Sherry Bebitch Jeffe

California's lieutenant governor generally doesn't have a lot to do. And the post rarely serves as a springboard to the governor's office. Yet the position has again attracted a robust roster of candidates — 13 in all — and competitive contests have emerged on both the Republican and Democratic sides ahead of the June 8 primary election. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom altered the Democratic dynamics in March when he made his last-minute entry into a contest for an office he had disparaged.

California's lieutenant governor generally doesn't have a lot to do. And the post rarely serves as a springboard to the governor's office. Yet the position has again attracted a robust roster of candidates — 13 in all — and competitive contests have emerged on both the Republican and Democratic sides ahead of the June 8 primary election. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom altered the Democratic dynamics in March when he made his last-minute entry into a contest for an office he had disparaged.

It was 1:30 a.m. on primary election night and Sherry Bebitch Jeffe had gone more than two hours without checking for phone calls from news reporters. Dialing her answering machine, Jeffe, a Claremont Graduate School political scientist, was overwhelmed by what she found: 18 messages. Rather than wait for morning, however, the exhausted academician, who had been on the air all evening as a KCAL-TV election analyst, began ringing back those who might still be on deadline.

It was 1:30 a.m. on primary election night and Sherry Bebitch Jeffe had gone more than two hours without checking for phone calls from news reporters. Dialing her answering machine, Jeffe, a Claremont Graduate School political scientist, was overwhelmed by what she found: 18 messages. Rather than wait for morning, however, the exhausted academician, who had been on the air all evening as a KCAL-TV election analyst, began ringing back those who might still be on deadline.

A panel of experts from the realms of politics, real estate, government and academia will assemble in this seaside city next month with hopes of forecasting the future of commerce and growth both locally and nationwide. The 10th Annual Economic Outlook Conference will convene Nov. 19 at the Waterfront Hilton Beach Resort and feature keynote speaker Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior associate for the Center for Politics and Economics at the Claremont Graduate School.

Re "The coming clash of political charisma," Current, July 24 It is amazing to me that desperate liberals such as Sherry Bebitch Jeffe could take such leaps to state that Antonio Villaraigosa might be the next governor of California. Come on, the man just became mayor, and we have yet to see the results of that mistake. This city is in desperate need of some real reforms; let's see if Villaraigosa is up to the task. It will take a lot more than charisma to cure this great city's unfortunate state of affairs.

Republicans do not rue support for Proposition 140 (term limits) for as a matter of fact their support was very lukewarm ("Why Republicans May Rue Their Heartfelt Support for Term Limits," by Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Opinion, Dec. 8). The great mistake was Assembly Speaker Willie Brown's and the Democratic Party hierarchy. Willie Brown mistakenly invested over $2 million trying to defeat Proposition 140 instead of investing that money in the election of Dianne Feinstein. If she were governor now, Democratic incumbents would not be crying about their redistricted areas.

From "Connerly to Lead GOP Fund-Raising" (June 25), one would presume Ward Connerly to be a radical extremist. It is obviously of benefit for the Democrats quoted to present him in that light. But when supposed knowledgeable, unbiased, nonpartisan sources like Sherry Bebitch Jeffe are quoted in a manner which gives that impression, it must not go unchallenged. Connerly is a great friend of Log Cabin Republicans. He has championed many of our causes, including domestic partnership benefits for UC system employees.

Re "A blow to unions might not hurt," Current, Oct. 30 What a lopsided analysis of Proposition 75 Sherry Bebitch Jeffe gives us. Having told us that "in 2004, business interests spent almost $47 million on state candidates, while unions spent roughly $13 million," she proceeds to say nothing more about that disparity, while reassuring us that Proposition 75 might not be as bad for unions as some of us think. Without disputing her optimistic take, it would have been enlightening to have a similar account of the benefits of a commensurate reduction of business expenditures in California politics.

Gov. Gray Davis says his educational programs have helped provide opportunities for "every deserving child" (July 29). What? Are there "undeserving" children? Given his utter lack of focus on his top three priorities--education, education and education--it would seem that he thinks so. While affluent school districts continue to do an adequate job of educating kids, poor schools essentially continue to be holding tanks for children to whom little is given and even less is expected.

Longer prison sentences for sex offenders, carjackers, drive-by shooters and stalkers. Increased funding for sheriffs, police and other local law enforcement officials. Additional prison beds for dangerous felons. Boot camps for nonviolent offenders. For starters, that would be my response to the question Sherry Bebitch Jeffe posed, but never answered, in her recent commentary on crime and the gubernatorial race ("Wilson Hoping Crime Will Assure His Job--but What Has He Done So Far?"

The voting across party lines described by Sherry Bebitch Jeffe's "The Pull of the Center" (Opinion, June 7) may be due more to the power of advertising than to the centrist politics she describes. When one side has no competition (Dan Lungren for governor and Barbara Boxer for senator, most obviously) and spends relatively little and the other side has several competitors spending truly big money, I suspect the massive advertising pulls voters from their traditional patterns more than ideology does.