More unions weigh in to help Brown, slam Whitman

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Organized labor continues to weigh into the governor’s race, launching a $2-million television advertising buy this week in support of Democratic nominee Jerry Brown and distributing fliers at workplaces around the state.

The ads will begin airing possibly Thursday, according to Willie L. Pelote Sr., assistant director of the political action department of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which has 179,000 members in California and 1.6 million nationwide.

Pelote declined to release details of the ads before their airing, but said the message includes positive statements about Brown and criticism of his Republican rival Meg Whitman.

“There are some things the public needs to know about both candidates,” Pelote said. “Our job is to help the public understand some of the facts from the misleading statements.”

The California Labor Federation announced Tuesday that it is launching the first of three worksite blitzes, in which 150,000 fliers about Brown’s and Whitman’s records will be distributed.

Brown is locked in tight race with Whitman, and has had to conserve his resources while Whitman, a billionaire who has spent $91 million of her own money on her campaign, has continued saturating the airwaves through the summer.

Other unions have taken up the slack for Brown during the summer, raising and airing millions of dollars in ads.

Brown’s support from the unions has led to claims from Whitman’s campaign that Brown will be beholden to union interests if elected.

-- Seema Mehta in Los Angeles