Brown turns to business leaders in latest Proposition 30 pitch

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Gov. Jerry Brown, appearing at the headquarters of the Bay Area Council in San Francisco on Thursday, said he was undaunted by two new surveys that show his tax proposal falling below 50% support among voters, saying he always knew the vote would be close.

“I think we have a very good chance to win, but I’m not going to let anything slow me down between now and election day,” he said.

University of California President Mark Yudof said that if the measure, Proposition 30, fails to pass, students could expect a “double-digit tuition hike” in the fall and could face increases before the current school year is over.

At the event Brown also hailed a move by the state’s campaign watchdog to try to find out who is behind an $11-million donation from an Arizona nonprofit organization to a political committee aimed at taking down his tax plan.

“This is probably the worst abuse in the history of California election law since [I was first governor],” he said. “I just hope they force these shadowy figures to comes out from under their rock or the bushes or the forest -- wherever they dwell. The fact that they’re hiding is indicating perhaps some shame on their part, but the people have a right to know.”

The governor was to hold a campaign event in Salinas on Thursday afternoon and a rally on the campus of UC Santa Cruz on Friday.

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-- Anthony York in San Francisco