State Attorney General Jerry Brown finally declared his candidacy for governor this week. Brown, a Democrat who served as California's governor for two terms beginning in the 1970s, faces no primary opposition and, judging from his announcement speech Tuesday, has entered the race in general election campaign mode, by pledging to "get the state working again."
But already, there are signs of discontent. Liberal Democrats took to Facebook and other social networking sites, upset at Brown's pledge not to raise taxes unless the hikes are approved by voters. Considering the state has a $20 billion budget deficit and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has already ordered massive cuts in education and social services, it remains to be seen where additional revenue will come from.
In fact, Brown's announcement was far more conservative than when he previously served as governor. His call for a "leaner" state government mimics Whitman's message in her ads, in which she says she supports cutting state workers.
Brown referenced his GOP opponents, Whitman and to a lesser extent state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, without naming them. Brown also said that the state does not need another governor who has no experience in state government.
Brown, a career politician who also served as mayor of Oakland and made three runs for the presidency, noted that some people have suggested, "we need to go out and find an outsider who knows virtually nothing about state government."
"We tried that, and it doesn't work," Brown said, in a reference to Schwarzenegger, who came into office after the 2003 recall. "We found out that not knowing is not good."
"I've lived in California all my life; I've seen our government from every angle," he said. He added that he will be "a leader who can pull people together, Republicans and Democrats, oil companies and environmentalists, unions and business."
But Brown does differ from Whitman on some major issues, especially important to the LGBT community.
For one thing, Brown supports same-sex marriage; Whitman does not. In fact, in her first major interview since kicking her campaign into high gear, Whitman reiterated her opposition to same-sex marriage to the San Jose Mercury News. She's in favor of granting equal rights to gay people through civil unions and domestic partnerships, but she told the paper that the term "marriage" should apply only to the union of a man and a woman. Whitman does support allowing gays and lesbians to adopt children, because "many kids need a good home."
There are stark differences between the two major candidates and we'll be watching as the campaign unfolds.
Disturbing incidents at UC campuses
Several incidents on different University of California campuses in recent weeks have been aimed at blacks, Jews, and gays. All are offensive.
In the most widely publicized case, fraternity students at UC San Diego held a "Compton Cookout" event that mocked Black History Month. Students who organized the off-campus party urged other students to dress as ghetto stereotypes and promised there would be chicken, watermelon, and malt liquor, the Associated Press reported.
In another case at UCSD, a female student hung a noose from a campus library bookcase. Coming on the heels of the cookout party, the incident ignited protests at other campuses as well. She was suspended.
Closer to home, the LGBT Resource Center at UC Davis was vandalized last weekend, with anti-gay words spray-painted across the center's door. And a Jewish student at the school reported that a swastika was carved into her dorm room door.
UCD Chancellor Linda Katehi responded quickly to the incidents at the campus, located near Sacramento, calling for a town hall meeting on Monday to address the alleged hate incidents.
"The LGBTRC is a valuable resource to our campus community," Katehi said in a statement posted on the school's Web site. "We are grateful for the support the center provides to students, faculty, and staff as we continue to confront homophobia and the hate speech and conduct designed to hurt and divide our community."
While instances of intolerance crop up in society, universities are institutions that should foster tolerance and understanding of the differences in cultures, beliefs, and yes, orientations.