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  24   CALIFORNIA: Simon Poll Claims Momentum Swing       A Public Opinion Strategies (R) poll, conducted 2/17-18 for businessman Bill Simon (R), surveyed 600 likely GOP primary voters; margin of error +/- 4%; subsample: 349 highly likely voters; +/- 5% (release, 2/22). Tested: Simon, ex-L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan (R) and Sec/State Bill Jones (R). GOP Primary Matchup LVs HLVs 2/10-11 1/23-24 11/01 Riordan 33% 31% 32% 45% 43% Simon 28 31 24 18 5 Jones 14 14 10 13 16 DK/Other 22 24 34 25 36   2/17-18 2/10-11 1/23-24 11/01 Fav/Unfav Fav/Unfav Fav/Unfav Fav/Unfav Riordan 45%/25% 44%/21% ...

THE INSIDER - Political Information Network THE AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE FOR SACRAMENTO INSIDERS AND POLITICAL LEADERS M E M O R A N D U M TO: Sacramento Political Insiders & Interested Parties FROM: Russo Marsh + Rogers, Inc. RE: AdWatch - Will Dick Riordan Ever Get it Right? DATE: February 22, 2002 ADWATCH: WILL DICK RIORDAN EVER GET IT RIGHT? NEWSPAPERS CRITICIZE RIORDAN'S ADS, FIND SIMON'S ADS ACCURATE The Riordan for Governor campaign's ads have once again received near universal criticism for "selective" use of the facts to paint distorted pictures. Just days after being criticized for ads linking Gray ...

PUC sets energy repayment plan By Carrie Peyton -- Bee Staff Writer Published 5:30 a.m. PST Friday, Feb. 22, 2002 State utility regulators cleared the way Thursday for an $11.1 billion bond sale that would repay California for buying electricity during last year's energy crisis. In twin actions, the Public Utilities Commission also selected a formula for repaying the state that will charge Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers less than originally proposed, keeping the utility on track for a possible rate cut in 2003. The PUC decisions, both on split votes, took two long-awaited steps toward emerging from the ...

<p>Republicans Richard Riordan and Bill Simon took the gloves off yesterday in tough new television ads, as Riordan campaign officials admitted that their once-commanding lead in the Republican governor's primary was shrinking rapidly.</p> <p>"We have always expected the race to tighten up in the last two weeks," said Kevin Spillane, a political adviser for the former Los Angeles mayor. "We're doing what is necessary."</p>

California GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon today unveiled TV ads reminding voters that liberal "Republican" opponent Richard Riordan called the impeached Bill Clinton "the greatest leader in the free world" and even admitted he "doesn't have a love affair with the Republican Party." "This ad shows that while Bill Simon is busy running against Gray Davis, Dick Riordan is busy running against the Republican Party," said Simon consultant Sal Russo. "In our focus groups, when Republican voters learn that Dick Riordan loves Bill Clinton, they leave faster than the poor urban tenants Riordan summarily evicted to open his restaurant." Simon ...

With the March 5 primary closing in, former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan's lead over his opponents for the Republican gubernatorial nomination has diminished dramatically during the past month, according to a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). The statewide poll shows Riordan ahead of businessman Bill Simon Jr. by 41 percent to 24 percent, with California Secretary of State Bill Jones at 9 percent. Most of the other 26 percent are undecided, with some favoring minor candidates. A PPIC poll in January showed Riordan with 41 percent, Jones with 13 percent and Simon with just 5 ...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Gray Davis' road to re-election may have become rockier with the release of a new analysis that projects a much larger deficit than had been predicted in his earlier budget proposal. Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill announced late Wednesday that the state budget deficit was a staggering $17.5 billion compared to the earlier $5 billion shortfall estimated by Davis in January. The development sets the stage for another painful round of budget cuts at a time when Davis is seeking a second term against Republican opposition that appears to be growing. "It is clear we're going to ...

<p>LOS ANGELES -- With less than two weeks before the March 5 gubernatorial primary, a poll to be released today shows investor and former federal prosecutor Bill Simon closing the gap with ex-Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.</p> <p>Riordan on Wednesday began running ads attacking Simon, a departure from the ex- mayor's strategy of ignoring his Republican opponents to focus on Democratic incumbent Gray Davis.</p>

<p>Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Riordan unleashed a barrage of attack ads against opponent Bill Simon on Wednesday, just as a new poll showed that his formidable lead over the Los Angeles businessman is shrinking.</p> <p>Riordan, a former mayor of Los Angeles, launched three television advertisements statewide, criticizing Simon for his voting record and business dealings.</p>

The TV ad started out by asking, "Who is Bill Simon?" Then it talks about some kind of bankruptcy thing involving a business he was with apparently. I expected to see "Paid for by Gray Davis" but instead, a smiling RIORDAN is flashed across the screen. This tells me the Riordan people are wetting their pants over Simon's momentum. Guess the primary isn't gonna be a Riordan slam-dunk after all. Now if only McCainiac Bill Jones would do the honorable thing and drop out, Riordan's hope of benefitting from a splintered conservative vote would be dashed.

