“Meg Whitman leads Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner by 35 points among likely California Republican voters.  The Governor ballot test shows Meg Whitman with a 35 point lead over Steve Poizner, 54% to 19%, with 15% supporting the generic "other" candidate and 12% remain undecided.  Steve Poizner's image unfavorable rating has increased 29 points since our last survey on February 25th.”  Magellan Strategies

Under political pressure for his failure to secure the border and with midterm election campaigns under way, President Obama will send 1,200 National Guard Troops to the border.  

According to the NY Times: From 2006-2008, President George W. Bush deployed 6,000 Guard troops under a program called Operation Jump Start.  

These troops arrested more than 162,000 undocumented immigrants, rescued 100 people stranded in the desert and 305,000 pounds of drugs. 

Team Whitman's senior strategist Mike Murphy and senior adviser Jeff Randle held a press conference with reporters today to discuss the latest SurveyUSA poll (54-27) and a new internal poll of 600 primary Republican voters (53-27), done by campaign pollster John McLaughlin, showing Meg Whitman with a commanding lead over Steve Poizner.  

The campaign acknowledged a tightening when Poizner went after Whitman with a negative ad campaign, with some polls putting the Republicans within 9 points of one another.  

With all the Steve Poizner press releases highlighting polls in the past three weeks, I continue to ask: will Steve Poizner be issuing a press release showing he is now within 27 percentage points from frontrunner, Meg Whitman? 

Murphy and Randle Press Conference:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzUfS0s6atA

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr3OE5qmZec

In a letter to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce said a boycott war is bad for both sides, and said he would "be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements" to end the electricity flowing to Los Angeles. "I am confident that Arizona's utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands," Mr. Pierce said. "If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona's economy."

Higher electrcity rates? 

The city gets 25% of its electricity from Arizona. 

Arizona is now saying: No Contaban Con Mi Astucia!

The premier Latino volunteer organization in California made its first ever primary endorsement in a Governor’s race:  

"This endorsement is the first the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of California has ever made in a California governor's race," said Richard Loa, Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of California. "We believe Meg can address two of the principle concerns of the Latino community - jobs and education - and she has a plan to make California's government more efficient and fiscally responsible."

"Meg is the best candidate to win in the general election. She appeals to all Californians and will make certain the Hispanic community has a voice in the Republican Party," Loa added.

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Steve Poizner’s so-called tough talk on immigration is nothing more than contradictory statements and political opportunism at its worst. This type of double-talk to English and Spanish language voters speaks volumes of Poizner’s untrustworthiness and his willingness to do or say anything for votes.

Within 24-hours, Poizner supported the modification of Proposition 187 to make it legal to cut off education and medical care services to undocumented immigrants and the next day he stated to a Spanish language reporter that he supported medical attention to these very same people, because “it’s federal law.”
More on Poizner double-talk later...

Telemundo 41 (San Francisco) is reporting tonight that President Barack Obama has indicated that there will be no immigration reform anytime soon.  That there are other important issues that congress will be concentrating on such as the cap and trade bill and the upcoming elections.  The video clip is in Spanish: About 15 Seconds In The Clip

Senate Democrat Leader, Darrell Steinberg has called for a boycott of Arizona because of the Arizona Immigration law, but will he lead by example and return all the money he has received from Arizona based companies?  What about his Democrat colleagues across this state?  

Conservative talk radio host, Eric Hogue did some great research on this issue: Budding With Boycotts

From Patrick Dorinson - Politico's Daily Debate, The Arena

Patrick Dorinson, Political communications strategist and commentator:

As employment in California's construction industry dropped 18.5% from 2008 and lost 200,000 jobs, the Federal Highway Administration has approved California's minority business contracting plan that purposely excludes Caucasians, Indians, and Latinos. 

In February 2009, California lost 116,000 jobs, 30,900 of those in construction.  This brought the total number of unemployed Californians to 1,950,000.  That is an increase of 824,000 from February of last year.  

The Federal Highway Administration's decision to openly discriminate by awarding public contracts and taxpayer money on the basis on race ignores the fact that every Californian pays taxes.  The economic downturn has affected everyone without regard to race or ethnicity.
 
President Obama has called for a new age of responsibility, yet its clear that this policy by his own administration is only reinforcing racial differences and giving preference without considering what counts - ability, merit, and the best deal for the taxpayer.   
 
 
Federal Highway Administration: Latinos & Indians Need Not Apply

"The Federal Highway Administration this week formally approved the department's minority business contracting plan. It seeks to award more transportation contracts to firms owned by blacks, Asians, Native Americans and women as part of an ongoing effort to increase diversity. ... "It does not apply to firms operated by Hispanics or those whose origins are from India. The department says those groups already are sufficiently represented in state highway contracts." (Judy Lin, "California Diversity Push Could Run Afoul Of State Law," Associated Press, 4/3/09)  

If State Does Not Comply: "Could Result In The ‘Withholding [Of] Federal Funds"

"A Feb. 25 letter from the Federal Highway Administration to Kempton granted conditional approval to California's minority hiring guidelines but also said failure to implement the goal could result in the ‘withholding federal funds.'  (Judy Lin, "California Diversity Push Could Run Afoul Of State Law," Associated Press, 4/3/09)