Brown stops short of declaring victory in speech to Oakland crowd

Jerry Brown took the stage at Oakland's Fox Theater, stopping short of declaring victory in California's race for governor, but preparing to take back a job he first held 36 years ago.

"They haven't counted all the the votes yet, but hell, it's good enough for government work," Brown said. "So it looks like we're going back again."

Brown's Republican opponent, Meg Whitman, has not conceded the race and said she would not do so until at least 75% of the state's votes are counted.

"While I'm really into this politics thing, I still carry with me that missionary zeal to transform the world," he said.

Brown said he will work on "forging a common purpose ... based not just on compromise, but on a vision of what California can be."

-- Anthony York

Photo credit: Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images

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Governor, Senate races up for grabs as polls close in California

The polls have closed in California, with races for governor and U.S. Senate and a fight over the legalization of marijuana among the races and issues to be settled by state voters.

Californians will elect a successor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger following the most expensive governor's race in state history. Republican Meg Whitman spent more than $141.5 million of her own money in her bid to defeat Democrat Jerry Brown.

Brown served two terms as governor, from 1975 to 1983, and would be the oldest person ever elected governor if he wins tonight. Whitman is vying to become the first female governor in state history.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer is in a tight race with Republican Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett Packard. Boxer is seeking her fourth Seante term against Fiorina, who has never held elected office.

Californians are also voting on nine measures on the November ballot, including Prop. 19, a measure that would legalize the sale and use of marijuana. You can see results from all of the state's races on the secretary of state's website.

Check PolitiCal throughout the night for updates on all of the key races.

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-- Anthony York

Photo credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Photos: California heads to the polls

Photos: The nation heads to the polls

Independent spending for 2010 campaign sets record

Plenty has been written about Meg Whitman's record campaign spending ($141.5 million of her own money, in case you haven't heard).

But Whitman's not the only one who set a campaign spending record this year. Outside groups spent more money through so-called independent expenditure committees this year than in any past year. That's according to numbers compiled from the Fair Political Practices Commission.

As of Tuesday, independent groups spent more than $31.7 million on the governor's race, breaking the record sent in 2006. Most of the money, about $25 million worth, was spent by groups backing Jerry Brown's candidacy.

Unlike contributions that go directly to a candidate, independent expenditures are not subject to state campaign finance limits. But groups that spend the unlimited money are prohibited from coordinating their campaign efforts directly with a candidate's campaign. Union-backed independent groups served as the surrogate Brown campaign during the summer months after Whitman's primary victory over Steve Poizner. As Whitman hit the airwaves and Brown's campaign remained dark, union-backed groups spent millions on television and radio ads.

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-- Anthony York

Photo credit: Jay Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Prop. 23 shows a bipartisan divide

Moderate and liberal Republicans are rejecting Prop. 23, the ballot measure to suspend the state's ambitious law to limit greenhouse gas emissions, by 44% to 36%, according to election tracking by the No on 23 campaign.

And overall, a third of Republican women of all ideological persuasions said they are voting against the ballot initiative, according to the tracking polls. That group is polling 46% in favor and 33% opposed.

The bipartisanship around the climate change issue offers a sharp contrast to the strong divide around the country. In other states, global warming has become a flashpoint  with Republican candidates hammering Democratic opponents for their votes in favor of federal energy legislation to curb greenhouse gases.  "Tea party" activists have also focused on global warming as an ideological and economic wedge issue.

Although a majority of Republicans support Prop. 23, the fact that the GOP vote seems divided was positive news to the initiative's opponents. "It's significant in that it shows that this was not a solid party-line vote like it is in Washington, D.C.," said Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for the No campaign. "The new coalition for clean energy is broad and bipartisan."

Initiative proponents declined to share their polling.

Federal climate change legislation narrowly passed the U.S. House last spring, but was rejected on a party-line vote in the Senate, with Republicans blocking Democrats' efforts to pass an energy bill curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

In California, Prop. 23 was supported by a coalition of oil refiners, the California Manufacturers and Technology Assn. and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.  However, the No campaign avoided being tarred as merely a liberal, environmentalist cause. It was co-chaired by Republican, George Shultz, who was secretary of state under Ronald Reagan, and by a businessman, San Francisco hedge fund manager Tom Steyer.

