The Buzz: I'm the wrong guy, ad's target says

Imagine Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee's surprise to see a recent TV ad blasting him for supporting "tax loopholes for yacht owners."

With Styx crooning "Come Sail Away" in the background, the ad blasts Republicans as the "California Yacht Party."

Problem is, the San Luis Obispo Republican was one of a handful of Assembly GOPers to actually support closing the loophole, which lets yacht purchasers park their boats outside the state for 90 days to claim a sales tax exemption.

Blakeslee voted to close it not once but twice, in committee and on the floor.

The third time it came up, he said, he voted against the measure "in a sign of solidarity" with Republicans as the Democrats continued to harp on the issue.

The ad's creators say they're referring to the third vote.

"The fact that the (Democrats) can't even figure out who did and didn't vote explains why the state of California has an $8 billion deficit right now," a bemused Blakeslee said.

Rick Jacobs, co-founder of Courage Campaign, the left-leaning group that aired the ad on cable last week, said he has "no regrets" about singling out Blakeslee.

As for Blakeslee's voting for the bill before voting against it, Jacobs said:

"There's a little John Kerry in there."

Of hares and tortoises ...

Given that 2008 is supposed to be a landslide year for legislative Democrats, those running in competitive seats are sure off to a slow fundraising start.

In a competitive Central Coast Senate seat, former Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Democrat, trails her GOP opponent, former Assemblyman Tony Strickland, by nearly $300,000, after last week's filings.

In the race to replace Democratic Sen. Mike Machado of Linden, Democratic Assemblywoman Lois Wolk of Davis has only $80,000 in the bank. Her Republican rival, Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian of Stockton, has more than $470,000 on hand.

It's more than seven months until Election Day, but Democrats can't be pleased with those figures.

Endorsing her nephew

As would-be 2010 gubernatorial candidates showed off at last weekend's Democratic convention, party activist Cindy Asner headed straight toward political scribes to announce her choice for the state's top job – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, her nephew.

His aunt conceded Newsom has neither made up his mind nor confided in her on his thinking. But she insisted she will try to talk him into running.

She pointed to his business skills, honed since he and his sister made money delivering newspapers "on roller skates at the crack of dawn." She also touted his political passion, even though she said her nephew can be a bit overbearing at the family dinner table.

"His mind is so stimulated that he just needs to constantly work," Asner said. "When he was on the Board of Supervisors, he would just get so excited about the issues. I would say, 'Gavin, You're giving a speech. Stop. It's Thanksgiving.' "

About the writer:

• The Buzz is compiled by The Bee's Capitol Bureau and written this week by Shane Goldmacher. Reach him at (916) 326-5544 or sgoldmacher@sacbee.com.