The Skinny

Gray Davis returned to Sacramento this week, and judging from the room, it was hard to tell whether there were more Davis staffers or current Schwarzenegger staffers in attendance. At one table there was Daniel Zingale, Richard Figueroa, and Mary Nichols – all members of the Schwarzenegger administration – sitting together at one table. Oh wait, all three were also members of the Davis Administration! The talk was short on news, and heavy on nostalgia, but Davis seemed more open, and more reflective than we remember. He extolled Gov. Schwarzenegger as “one of the greatest sales persons on the face of the Earth,” and praised him for thinking “really big.” Davis confessed that he tended to be more of an incrementalist because “I didn’t want anyone to get scared.” Yet, he took some credit for the current green reputation of the current governor, praising Schwarzenegger for “building upon what we started” in the Davis administration … The California Chamber of Commerce has a new top lobbyist. With Dominic DiMare venturing out on his own to join the lobbying firm of DiMare Van Vleck and Brown, the chamber has recruited Marc Burgat to fill the opening. Before signing on with the chamber, Burgat was the top lobbyist for City of Los Angeles and Cable and Telecommunications Assn. … The guv has appointed former Entertainment Tonight anchor Leeza Gibbons to  the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee. The position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gibbons is a Democrat.
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