PolitiCal Flashback: Most expensive governor's race in state history ends with a flurry of campaigning

 
With the California governor's race in its final hours, PolitiCal will look back throughout the day at some of the key moments in this year's historic contest.

After more than a year of politicking, with nearly $250 million spent, the race to replace Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ended with the two major-party candidates barnstorming the state and rallying their troops.

Jerry Brown embarked on a marathon 12-city, three-day tour of California that stretched from Eureka to San Diego. Whitman criss-crossed the state herself, touring the state by bus and plane, meeting small groups of voters and attending large political rallies.

Michael J. Mishak was with Brown on his final tour of California:

Jerry Brown smiled. The Democratic gubernatorial nominee was halfway through his stump speech Monday morning in San Diego when the crowd in the courtyard of Café Coyote started chanting his name: “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!”

It was the 10th campaign stop in three days, and with three more rallies to go, Brown basked in the support. “I wish when things got tough I could just invoke that name and something would happen,” he said, to laughter. “Unfortunately, that only works in campaigns. When it gets to government, it’s a little more trench warfare through the ideological minefields and small-mindedness of people openly committed to their inadequate ideas.”

On Halloween, Whitman was in Burbank speaking to an enthusiastic crowd, insisting she was still locked in a close race.  Seema Mehta covered the event:

“You know what? Our internal polls and some public polls now show this to be a dead heat. And if we go into Nov. 2 in a dead heat, what happens? We win!” The results are in her supporters' hands, she said, urging them to make sure their friends and relatives cast ballots Tuesday.

“This is a very important election. It is a battle for the soul of California,” she said. “You can start to feel the enthusiasm.” Whitman reiterated her three priorities -- that she would reduce wasteful government spending, spur the economy and fix public schools.

She said Brown was planning to raise taxes, basing her remark on comments by former Gov. Gray Davis that the next governor would be forced to ask voters to renew temporary tax hikes they approved last year to help balance the budget.

Davis “said Jerry Brown has no new ideas to fix this budget, he is going to put a tax increase on the ballot,” Whitman said.

“Talk about March madness. Who wants to raise taxes during a recession? You won’t see that in a Whitman administration.”

The campaign ended with Brown back in his hometown of Oakland, feeling the love from the crowd.

“This is the end of the campaign. This is a rally. This is not an academic lecture,” Brown said. “If you want my plans, go to my web page. ... Whitman’s plan is mostly pictures. See, I have more respect for you. I treat you like a grownup. You can read without pictures.”

The crowd applauded. One woman shouted, “I love you!”

“Well, I love you too. I don’t know who you are, but if you love me then I love you,” Brown responded. “That’s the way this thing’s gonna work going forward. We all love each other. In fact, given all the hostility and anger and bitterness, we need a little love up there in Sacramento.”

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-- Anthony York

Photo credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

PolitiCal Flashback: Meg Whitman's campaign spending shatters American political records

With the California governor's race in its final hours, PolitiCal will look back throughout the day at some of the key moments in this year's historic contest.

Meg Whitman made it clear from the moment she declared her candidacy for California governor: She was prepared to spend whatever it took to get her message out to voters.

In the end, that number would end up topping $160 million, including $141.5 million of her own money. Whitman's personal investment in the race topped the $109 million spent by Michael Bloomberg in his 2009 race for New York mayor.

"It takes a lot of money to be competitive in California," said Whitman, speaking to reporters after a campaign event at the San Francisco headquarters of Yelp, which provides online customer reviews. The money [$15 million from Whitman to her own campaign] was donated Monday and reported to the secretary of state's office Tuesday.

Whitman noted that she had a competitive primary and has been campaigning for two years, and that unions have spent millions supporting Democratic nominee Jerry Brown.

"You are up against entrenched competitors. Jerry Brown has the best-known name in California politics," she said. "You can't underestimate the union spending."

Brown derided the donation late Wednesday, as he spoke to reporters at a celebration in downtown Los Angeles that commemorated the 200th anniversary of the start of the Mexican War of Independence.

"She's now the biggest spender in the history of the American republic, and I'm hoping the people will look behind the money to decide for themselves who can better lead our state in the coming years," he said.

Brown's campaign and parallel pro-Brown efforts funded by his union backers topped $50 million -- not exactly chump change, but nothing close to Whitman's spending.

