SAN DIEGO - Californians electing a new controller in November will choose between an unknown technocrat and an ambitious political insider to be responsible for monitoring the state's finances. Democrat John Chiang, who is hoping to succeed failed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly as controller, is a tax lawyer campaigning to be ''hired'' as the state's chief financial officer. By contrast, Tony Strickland, a Republican former state assemblyman with close ties to conservative hero Tom McClintock -- a candidate for lieutenant governor -- is running as a fiscal watchdog committed to rooting out wasteful government spending. ''Basically, Chiang sees this...