The Skinny

For us, a major trip means two weeks in Oxnard, so when we hear that a Capitol type is off to Switzerland, we take notice: Julie Soderlund, a partner in Wilson-Miller Communications and formerly a mouthpiece for Gov. Schwarzenegger, is headed to Lausanne as the communications chief for Philip Morris International. Okay, you can’t have everything – it’s Big Tobacco, after all – but Switzerland is cool, well-ordered, well-scrubbed, covered with chocolate and obsessively neutral, a perfect haven for a moderate Republican. We’ve wanted to go there ever since we watched Steve McQueen try to jump the fence. Julie:  auf wiedersehn, ciao and bon voyage … Back at the ranch, Marty Wilson – he’s the Wilson in Wilson-Miller Communications – is now the Chamber’s top elections strategist for 2012. He’s been a major political consultant and campaign finance guru for decades, so the Chamber’s made a good move indeed. He’ll undoubtedly make a lot of dough – the Chamber is like the British Navy, it goes first class – and he’ll be worth every penny if he can figure out next year’s ballot … And now the finale: Beth Miller – the Miller in Wilson-Miller – has launched Miller Public Affairs Group. Beth is president and CEO of the new outfit, which officially gears up Jan. 1. Miller is a heavy hitter and a veteran communicator – she’s served in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento, and before founding Wilson-Miller, she served as former Secretary of State Bill Jones’s top communications adviser. She helped build Wilson-Miller into a major firm and she’ll undoubtedly do it again with the new company, joined by PR political pros Nick Garcia, Brooke Armour and Jessica Ng … So good luck to everybody wherever you are, and eat your heart out: The Skinny is staying in Oxnard ….