Growing anger over those $500 citations spewed by photo enforcement cameras. They have little to do with safety say critics who claim the creepy, peepy red light cams can actually increase accidents at intersections.
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In Santa Monica, Gavin Newsom auditions for governor
Newsom does demo at SAMOHI
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom says it’s “increasingly likely” he’ll be entering the governor’s race, but who in their right mind would want the job? Nearly bankrupt, bonds trashed by brokers, infrastructure crumbling, its assembly a fractious mess — California may well be ungovernable.
“It’s an opportunity for reform,” Newsom told me before tonight’s town hall. “When things are in this kind of shape, you can’t continue to play in the margins. Continue to do what you’ve done and you get what you’ve got. We’ve got to do things dramatically differently.”
What do we know about this guy? The restaurateur and entrepreneur can’t spell very well, he says (the psycho-driver for his education obsession?) so updates to his Twitter account are infrequent.
That perfectly-coiffed do? It’s L’Oreal Clean Gel, the mayor confessed to Ryan Seacrest on KISS-FM while in L.A. this week. “Total Control Clean Gel,” said Newsom, “because they’ve got seven or eight products and the other ones don’t work.”
“I’m talking to a metrosexual!” oozed Seacrest.
A staunch defender of gay marriage, Newsom managed to get himself elected poster boy for Prop 8 proponents after his “like it or not” Howard Dean moment, but the San Francisco mayor stood by his convictions on same-sex matrimony Tuesday night at Santa Monica High School’s South Gym.
“I don’t care what happens to my political future,” said Newsom. “Guys like me come and go but principals transcend. At the end of the day, I’m going to look back proudly on this fight.”
Newsom’s “conversation about California’s future,” was a one-night stand in a statewide roadshow, part of his exploratory campaign for the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Gavin Newsom with wife Jennifer Siebel
In starched white shirt without jacket or tie, Newsom stalked the gym with mic in hand, fielding questions and hitting his hot buttons: Pre-K through college education for all, and universal health care.
Newsom’s proposing a smarter, healthier breed of Californian who will re-write the state’s constitution to accommodate a more reasonable budgeting process. He’s all for electric cars and says the lottery is a way sleazy revenue-generator.
He likes foods without pesticides, salad bars in schools, and putting an end to plastic bags and sugary Big Gulp drinks. He’s in favor of medical marijuana but a realist when it comes to legalization: the feds would never approve.
Here’s the complete one-hour town hall session.
 Playback:Gavin Newsom Town Hall March 17, 2009 | Santa Monica |
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Asked about facing off against LA’s Antonio Villaraigosa in next year’s primary, Newsom told me, “Look, I’m running for something. I’m not running against anybody. I’d love to compare and contrast the records on education, health care, the environment and poverty.”
Minutes later, he did just that. Newsom lamented the possible layoffs of 9,000 LAUSD teachers while noting that San Francisco’s prudent rainy day fund meant no such teacher pink-slipping in his county. No comment from Villaraigosa’s camp.
Newsom is held similar events Wednesday in San Diego, Friday in Santa Barbara and Saturday in Palm Springs, an early lap what could shape up to be a mayoral marathon: Newsom, Villaraigosa and former Oakland mayor Jerry Brown.
Waiting to take ‘em on are two well-heeled GOP hopefuls: EBay’s Meg Whitman and state insurance commissioner Steve Poizner.
“You can’t compete against these billionaires for less than a hundred million dollars,” said Newsom. “Just try to raise a hundred million in this economic climate.”
But when I asked young first-time voters and savvy older politicos for their thoughts on who’d survive a mano-a-mano mayoral smack-down between El Antonio (in the red trunks) and Gavin the Brawler (in blue) the overwhelming winner seemed to be Newsom — at least for now. It’s way early.
Progressive Angelenos seem disappointed with Villaraigosa — to them, he’s an old-school washout, a pothole-filler. Many voted against Mayor V. in this month’s primary. Some regretfully, others not. But San Franciscans seem equally disenchanted with Gavin “show pony” Newsom in what may be a case of familiarity breeding contempt — your mayor’s cooler than my mayor.
Free-fall: Mr & Mrs Mayor in Zero G
Just how catty might the contest get? Another SFGate blogger gives a hint… “What will the contest be over? Who cheated on their wives the most? Who had the most sex with brunette TV newswomen?” Ouch!
Posted by March 18th, 2009
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