First Take: Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer take poll position. Brown’s wife plays pivotal campaign role.

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A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California shows Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer with single-digit leads over their Republican rivals.

Michael J. Mishak looks at the pivotal role Brown’s wife, Anne Gust, plays in her husband’s political life.

President Obama’s rally at USC, scheduled for Friday, is turning into a star-studded affair.

Scott Gold looks at state tax breaks that benefited HP while Carly Fiorina was the company’s CEO.

Bob Drogin looks at Barbara Boxer’s ‘ardor and tenacity.’

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-- Anthony York in Sacramento