Villaraigosa Out? Not so fast…

Compared to the large field of the Attorney General race, the Democratic gubernatorial race is about as lively as a coma patient.  Only one candidate - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom - has entered the ring, with two others seriously considering running…or is it only one?  Will it be just Gavin and Jerry Brown?

No go Antonio: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa isn’t going to run for governor - at least not in 2010.

Our sources in L.A. say Villaraigosa has come to the conclusion that the time is just not right for him to make a state run - given that he hasn’t even been sworn in yet to a second term, and that he’s facing bloody political fights at home.  (Matier & Ross)

Between the cads at Los Angeles Magazine, the Solar 8, and Carmen Trutanich it seems everyone is taking a grinder to my Mayor’s sheen.  That is, if you believe everything you read in the paper - always a dicey proposition.  Now the Chronicle’s Matier & Ross are doing their bit, too.

But as I noted on Twitter from the launch of the Parent Revolution, there are many places where Villaraigosa is welcomed as a hero.  So it seems a little early to be writing him off as a contender.  And his folks are certainly not letting a couple of columnists in an opponenet’s hometown paper run him out of the race:

Is Villaraigosa in or out?

People close to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this morning dismissed a report in the San Francisco Chronicle that he had decided not to run for governor in 2010.

Villaraigosa insiders said the mayor has still not made a decision.  (LA Times)

I’ve talked about this with higher-ups in the camps of Villaraigosa’s potential opponents.  Some anticipate his not entering the race.  Others only allow for it, but are looking at how it reshapes the field.

I for one am dubious about these rumors, as I’ve heard of (and actually witnessed) folks close to the Mayor propositioning operatives key to President Obama’s campaign in California (and nationally).  Maybe a surprising decision is on the way, but if it is someone better tell Antonio’s folks soon - so they’re not left hanging as late-comers, when everyone else has chosen sides!

Zuma Dogg for California Attorney General?

Did the crowded field to replace Jerry Brown as California’s Attorney General just pick up yet another candidate?  Venice Beach’s own Zuma Dogg - who garnered over 9,000 votes against Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - is hinting at a run for the state’s “top cop” position in recent tweets.

The Attorney General race on the Democratic Party side is already ridiculously crowded.  Six candidates from across the state have already announced their intention to run and are amassing cash and endorsements:

• Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo
• San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris
• Assembly Members Ted Lieu, Pedro Nava and Alberto Torrico
• Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly

So, does Zuma Dogg mean it?  Is he really considering a statewide run to follow on his surprisingly successful local campaign?

UPDATE: Apparently this is the shortest campaign ever.  Zuma Dogg is ineligible for an Attorney General run:

Watch This: California Forward’s “Force for Change”

Video shown at the LWVC Biennial Convention in Long Beach May 2009 with keynote dinner speaker Bob Hertzberg.

Watch This: Smithsonian Call to Action - Voice Your Vision

In honor of Night at the Museum: battle of the Smithsonian - which I took my two boys to this weekend - check out:

Smithsonian: Call to Action - Voice Your Vision

How Much Will Newsom ‘Buck the System’ On Twitter?

Sole (announced) Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom is taking his Twitter followers out for a spin.

Much has been written on the success Newsom’s found on the microblogging site; amassing a huge number of followers, announcing his campaign via Tweet and doing much of the thumbwork himself.

In the next week, I’ll have a piece that’ll make you look at follower numbers a little differently (and not just Gavin’s).  But in the meantime, let’s watch as Newsom test drives these folks and sees what he can get out of them.

Because this is where the rubber meets the road.

Newsom is asking for a small contribution from his 425,563 Followers, sending them to a fundraising page with a goal of 500 donors at five bucks a pop.

In the two post-Tweet hours, 84 cointrubtors have given a total of $1,048.

I’ll update periodically with new totals, and welcome speculation in the comments about how much this ask turns into…

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