June 3, 2023 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

OpEd: Chiang’s Quiet Entry a Big Change in Run for Governor:

For most of the last 18 months, California’s next run for governor has shaped up as a battle of flash and dash, with two of the gaudiest candidates the state has ever seen planning to face off, plus the possible entry of a billionaire or two.

But a monkey wrench may have been thrown this spring into the best-laid plans of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the ultra-wealthy Tom Steyer and Steve Westly when state Treasurer John Chiang quietly let it be known he’s “interested” in the race.

Unlike Newsom and Villaraigosa, Chiang doesn’t have to run for any new office two years from now, when current Gov. Jerry Brown will be termed out after a total of four terms in the statehouse. And unlike the two fabulously wealthy additional prospects – Steyer and former state Controller and eBay executive Westly – Chiang can’t wait until the last moment to decide and then simply reach for his checkbook.

If he were interested only in job security, Chiang would just run for another quiet term as treasurer. He also had the option of waiting to see whether Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein opts to retire after 2018, when her fourth full term is up. 

But Chiang may be bored in the treasurer’s job, where he supervises sales of state bonds and makes few headlines. His eight years as state controller – the officer in charge of state check-writing – were much more exciting, including his defying an order from then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to cut the pay of more than 200,000 state workers and another time when he suspended state legislators’ salaries because they missed a deadline for passing a budget.

No such excitement yet as treasurer.

Meanwhile, former San Francisco Mayor Newsom will be termed out after his current term and must try for another office if he wants to stay in politics. Villaraigosa, meanwhile, never seems to stop running for something.

Both have had problems in the past keeping their pants zipped. Newsom famously bedded the wife of his former top aide while married to current Fox TV personality Kimberly Guilfoyle. They divorced in 2005. Villaraigosa’s marriage failed after his liaisons with a former television reporter. That was especially telling, as half the current surname of the former Tony Villar came from his ex-wife, Corina Raigosa, whom he married in 1987.

Newsom, meanwhile, plays up his second marriage to actress Jennifer Siebel.

Voters seeking a candidate without moral or marital failings can seemingly find one in Chiang, who will also have a strong base among the steadily-increasing Asian-American voter bloc. He is just the fifth Asian-American elected to statewide office in California.

If he ends up running – and he plainly leans that way – he will provide other contrasts beside his solid-seeming marriage (Chiang said in a late-2014 interview that he would only seek higher office if that was OK with his wife).

A longtime moderate and a tax lawyer, he says that “Ninety percent of what goes into (government) decisions should be based on expert knowledge. That’s how (I’ve) tried to do it as controller and treasurer. But in politics, decisions are often 90 percent political and just 10 percent based on expertise. I don’t like that.”

That kind of moderate, almost technocratic stance, combined with his past willingness to stand up to higher officials attempting illegal things, could draw enough voters to him to ease past both the billionaires and the far-better-known Newsom or Villaraigosa into a November 2018 runoff – especially if he can draw a significant number of Republican votes. So far, no major Republican has indicated a desire to run.

Chiang considered for a while seeking the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated late this year by Barbara Boxer, for whom he once worked. But he stayed out of that campaign, perhaps because, as he observed, “The Senate looks good, but you have the drawback of needing to chase 50 other votes. The governor, meanwhile, leads the largest state, so you have the chance to shape the future more than in any office except president.”

You won’t see Newsom or Villaraigosa talk in such down-to-earth terms. Both prefer grander rhetoric. But one thing for sure: Chiang’s likely entrance just made the next run for governor a lot more interesting than it was before.

in News
Related Posts

New Business and Personal Lines Property and Casualty Insurance Paused In California

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

Allstate and State Farm Say Currently Insured Homeowners Will Not Be Affected  After State Farm announced a pause on new...

(Video) Mayor Karen Bass Speaks At The Memorial Day Ceremony At The Los Angeles National Cemetery

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

This was the first ceremony that had been held in person at The National Cemetery since 2019 and before the...

Film Review: The Little Mermaid

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

FILM REVIEWTHE LITTLE MERMAIDRated PG135 MinutesReleased May 26th With today’s technological developments, a live-action The Little Mermaid is not only...

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Has Appointed A New Superintendent

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

Antonio M. Shelton, Ed.D. Appointment Will Be Effective July 1, 2023 In a late afternoon press release, The Santa Monica-Malibu...

Clerk Charged With Selling Alcohol to Minor

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

The Incident Was Part of a Minor Decoy Operation The Santa Monica Police Department issued a citation to a clerk...

Extra Officers Deployed for Motorcyclists’ Violations

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Speeding Is the Primary Cause of Motorcycle Crashes The Santa Monica Police Department deployed additional officers on patrol June 1...

Santa Monica Police Department Releases First Quarter Crime Report

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Decrease in Calls for Service, Increase in Arrests, Shifts in Part I Offenses The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has...

Free Meals for WGA Members During Strike at Bob’s Big Boy and Swingers Diner

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Comedian and Host Drew Carey Is Paying For Meals For Striking WGA Members By Dolores Quintana As the Writers Guild...

(Video) Recap of The 8th Annual “Mainopoly” Tour of Main Street Restaurants

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Come along the most recent Mainopoly tour of Main Street to check out its restaurants and shops. @smmirrornews Come tour...

Mystery Surrounds Closure of Michelin Recommended Restaurant Savida in Santa Monica

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Santa Monica’s Beloved Crudo and Seafood Restaurant Abruptly Shuts Down on April 27 By Dolores Quintana After receiving a coveted...

Salvation Army to Distribute 2,000 Donuts at Santa Monica Promenade

May 31, 2023

May 31, 2023

Donuts Will Be Distributed at Various Locations Throughout the City. The Salvation Army Santa Monica will commemorate its 130-year anniversary...

Santa Monica Requests $6M To Expand Memorial Park

May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023

An Expansion Project Would Combine the 10.3-acre Park With an Adjacent 2.9 Acre Property. By Zach Armstrong The city of...

Get Ready For Cinematic Despair: American Cinematheque Presents Bleak Week

May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023

Explore the Darkest Depths of Humanity in a Gripping Showcase of Bleak Cinema Get ready for a captivating week of...

Sexual Assault Suspect in Custody After Stabbing Victim’s Friend

May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023

The Suspect Is Responsible for Another Recent Assault. On Saturday, May 27, 2023, at approximately 7:30 p.m., officers from the...

Mail and Package Thieves Detained by Santa Monica Police

May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023

The Suspect Possessed Counterfeit U.S. Postal Service Arrow Keys. Shortly before midnight on May 20, officers from the Santa Monica...