Much of the money, on both sides, was spent of television ads, both positive and negative. And in the closing days of the campaign, the candidates appeared on stage together one last time, along with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

At that event, NBC's Matt Lauer asked both candidates to pledge to take down the negative ads for the campaign's final week. Brown eventually agreed, becoming more animated as he appeared to sense the political nature of the moment. Whitman demurred.

"It's been a brutal year. I mean this campaign has been a blood bath," Lauer said. "With one week left, would either of you or both of you be willing to make a pledge that you would end the negativity?"

As the audience applauded raucously, Schwarzenegger smiled broadly and clapped, and the two candidates looked stunned.

"Sometimes negativity is in the eye of the beholder," Brown said, before agreeing to take down his negative ads if Whitman did as well. "If Meg wants to do that, I'll be glad to do that."

Whitman at first tried to draw a line between personal attacks and record attacks, which Lauer dismissed as a "question of semantics" and pressed her again.

"I will take down any ads that could be even remotely be construed as a personal attack, but I don't think we can take down ads that talk about where Gov. Brown stands on the issues," Whitman said, to boos.

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-- Anthony York in Sacramento

Photo credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

PolitiCal Flashback: Brown aide calls Whitman a 'whore' in voice mail

With the California governor's race in its final hours, PolitiCal will look back throughout the day at some of the key moments in this year's historic contest.

Just when it seemed we might spend the final six weeks of the governor's race talking about Meg Whitman's domestic help, a recorded message from Jerry Brown to a Los Angeles police union official who backed Whitman found its way into the hands of a Los Angeles Times reporter. On the message, either Brown or someone in his inner circle is clearly heard calling Whitman 'a whore.'

The comment came after Brown called the Los Angeles Police Protective League in early September to ask for its endorsement. He left a voice mail message for Scott Rate, a union official. Brown apparently believed he had hung up the phone, but the connection remained intact and the voice mail machine captured an ensuing conversation between Brown and his aides. With evident frustration, Brown discussed the pressure he was under to refuse to reduce public safety pensions or lose law enforcement endorsements to Whitman. Months earlier, Whitman had agreed to exempt public safety officials from key parts of her pension reform plan. “Do we want to put an ad out? … That I have been warned if I crack down on pensions, I will be – that they’ll go to Whitman, and that’s where they’ll go because they know Whitman will give ‘em, will cut them a deal, but I won’t,” Brown said. At that point, what appears to be a second voice interjects: “What about saying she’s a whore?”

The comment was made in the context of Whitman offering a special deal to law-enforcement unions in a bid to earn their endorsements. But the recorded message dominated headlines in the governor's race for the next week, leading up to the candidates' third and final debate in San Rafael, Calif. That debate, moderated by former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, was Whitman's best performance of the three rhetorical exchanges. Brown hedged as he apologized to Whitman for the slur.

Brown at first said he did not agree with the comparison — a statement that drew an audible reproach from the crowd — and sought to question the timing of the release of the "five-week-old private conversation … with garbled transmission." "I will say the campaign apologized promptly and I'm affirming that apology tonight," he said. "You're repeating it to Ms. Whitman?" Brokaw asked. "Yes, I am," Brown said. "It's unfortunate. I'm sorry it happened. I apologize." Whitman, however, told Brown that Californians "deserve better than slurs and personal attacks." "I think every Californian, and especially women, know exactly what's going on here and that is a deeply offensive term to women," she said.

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-- Anthony York in Sacramento

Photo credit: Getty Images

Few problems reported at L.A. polling places

Voting across Los Angeles County was relatively smooth Tuesday as good weather and few problems were reported at the polls, the county registrar's office said.

By 2 p.m., 24% of registered voters had cast their ballots, not including absentee ballots. The turnout was about equal to the numbers at the same time of the day in 2006, and more than 3% higher than in 2002.

"We're pretty happy today so far," said Eileen Shea, a spokeswoman for the registrar's office. More than 17,000 inspectors were fanned out across the county "like a military deployment," she said.

PolitiCal Flashback: Enter Nicandra Diaz Santillan

With the California governor's race in its final hours, PolitiCal will look back throughout the day at some of the key moments in this year's historic contest for governor and some of the other races on the November ballot.

