What can Brown do for you?

Though he hasn't officially announced a run for Governor of California next year, the prospect of a Jerry Brown candidacy has me excited.

Way back in 1992, despite not being able to vote yet, it was Brown I was rooting for to be the next President of the United States. William Jefferson Clinton had other plans and of course, the rest is history.

Fast-forward to the present and it looks like Brown is the Democratic front-runner for the position being vacated by a termed out Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010. Brown, 71, currently serves as the state's Attorney General where he is being applauded by pundits/lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for fighting among other things mortgage fraud, crime and political corruption.

Brown really has done it all throughout his political career with stints as California's Secretary of State, chair of the Democratic Party and Mayor of Oakland. If that's not enough for you, maybe the fact that he already held the job of governor from 1975-1983 will do the convincing.

Though things can always change in politics with the drop of a hat, it appears Brown's chief rival will be Gavin Newsom, the current Mayor of San Francisco. In 2003, the 41-year-old became the city's youngest mayor in 100 years. This looks to be setting up as the classic new ideas vs. old ideas debate for the Dems. Considering the current crisis mode the state of California is in, it's much safer to go with the latter.

According to an article in today's LA Times (www.latimes.com), Brown is leading in polling throughout the state, including in Newsom's own San Francisco (17 points). While last year's presidential election screamed of change, it appears Californians are so scared for their futures that they would rather go with someone they know has been around the block a few times.

As the article notes, history seems to be on Brown's side as very few newcomers have become governor here with Ronald Reagan (1966) and Schwarzenegger (2003) being two notable exceptions. Also hurting Newsom is the fact that very few mayors have become governor without first getting experience on the state side.

It all makes for an interesting upcoming year. Being new to the state, I would love to hear from my fellow Californians with their perspectives on what lies ahead and what's most important for the state's future. Please feel free to comment on the blog and/or send me an e-mail at hastalavistagov@gmail.com.