“With Secretary of State Debra Bowen officially in the race to face L.A. City Councilmember Janice Hahn for the 36th Congressional District, the contest promises to be a real stem-winder. Any thoughts?”

Hahn has a stronger local organization and a meaningful head start. On the other hand, she’s a lightweight’s lightweight. Both have resources and

“The governor is meeting with Republicans inside and outside of the Capitol to sell his budget plan. What do you hear? Is he making any headway?

He is making headway. Having the Chamber endorse it didn’t hurt.

It’s hard to tell, but he better start selling this plan to the public soon, because these closed-door

“Jerry Brown seems to have won Round 1 in the PR fight over the budget: He directly challenged Republicans to come up with their own plan – and they refused. What do you think?”

Checkmate. The GOP’s only option would be a budget that slashes school aid.

Republicans have an opportunity to show some statesmanship

“Presumably, Jerry is a one-termer, so who’s the presumptive Democratic favorite in 2014 for governor – Harris, Newsom, Chiang, or a dark horse? Could be the best primary in years…”

Wow.  Give the man a break.  Even this Republican wants to see what happens for a few months before we start digging Jerry’s grave.

I

“The redevelopment agency revolt that is spreading across the state: Is this limited to them or is this a harbinger of things to come in Brown’s budget plan?”

It is, unfortunately, a harbinger of things to come, I fear. Every target of Brown’s proposed budget cuts will attempt to hide the ball or spend the

“Quite a mix: taxes, cuts and a special election. Can Jerry Brown pull this off?”

Hard to tell.  The real question is, is Brown the best chief salesman for an extension of the tax cuts?  Davis got his major education-reform package passed in 1999 when his approval rating was 58-12, and even a plurality of

“Just before he left office, Gov. Schwarzenegger made some controversial appointments and commutations. How will they affect his legacy, if at all?

The one you are referring to is a nasty turd blossom that will sink to the bottom of the murky pond and be forgotten in time.

Schwarzenegger will be remembered for having a

“The administration’s attempted sale of state buildings has emerged as a full-blown legal battle, topped by the recusal of all the members of the state Supreme Court. Was this sell-off a good idea or a bad idea?”

Bad idea. One-time fixes are bad all around.

It’s the state equivalent of heading to a pawn

“The reality of the state’s finances is so bad that Gov.-elect Jerry Brown and other Democrats believe if they educate the public about the enormity of the problem, people will support new taxes to bring in money. Will this strategy work?”

You’re jumping the gun. The question presupposes an endgame that has yet to be

“Two of Brown’s key appointments are in – Diana Dooley to HHS and Ana Matosantos to Finance. Are there clues here as to how the rest of his administration will be set up? Any changes from Brown of 1975-83?”

It’s too early to tell. Both of these appointments appear to be good ones, but they