Perhaps the most memorable, and certainly the most surreal moment of the gubernatorial campaign came the day after the candidates' first debate in Davis, Calif. On Sept. 29, attorney Gloria Allred called a news conference in Los Angeles accompanied by Nicandra Diaz Santillan, a former housekeeper for GOP candidate Meg Whitman and her husband, Griffith Harsh IV.

Diaz Santillan said she worked for Whitman for more than nine years. She said that in the summer of 2009, she told Whitman she was in the country illegally, despite providing documentation to a referral agency when she was first hired.

The news conference set off a wild week in the gubernatorial race that featured two Allred news conferences, a number of phone calls from Whitman's senior advisors and a hastily called news conference with the candidate herself. Whitman originally denied reports that she and her husband had received a letter from the Social Security Administration indicating a potential problem with Diaz Santillan's paperwork. The next day, Allred and Diaz Santillan reemerged with the letter in question, complete with a handwritten note from Harsh to Diaz Santillan.

The story brought howls of hypocrisy from the Brown campaign and labor unions loyal to Democratic candidate. The issue came to a head during the second Brown-Whitman debate, hosted by Univision in Fresno:

Whitman turned to face Brown and accused Brown of being behind [Diaz] Santillan's emergence.

"Jerry, you should be ashamed," she said, turning to Brown and shaking her finger. "You and your surrogates put her deportation at risk. You put her out there. You should be ashamed for sacrificing Nicky Diaz on the altar of your political ambitions."

Brown fired back, denying any involvement and accusing Whitman of failing to take responsibility.

"Let's be sympathetic and let's really empathize with the millions of people who are in the shadows and you want to keep them in the shadows and now you're trying to evade responsibility," he said. "Don't run for governor if you can’t stand up on your own two feet and say, 'Hey I made a mistake, I'm sorry, let's go on from here.' You have blamed her, blamed me, blamed the left, blamed the unions, but you don’t take accountability.”

Whether or not the issue was the turning point in the campaign, it knocked Whitman off message for the better part of a week, and gave Brown an opening with Latino voters, a constituency Whitman had aggressively courted throughout her campaign.

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-- Anthony York in Sacramento

Photo: Former housekeeper, Nicky Diaz Santillan, reacts during a news conference Thursday Sept. 30, 2010 where her attorney Gloria Allred displayed a copy of a purported 2003 letter that shows Republican gubernatorial candidate, Meg Whitman knew all along that Santillan might be an illegal immigrant, keeping the letter from the government after Whitman's husband, Dr. Griffith Harsh, partially filled it out and told the housekeeper to deal with it, in Los Angeles.  Credit: Nick Ut / Associated Press

PolitiCal Flashback: Meg Whitman uses Bill Clinton to attack Jerry Brown

With the California governor's race in its final hours, PolitiCal will look back throughout the day at some of the key moments in this year's historic contest for governor and some of the other races on the November ballot.

As polls showed a close race for California governor, Meg Whitman launched her best ad of the campaign -- using clips from former President Clinton attacking Jerry Brown in a 1992 debate. Brown ran against Clinton in that year's presidential race, and Clinton blasted Brown for what he said were personal attacks against his wife, Hillary.

"He raised taxes as governor of California," Clinton says. "He had a surplus when he took office and a deficit when he left. He doesn't tell the people the truth."

Brown's campaign spokesman, Sterling Clifford, said it was Whitman who has a problem telling the truth. "CNN's numbers were wrong 20 years ago, and they haven't gotten less wrong," he said. "Jerry Brown cut taxes by $4 billion, not including Prop. 13. Meg Whitman hasn't told the truth since this campaign started, and quoting someone else doesn't make what she says true."

The ad underscores a key point of the campaign -- if Whitman has any hope of beating Brown in November, she's going to need support from Democrats. Democrats have a 45%-31% registration advantage over Republicans in the state. About 20% of the state's voters are registered as independents.

Brown's campaign scrambled when the ad was launched, responding with its first negative ad of the campaign, which portrayed Whitman as Pinocchio.

Days after the ad was launched, Clinton publicly endorsed Brown. In October, the former president appeared with Brown at a pair of rallies -- one at UCLA, another at San Jose State University.

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-- Anthony York in Sacramento

Photo:  Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (L) talks to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown at a rally at San Jose State University in San Jose, California in this October 17, 2010 file photograph.  Credit: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/Files

Photos: California heads to the polls

Photos: The nation heads to the polls