Jerry Brown Shows Meg Whitman How It’s Done at the First Gubernatorial Debate

by Rebecca Band

by Rebecca Greenberg

There’s no doubt that Jerry Brown came out on top after the first gubernatorial debate last night at UC Davis. According to a SurveyUSA/CBS poll conducted last night just after the debate (as reported by CBS’ Doug Sovern on Twitter), 53% say they will vote for Brown, 38% for Meg.

Those figures come as no surprise. Throughout the course of the debate, Brown was warm, thoughtful, intelligent and even funny at times, while Whitman was cold, scripted and over-rehearsed, and her attempted jokes flopped with the audience. But more notably, Brown laid out a clear and executable game plan to create jobs and get California back on track, while Whitman completely failed to offer any real insight as to how she would implement all of her unrealistic policy proposals.

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Repeal Tax Breaks for Big Corporations—Vote YES on Proposition 24

by Sara Flocks


In September 2008 and February 2009, Republicans demanded the passage of three massive tax breaks for corporations as part of the budget deal. These tax breaks will tear a gaping hole in the already tattered state budget, and would increase our budget deficit by estimated $1.3 billion every year after they take effect.

The solution to this problem lies in Proposition 24. If passed, Prop 24 would stop the giveaway of billions of dollars in state money to corporations by repealing the three tax breaks enacted in the 2008 and 2009 budget deals. Prop 24 would finally ensure that multi-national corporations pay their fair share to the state for the benefits they receive by doing business in California.

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Is California Really “Bleeding Jobs” To Other States?

by Caitlin Vega


Meg Whitman keeps reciting the same misinformation about job loss resulting from California’s bad business climate, claiming that businesses are leaving California because of “over-regulation”. But the truth is, we have lost fewer jobs than neighboring states that have fewer worker protections and lower taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

As KQED’s John Myers points out, “The 'bleeding of jobs' — the notion that a large number of jobs are businesses are fleeing California — is a familiar talking point in state politics these days, especially among Republicans. But in the only broad, longitudinal nonpartisan study out there, the numbers don't match the rhetoric.”

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Health Care Reform: What’s New, and What’s Next

by Sara Flocks


President Obama signed historic health care reform into law six months ago this week. Many Californians saw immediate benefits from the new law. Today, several important new provisions of the law go into effect, and millions more will start to see how the health care law benefits them and their families.

As of today, an estimated 1.3 million young adults in California will now be able to stay on their parents' health plans. Insurers are now prohibited from dropping coverage when someone gets sick, and they can no longer deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. The abusive practice of placing a lifetime limit on insurance coverage will end today as well, thanks to the federal reform.

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Combat Veterans to Whitman: Your Excuses About Your Voting Record Disrespect Our Sacrifices

by Mary Gutierrez


A group of U.S. combat veterans challenged Meg Whitman to come clean about why she has failed to exercise the right to vote they fought to protect with their wartime service in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. At a news conference in front of her East Los Angeles headquarters yesterday, the veterans released a letter addressed to the GOP gubernatorial nominee, asking Whitman to participate in an honest discussion with veterans about her voting record and her economic plans for the state.

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Warehouse Union Slams Rite Aid Mismanagement Before Quarterly Briefing

by Rand Wilson

As Rite Aid management gets ready to spin another dismal quarter to industry analysts, the union uniting workers at the company's giant distribution center in Lancaster, CA has issued a scathing new report blasting management's poor performance.

The report, “Navigating Rough Waters — Can New Management Steer Rite Aid Back on Course?” points out what Rite Aid workers across the country have been saying to management since the disastrous Brooks and Eckerd acquisition: Solving the company's financial problems on the backs of hard-working employees is bad for business and a failed labor relations strategy.

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