Bill Simon gave a speech Wednesday at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, which is a non-partisan public affairs forum hosting people from all walks of the political spectrum. The turnout of over 100 people easily surpassed the 25-30 that turned out for Jones' own appearance three weeks earlier.Simon spent his talk outlining his comprehensive educational plan, the details of which I'll leave to his official campaign press release, which I'm sure will arrive on Free Republic shortly. I'd much prefer to address the second half of the title- Jones Sinks to a New LowAs I've often commented before, Bill ...

With only two weeks to go until the primary, it's now as clear as could be. Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan should never have run for governor. In a matter of weeks, he's gone from a Republican primary shoo-in to a real question mark, and I'm not just talking about politics. I'm talking about whether he'll get a crypt in the new cathedral. Riordan's name popped up on a list of major donors who might have an inside track to prime real estate in the 1,300-crypt mausoleum under Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. Mary McNamara ...

Ad Watch: Bill Jones John Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, February 20, 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Chronicle's Ad Watch provides an occasional look at the truth behind the claims, charges and political statements made in the campaign spots that run on television and radio in California. Today: "Duke" by Bill Jones, a Republican candidate for governor. -- MAIN CLAIMS: In his first, and possibly only, television ad of the campaign, Bill Jones is using former Republican Gov. George Deukmejian to bash the other two candidates in the GOP primary for governor. Speaking directly into the camera, Deukmejian says businessman ...

<p>OAKLAND, Calif. — On a cool Wednesday night in May, the orange streetlight glow on Embarcadero Road filtering through the car window, Shannon Reeves slips and tells a "secret" he so far has held tightly.</p> <p>Says the bespectacled black Republican wannabe: "I will be governor of California one day."</p>

"An entertaining intra-party soap opera" — political analyst Charles Cook on the California Republican primary for governor. Read on. The winner of the March 5 primary will face Democrat Gov. Gray Davis in November. Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard J. Riordan had led his two opponents, combined, by 2-to-1. Riordan's likely coronation once gave Secretary of State Bill Jones and businessman Bill Simon cold feet. But, ironically, Riordan's campaign blunders kept them in the race. Cook had predicted that Richard Riordan's "eclectic team of advisers" would clash. But Riordan's Democrat/Republican team has stayed on the same page. An epilogue? Last ...

He may be running ahead of Democrat Governor Gray Davis in the polls, but California Republicans are less than thrilled with the idea of backing Dick Riordan's bid for the right to oppose Davis in November. One reason for GOP reluctance for getting behind the former Los Angeles mayor is Riordan's penchant for giving money and support to Democrats, notably Davis himself when the governor last ran for office. Riordan's opponents in the upcoming GOP primary, California Secretary of State Bill Jones and conservative businessman Bill Simon, have both hammered away at Riordan's past financial support of such Democrats as ...

<p>Can Dick Riordan beat California's Democratic governor?</p> <p>Wednesday, February 20, 2002 12:01 a.m.</p> <p>SACRAMENTO, Calif.--Former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan thought he had the Republican primary for governor in the bag. So he planned a four-day Idaho ski trip just a few weeks before the March 5 primary. That was before this month's GOP state convention in San Jose, which showcased the anti-Riordan sentiment. Former governor George Deukmejian and three past GOP state chairmen announced they wouldn't vote for Mr. Riordan against the Democratic incumbent, Gray Davis. Now Mr. Riordan is skipping the slopes and preparing for the tough sledding ahead.</p>

Never underestimate the ability of unelected bureaucrats to overturn the expressed will of the people if it threatens their power. The latest example comes from Sacramento, Calif., where the unelected state Board of Education recently voted to nullify key provisions of a 1998 state constitutional amendment passed overwhelmingly by the voters. Fed up with the miserable failure rate of so-called bilingual education programs -- many were really Spanish-only programs masquerading as English instruction -- Californians passed Proposition 227 by 61 percent. The new law mandated that children be taught English immediately when they entered school and that only a ...

<p>Moving to solidify his conservative credentials and continue building momentum for a campaign that has been surging in recent weeks, Republican gubernatorial hopeful William Simon Jr. said Tuesday he had won the endorsement of the Gun Owners of California.</p> <p>Simon, making the announcement at the Holiday Inn near Fresno Yosemite International Airport, portrayed himself as a strong advocate of gun rights. "We have more than enough gun laws and we need to let the dust settle [to let those laws work]," he said.</p>

<p>SACRAMENTO -- State Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill is expected to deliver grim news today when she reveals her in-depth analysis of Gov. Gray Davis' budget plan.</p> <p>Hill told key lawmakers Tuesday that California now faces a possible $14.5 billion budget shortfall in the current budget year and next, even accounting for more than $2 billion in cuts approved by lawmakers late last month.</p>