, political smarts and an intelligent approach to solving problems, which is not easy for a Republican governor in a Blue state. He is really quite skillful. He bounced off the canvas, changed his team, reevaluated his positions and set about building a consensus within the Legislature. In the process, he succeeded in passing some significant legislation this session.
Lieutenant Governor: John Garamendi, Democrat
Garamendi is a smart, experienced, sometimes controversial but competent individual who has served in the state Legislature and as insurance commissioner.
His opponent, Tom McClintock, is also very bright, but very conservative, and considerably more so than most Californians.
Secretary of State: Bruce McPherson, Republican
A fair, evenhanded, well respected, and not terribly partisan former state senator, incumbent McPherson is running for a job that demands all those attributes. The secretary of state controls elections. If it turns into a partisan office, as it has in some states and in California in the past, it throws the entire political process into question and disarray. This probably is also McPherson’s last political office, which for this position is a good thing.
Controller: John Chiang, Democrat
Chiang clearly is the class of this race and will be a good fit for the job coming from the State Board of Equalization where he served as chair. Typically, this is a major stepping stone to higher state office, and Chiang has a bright political future.
Treasurer: Bill Lockyer, Democrat
Lockyer is a former state senator, former president pro tem of the state senate and the current attorney general. He is a longtime, able Sacramento politician and a bright guy. The treasurer of California is automatically a very important player in the financial markets of this country and the world. The California state employees’ and teachers’ retirement funds are gigantic and represent some of the largest accumulations of capital in this country. How they are invested and what they demand of corporate America has a significant impact on the financial markets and requires a sophisticated player, which is a job tailor-made for Lockyer.
Attorney General: Jerry Brown, Democrat
Of all the people running, Brown has got to be the most unusual and the most interesting. A former two-term governor of California, the son of Pat Brown (also a former two-term governor of this state), former mayor of a major urban city, Oakland, Calif., and a candidate for president of the United States, Brown probably comes with the most eclectic resume anyone has ever seen for the office of attorney general. He’s always been extremely smart, and a unique and clear thinker. At times he’s been so far ahead of the wave that he became known as Governor Moonbeam. I think those days are long past and I expect that Brown will make an interesting and exciting attorney general. Elliott Spitzer in New York has shown everyone what an aggressive, smart attorney general can do. California is roughly 13 percent of the nation so what we do here impacts the entire country. Look for an exciting and pace-setting four years with Brown. The pity is that his opponent, Sen. Chuck Poochigian, is also a bright, highly respected senator, but too conservative for a Blue state like California. Poochigian would make a hell of an attorney general for Kansas or Oklahoma, but not here.
Insurance Commissioner: Steve Poizner, Republican
Poizner is a smart, capable, ambitious dot-com multimillionaire who is turning to public service and could, if he wins, have a long and significant career in California politics. He’s a man who would not be intimidated and could not be bought in this money-related industry. He’d be a good fit for the job.
This state ballot was so long we had to break it into two parts. Next week, I’ll cover the propositions and some of the other ballot items.