Gray Davis

Doris Meyer Morell, the mother of former Gov. Gray Davis who repeatedly returned to California to campaign for her son, has died. She was 83. Morell died Sunday at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center in Florida after a long battle with lung cancer, Davis said. "My mom encouraged us to think big, work hard and always care for the less fortunate," Davis told The Times. In his 2001 State of the State address, Davis paid tribute "to the other woman in my life, my mother, Doris Morell.

Re "Democrats Shore Up Strategies," Feb. 2: So the Democratic legislators munch on pizza, play computer games and listen to music in Newport Beach as they "prepare to confront" the governor. How surprising. Taxpayers are so tired of confrontation politics. Don't these people understand that the voters pay them to actually solve problems, not whine. Perhaps the Legislature needs to be reminded about the fate of former Gov. Gray Davis. Would it be too much to ask that members spend some of their time between exchanging gift bags to figure out how to compromise and actually get something done?

Former Gov. Gray Davis now admits he was unprepared for the 2000-01 energy crisis that sent electricity bills soaring, brought rolling blackouts and helped end his political career. Davis was recalled by voters in 2003. During a speech Friday, Davis said he erred by buying power at inflated rates during the height of the crisis.

Re "As Popularity Ebbs, Governor Reaches Out," June 22: Well, I see now Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to compromise. After he commits us to spending up to $80 million to bypass the Legislature and open a Pandora's box of poorly written initiatives, he opens the door to negotiate with the Legislature. I guess he forgot that real-life politics is not like the movies. There everyone has the same script. In politics, people have different scripts. It only took him 18 months to match the ratings of Gov. Gray Davis.

California First Lady Maria Shriver named as her top aide Tuesday a former senior official to ex-Gov. Gray Davis, the Democrat her husband tarred in the 2003 recall campaign as the symbol of ineffectual government. Daniel Zingale, who served under Davis as the link between the governor's office and the vast state bureaucracy, will be the new chief of staff to Shriver, a Democrat.

\o7 \f7Is Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain a hypocrite? He criticized former Gov. Gray Davis, calling it "disgraceful" when Davis raised $26 million for political purposes. Now McCain not only fails to complain about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's raking in unconscionable contributions of $76 million but instead campaigns with the governor, pushing ballot measures that are none of McCain's business. JOSEPH M. ELLIS \o7Woodland Hills \f7\o7 \f7 McCain's recent appearance with Schwarzenegger doesn't help the governor's image, it just hurts McCain's.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political career won't crash if the initiatives he backs on the Nov. 8 ballot are voted down, but he needs to recapture his original image as a bipartisan leader, California's ousted ex-governor said. "Anyone writing Arnold's political obituary is making a mistake," Gray Davis said Friday, speaking before a conference at the University of California's center in Washington, D.C. His comments were reported in Saturday's Daily News.

By the time voters decide the eight initiatives on Tuesday's special election ballot, political contributions for and against are expected to surpass $225 million. Can all that money be chalked up to contributors seeking a quid pro quo, or is it merely the cost of democracy in a geographically vast state with 35 million people?

Re "Gov.'s New Proposition: Cooperation," Nov. 11 So Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says his new idea is to be more collaborative and cooperative. With whom? The liberal Democrats and the unions that run this state? I guess, if he wants to remain a politician, that is probably what he needs to do. The California voters have indicated they want another Gray Davis, although why they went through the trouble of eliminating him I never will understand. I thought Arnold didn't particularly want to be a politician; I thought he just wanted to save the state.