Calbuzz webgems of the week: In his previous incarnation, Gov. Arnold made a lot of money doing action movie sequels, but his political remake on the issue of a state rainy day fund is way over the line in its shameful stealing from the original, as John Wildermuth shows in this take-down from his Chronicle blog, COMPLETE WITH CAPITAL LETTERS.
For those still confused about next Tuesday’s ballot props, even after the 12th or 13th reading, it may help to get out of the weeds and just decide based on who’s for and against them, in which this case this new site offers a useful guide to endorsements pro and con.
One of the most frequently heard charges on behalf of Prop. 1B, and of education funding in general, is that California ranks at the bottom of per-pupil spending among all states, but GOP wannabe governor Tom Campbell brings his gimlet eye to bear in debunking that claim.
Congressional Quarterly takes an early look at the 2010 governor’s race in this state of play piece. While mostly a rehash, it does have a nice nugget in the last graf – talk about burying the lede – in noting that the senior senator from California is fronting a Capitol Hill softball team called “Never Say Di.”
Lots of excitement at UC Merced in advance of First Lady Michelle Obama’s scheduled commencement address there Saturday; unfortunately, lots of cost overruns too, as reported by Scott Jason of the Sun-Star, which may not go down well in the wake of the UC Regents raising tuition yet again because of the budget mess. UCSB students meanwhile have gotten off the beach to protest cuts in programs like tutoring and counseling.
Calbuzz isn’t sure whether our recent rant helped spur Meg Whitman to start granting more interviews, but this kissy-poo encounter with Orange County Register blogger Martin Wisckol shows her Megness is already pointing toward the general election, though how exactly her plan to run California like an overseas sweat shop will attract “women, Hispanics and 18-25 year olds” ain’t exactly clear.
