California Insider

Speaking to supporters in Bakersfield today, Steve Westly ripped the oil companies and predicting Schwarzenegger won't do anything about alleged price gouging because the governor takes money from the industry.

"I don't take oil company contributions," Westly said flatly.

It's a fairly recent policy change.

In the past, Westly has taken money from BP, ChevronTexaco, Occidental, and others. As recently as January he accepted a contribution from Tidelands Oil Production Co. of Long Beach, according to records on file at the Secretary of State.

UPDATE: A Westly campaign adviser says the candidate has returned all oil industry contributions to his 2006 campaign committee, including the Tidelands Oil contribution mentioned below.

Jon Fleischman gives a hearty pat on the back to legislative GOP-ers who skipped the Fox speech or wore "No Mas" buttons courtesy of Sen. Dave Cox. Fleischman said he stopped caring what Fox had to say after the Mexican president endorsed Bush's call for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the United States.

I don't get the animosity toward Fox, or toward Mexico in general on the immigration issue. Sure, Mexico should clean up its act, reduce corruption, increase transparency and generally take steps to create a freer economy. But Fox is better on all those issues than anyone to hold his job in decades, even if he hasn't succeeded. Mexicans are coming here for one reason and one reason only: in search of a better life. Most of us in their shoes would do the same thing. I don't really think that's a problem, especially since they generally help our economy. But if there is a problem, isn't it with our own policies, either our border patrol or our policies granting services or benefits to illegals? The anger would be better directed at Congress than at immigrants or President Fox.

Finally, Sen. Tom McClintock says Fox breached diplomatic protocol by taking sides in a domestic US dispute over immigration policy. But are not all the Republicans calling on Fox to block to border from his side doing exactly the same thing?

UPDATE: Here is another example. Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa, who boycotted the speech, said Republicans had requested a meeting with Fox in hopes of having a "frank and constructive dialogue about how his policies and rhetoric are affecting this state, its business and its citizens lives." Yet LaMalfa also criticized what he called Fox's "offensive statements about our sovereign nation trying to get a handle" on illegal immigration. It seems that if Fox's statements about our policies violate sovereignty than our statements about his policies would as well.

The SurveyUSA robo poll continues to be the biggest anomoly in the Democratic primary race. Their latest has Angelides up, 44-32.