Free Republic

OAKLAND, Calif. - In a break with some of his party's most influential supporters, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides said he will endorse the campaign finance-reform initiative on the November ballot. The initiative, sponsored by the California Nurses Association, would limit campaign contributions and authorize public financing for state candidates. Angelides said he wants to reduce the influence of HMOs, oil companies and tobacco companies in Sacramento. "When I was a college student, I got involved in politics at a time when what mattered most was your energy and your enthusiasm, not the size of your bank account," he told...

By taking a stand on sex offenders, alternative energy, Schwarzenegger, challenger get message out, highlight differences. If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has his druthers, Californians will vote in November to crack down on sex offenders, reject several taxes and authorize a raft of new borrowing for public works. If Treasurer Phil Angelides gets his way, voters will force oil companies to fund research into alternative energy, create a new system to publicly finance political campaigns and reject a new limit on abortion. The treasurer has endorsed initiatives that would raise tobacco taxes to fund health care, institute an oil extraction tax...