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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promoted bipartisan dealmaking Friday at a breakfast hosted by Democratic political icon Willie Brown, who then gave his Republican guest a parting gift: a declaration that Schwarzenegger will win re-election "no matter what." Democratic gubernatorial challenger Phil Angelides was noticeably absent from the Moscone Center fundraiser for Brown's nonprofit public service institute, considering the audience of several hundred was heavily Democratic. Schwarzenegger, meanwhile, landed a prime speaking spot between two of the state's most powerful Democrats, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata. Angelides trails Schwarzenegger by double-digit percentage points, according to...

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" will feature Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday - just one month before the Nov. 7 election - but not his Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Phil Angelides. Angelides asked to appear on the show but had not received a response by Tuesday afternoon, said Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Angelides' campaign. A "Tonight Show" spokeswoman confirmed the Republican governor's appearance but did not respond to repeated requests for comment. U.S. Rep Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles, filed a complaint on Angelides' behalf with the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday that accuses the "Tonight Show" of violating...

"U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, left, joins Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides as they work a phone bank at Sacramento City Teachers Association headquarters, Wed, Oct. 18, 2006, in Sacramento, Calif. The pair made calls asking for support for Angelides and other issues on the Nov. 7 ballot."

Struggling to attract support, Democrat Phil Angelides has begun tearing into Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal character, suggesting Wednesday the Republican incumbent should respond to recall-era claims that he once groped and humiliated women. Angelides, in a phone interview, said Schwarzenegger never fulfilled a promise he made during his 2003 recall campaign to review the groping allegations. "It was the governor who told (former NBC anchor) Tom Brokaw on national news that he would fully look into this matter and tell the people what it was all about," Angelides said. "He was the one who made his commitment and didn't keep...

On a radio show, the candidate doesn't object to host's ethnic and sexual wisecracks despite having criticized the governor's character. Angelides' appearance came after a segment in which a 20-year-old African American man named Master agreed to kiss a 72-year-old white woman named Sara to win a ticket to an upcoming promotional event at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills. Carolla made a joke about a "May-casket" romance, playing off "May-December," and said Sara had a case of "jungle fever," a pejorative reference to white women attracted to black men. An anonymous voice-over also alluded to Angelides' ethnic background...

The property initiative poses a political dilemma for Schwarzenegger because it is backed by his GOP base yet opposed by environmental groups and the California Chamber of Commerce, two interests the Republican governor has courted. Schwarzenegger said Tuesday he has not taken a position on Proposition 90, though he intends to "very soon because I'm looking at all the aspects. As you know, it's a very complicated issue, and so I'm looking at all the different angles so that I come out very clear." Proponents have asserted that Proposition 90 prevents government from seizing private property to give to another...

Angelides noted that Arnold won the endorsement of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, the state wing of the National Rifle Association, and quickly pounced on connecting the NRA with the Governor. No wonder: Gun safety is overwhelmingly supported by California voters, particularly among Democrats. Angelides is seeking to exploit the Governor's NRA support, citing the Governor's veto of two bills advanced by gun safety advocates.They are: AB 2714 by Rep. Alberto Torrico (D), which would have banned internet/mail order sales of ammunition unless the buyer presented an ID with proof of age to the seller. It also would have...

State Treasurer Phil Angelides can accurately pinpoint the biggest reason he badly trails Arnold Schwarzenegger in the race for governor: Most Californians either don't know him or have bought the ``tax-and-spend liberal'' impression molded by savvy political rivals. Many analysts suggest that no liberal Democrat -- even one who runs a perfect campaign -- stands much of a chance against the moderate Republican whose Hollywood charm and power of incumbency give him an advantage in style and substance.

Democratic candidate Phil Angelides challenged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on gun control and affirmative action Friday at the California NAACP conference, framing the issues as African American concerns the Republican governor should address when he visits the same group Saturday. The Democratic state treasurer questioned why Schwarzenegger accepted an endorsement from the California Rifle and Pistol Association "when our young men and women are being gunned down in the streets of Oakland." He also charged that Schwarzenegger never fought against a voter-approved 1996 initiative that banned colleges and other public institutions from using affirmative action. "I'm proud that I opposed Proposition...

Democratic candidate Phil Angelides was shocked to discover earlier this year that his 17-year old daughter, Arianna, had a listing on MySpace.com -- a social Web site all the rage among teens. It told a story a dad could be proud of: full of heartfelt praise ("he's pretty fly for a white guy") and starring an affectionate family photo of Angelides, exuberantly hugging his daughter at a father-daughter dance. Though the snapshot of the two-term state treasurer was a charming, unscripted moment that might have softened the profile of usually staid Angelides, the public will never see it: The candidate...

Former Democratic Gov. Edmund "Pat" Brown dismissed his Republican challenger in the 1966 gubernatorial race as a Hollywood interloper who had no business trying to become California's chief executive. "He's an actor," he said of Ronald Reagan. "You know who shot Abraham Lincoln don't you?" On Monday, the 40th anniversary of Reagan's landslide gubernatorial election, the first step on his road to the White House, was celebrated at his presidential library. The attendee attracting the most attention was another actor-turned-politician, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger avoided discussing the campaign, focusing instead on Reagan's legacy. He also praised Nancy Reagan, the 85-year-old...

Visiting a Republican call center in Chico, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger thanked volunteers and ebulliently assured them, "Things are going really well. The poll numbers show us up by 15 or 20 points." He worked to get out the Republican vote Saturday, appearing at GOP events in Chico, Pleasanton and Riverside, where he was accompanied by Republican Secretary of State Bruce McPherson. As he spoke with a Republican voter by phone from Chico, the governor exclaimed, "It's the people like you that create the action." He urged that the word be put out to "vote yes on our propositions and ......

Angelides tells his supporters to ignore polls Insisting he was "undaunted and unbowed" two days before an election he is widely expected to lose, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides dashed from one end of the state to the other on Sunday, hoping to spark the surge of momentum that has eluded him throughout his campaign. "I want you to ignore what the polls say," Angelides told about 100 union workers at a labor hall in Burlingame Sunday afternoon. "Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks he's got this thing locked away." Afterward, he added, "I think you're going to see a big surprise." Schwarzenegger...

Welcome to the live thread for the California Primary Election. Polls are open until 8pm tonight. If you are a registered voter, it is your duty to vote and defend your rights and civil liberties, protect your pocketbook, and vote the bums out where applicable. Feel free to discuss issues key to your local area that others may be interested in. Post your polling place experiences if you like. And post numbers as they come in later tonight.

Phil Angelides, the Democrat who lost to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in last month's election, announced Friday that he plans to launch an investment firm, advocate for education causes and lay the groundwork for a possible gubernatorial run in 2010. ``I'll be active in my business and very active in the public arena -- advocating for the issues I believe in, the issues of economic opportunity -- and I will be doing my level best to advance those issues,'' the two-term state treasurer said. ``Some people, after they lose an election, they kind of just shrink away,'' Angelides said. ``That's not...

As Phil Angelides' chances of becoming California's next governor sink slowly in the west, the wonk talk is slowly turning to the possible effects of his electoral weakness on the down-ballot races. The speculation isn't so much about whether moderate Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger's coattails are long enough to drag an unlikely conservative such as Tom McClintock in as lieutenant governor . . . But the talk is less about the governor's strength than about Angelides' negative coattails: Is he so weak that many Democratic voters won't turn out at all? And if that happens, could Schwarzenegger's relative strength ironically weaken...