During a campaign stop Sunday night in Merced, gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides said he is deeply committed to accelerating development of UC Merced and has a three-pronged plan to boost the San Joaquin Valley.
Speaking to nearly 100 people at a Democratic party rally in a downtown Merced restaurant, Angelides said he has a plan to balance the state's budget and provide the funding to advance Merced and the Valley's unrealized future.
"Sacramento has ignored the Central Valley for far too long. The Valley has enormous potential. We need a smart growth plan for the Central Valley; it ought to be a place to attract quality industries," Angelides said.
Accompanied by his wife, two grown daughters, outgoing Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and other Democratic political hopefuls, Angelides characterized Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign ads as "weapons of mass deception" and said he would champion interests of middle class residents.
"We're going to win. When it comes to standing up to HMOs, he sides with the insurance companies 90 percent of the time. The GOP has told some real whoppers but the biggest whopper of all is Arnold is on your side," Angelides said.
Expanding UC Merced is a key part of the strategy to boost the Valley, Angelides said. If elected governor, he said he could cut taxes for families making under $100,000 a year, roll back college tuition and crack down on HMOs.
Marc Medefind, chairman of the Merced County Democratic Central Committee, said he watched the weekend's debate between Angelides and Schwarzenegger and said Angelides came out on top. Angelides stayed to the point on issues while Schwarzenegger was "fed and repeated sound bites."
"We beat the guy (Schwarzenegger), didn't we? The governor didn't talk about the future at all. The hits I've taken (in campaign ads) are nothing compared with what the American people have shouldered," Angelides said.
To upgrade the San Joaquin Valley, Angelides told the Sun-Star he would invest in the area's infrastructure, increase educational opportunities and improve the Valley's notoriously bad air quality,
By making smart investments like UC Merced, upgrading Highway 99 and ultimately adding a high-speed rail network, the Valley ought to be a place that could attract industry, Angelides said.
The Democratic governor hopeful said he wants to increase by 40,000 a year the number of young people attending colleges and universities. He said California is the richest state in the nation and has so much potential.
"If Schwarzenegger is re-elected, he'll be the same Arnold Schwarzenegger he has always been and follow his corporate, special interest agenda. He is against the interests of the middle class. When it comes to standing up to the HMOs, you can't find the guy," Angelides said.
Bill Stockard, retired Merced County superintendent of schools and a Democrat all his life, said he likes Angelides and said "he may still pull it out."
Stockard, who retired in 1991, said the weekend debates showed Angelides knew his issues. He said the first Democrat he voted for was President Harry Truman in 1948.
Angelides' wife Julie said she and her husband met in the Capitol when they both were in their twenties and have been involved in rigorous political campaigns ever since.
She shrugs off negative campaign ads about her husband, saying they're lies.
Conceding the next month of campaigning will be a tough fight and hard work, Angelides told supporters his campaign is running against a coalition of corporations spending millions to defeat him.
"Schwarzenegger has taken $100 million from oil, insurance, and tobacco companies and HMOs and he does the bidding for all those interests. You have to stand up and do the right things. It's our turn to lead and use the wealth of this great state to make sure there's a place for the many, not just the few," Angelides said.
A strong middle class is the backbone of the economy and they need a chance to climb the ladder of opportunity, Angelides said, disputing Schwarzenegger claims of prosperity by citing the Valley's double-digit unemployment and high asthma rate.
Angelides' Sunday bus tour began in Los Angeles and included stops in Bakersfield and Fresno before his 8 p.m. arrival in Merced. Angelides is due to speak today at rallies in Modesto, Stockton, San Francisco and Oakland.
Angelides called his Merced appearance a great end to a great day.
"The San Joaquin Valley in so many ways reflects the challenges and potential in California. It's time to put the government back on the side of the middle class and not stand up for special interests," Angelides said.
Accompanying Angelides on Sunday's tour were two of his three daughters, Christina, 22, and Megan, 28. Christina Angelides said her parents have always been involved in politics and she is extremely proud of her father.
"We know our dad; he's had the same passion and principles all the time," she said.
