Skinny

For a job that has no power (except the AquaMan-like power to talk to whales), we sure have been talking about the Lite Guv lately. But newly-minted LG Abel Maldonado already got to be sitting governor this past weekend, when Schwarzenegger went to Las Vegas. He’ll do it again on Monday, when the Guv gives a commencement address at Emory University in Atlanta. Meanwhile, elections officials in the five counties of his old Senate district are screaming bloody murder about the Guv’s decision not to consolidate the special election for the seat with the general election. Maldo could decide to reverse this decision at least temporarily, when the governor is gone but, the LG’s office said there is no way this will happen. Voters in the district will face five elections between now and November, with a low-turnout contest likely to favor Schwarzenegger’s favored candidate, GOP Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, over former Asm. John Laird, the best-known Dem in the race. And talk about power, attendees of Sen. Dave Cox’s annual frog jump had to walk the long way around Maldo’s stage to get to the jumping grounds near the Fish Pond on Tuesday, though both offices denied rumors of a scheduling tiff. In other LG news, everyone has been wondering if Maldo would put his name over his door in big gold letters, like John Garamendi did. The answer is yes, though they didn’t have to drill many new holes, since “John Garamendi” and “Abel Maldonado” have the same number letters in their first and last names. Conspiracy theorists, we’re waiting for your letters…