Free Republic

In the wake of a pension deal Democratic leaders struck with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's prison guards union has dropped $215,000 to oppose Assemblywoman Anna Caballero's quest for the state Senate.Caballero, D-Salinas, is facing Ceres Mayor Anthony Cannella, a Republican, for the 12th Senate District, probably the most contested seat in the Legislature. The race is the top concern for both Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and his GOP counterpart, Senate Republican leader Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga. If Caballero wins, Democrats would likely have 26 seats in the upper house, one short of the two-thirds majority now...

The union representing the state's prison guards rolled out today its endorsement of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown. . . . "Simply building more prisons is not the solution," he said in a statement. "We need a governor that understands the nuances and is willing to bring all of the stakeholders to the table in a concerted effort to collectively resolve this ongoing problem."