Treasurer John Chiang made it official that he would be running for governor after announcing he was “strongly leaning towards running” back in February. If these things matter, Chiang drew 81 retweets and 109 likes by 5 p.m.

It’s official. I have opened a committee to raise funds for Governor. Hope to count on your support! #chiang2018 https://t.co/Grg4hVxK33

— John Chiang (@JohnChiangCA) May 17, 2016

Chiang is the second high-profile Democrat to announce his intentions for the state’s most powerful position. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom filed his paperwork in February 2015 and has $5.4 million in his account. While that’s a formidable head start, especially more than two years from the election, Chiang could carry over $3.2 million from his treasurer’s account.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto of Los Angeles announced that he’d be running for Treasurer, drawing 15 retweets and 38 likes. Gatto had previously opened an account for lieutenant governor and is sitting on $2 million. 

I'm in! I will be a candidate for Treasurer in 2018.

— Mike Gatto (@mikegatto) May 17, 2016

Fiona Ma, the chairwoman of the Board of Equalization broke the news later in the day. So far, Gatto is winning in both Twitter activity and campaign funds, as Ma only received five retweets and four likes and has a modest half million in her Board of Equalization account. 

Proud to announce my run for State Treasurer in 2018. I hope you will endorse me & join the #MaSquad! Thank you! https://t.co/lItULwZTaK.

— Fiona Ma (@fionama) May 17, 2016

The L.A. Times ran an amusing story about Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s frustrations at holding his useless position. Gov. Jerry Brown ignores him. Even the state Senate, which he technically presides over, gave him the boot.

It’s incredibly infuriating for someone who, until he took up his current position, held a national stage as the visibly and volubly pro-homosexual mayor of San Francisco, a world-class city that even has its own famous song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

But there’s an important, headlining function Newsom could perform: Campaign relentlessly for the elimination of his current job. Doing so would make him a state advocate for cutting government waste.

The vice president of the United States also used to be a useless job.  The first vice president, John Adams, branded it “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived.”

That was before the nuclear age. Today the vice president is “a heartbeat away from” having his finger on the trigger of 10,000 nuclear bombs.

But the governor of California has no nuclear bombs. So if he becomes incapacitated, California could do what Arizona does, and replace him with the secretary of state.

So Newsom should barnstorm across California insisting that his job be abolished.

As he said in another context, “it’s inevitable … this is the future.”

Too much took place behind the scenes. And many of the journalists resorted to Tweets and sound bites, covering squabbles instead of what was not taking place.

What was not taking place was much substance – at least for those who attended to participate.

One deflection occurred when California Republican Party delegates voted to denounced former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decision to commute the manslaughter sentence of Esteban Nunez, (son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez) from 16 years to seven.

Now that’s a really important party decision. What did that do for the party of for delegates who traveled more than 500 miles to attend the convention? As the AFLAC goat says, “Nah, nah, nah.” Let Schwarzenegger stay in the past where he belongs.

Of the 1,400 California Republican party delegates, 250 attended the convention this weekend at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento, according to CRP Communications Director Mark Standriff.

Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but with economic times being so difficult, if the party had a strong message and a clear direction, delegates may have come out stronger in this time of need.

Instead, Congressman Kevin McCarty’s party was all the talk Saturday. And unfortunately, McCarty’s party wasn’t even held at the Hyatt – it took place at the union-dominated Sheraton Hotel around the corner.

“Tempers flared Friday over a proposal by (Ron) Nehring to allow local delegates to nominate legislative and congressional candidates before a primary. During a committee meeting, state Sens. Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo and Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga stormed out,” the AP reported.

The party was trying to control who gets to run in California Republican politics – not a good move amongst voters. There was a Tom McClintock-backed push to involve all California registered Republicans in a primary.

In a letter handed out on McClintock stationary, McClintock criticized the Schwarzenegger-backed Proposition 14, which decimated the grass-roots nominating process in the state.

“Now, Republican officials want to relegate the nomination power to the themselves,” wrote McClintock. “I believe that any process that takes the Republican nomination out of the hands of Republican voters is undemocratic and out to be vigorously opposed by the party.”

The CPR rules committee approved the plan to determine the party’s officially endorsed candidates by allowing California registered Republicans to vote on it. Republican Party will mail ballots to the state’s 5.3 million GOP voters for their Republican candidate choices before the primary. The winner(s) will then receive the party’s endorsement before the primary. But this won’t take place until 2014.

But some were critical because of the people involved in the plan. Mike Spence, explained McClintock, wrote the proposal which “calls for a mailed ballot election for all registered Republican voters to name the Republican nominee in all future elections.”

The plan is to prevent “would-be-king-makers,” and signify the power struggle within the party behind those who believe in the voter, and those who want to control elections.

Remember that those who talk-up transparency rarely practice it.

Since former Gov. Pete Wilson was in office, there has been a growing divide in the party pitting conservatives against moderates. And while differences such as this can rear-up at party conventions, it does not bode well for immediate success within the party for the next round of elections.

Republicans should be fighting over policy and Democrats, the budget and the current administration, and not against each other by taking swipes and cheap shots within.

In order to rise above this current level of immaturity, self-importance and self-absorbtion, Republican Party leadership needs to stop winking at themselves in the mirror, and focus on the high unemployment in the state and the damaging policies being put forth by Democratic legislators, with the assistance of complicit Republicans.

Yes, the party appears to lack cohesion, message, policy, and even ideology right now. A few good leaders could eradicate the childish behavior and set the course. Faithful Republican voters that I talked with at the convention have had it with the antics and immaturity, and want to get back to sound policy talks, and boot the moderates who waffle, and those who operate with only an eye for resume-building.

The Republican Party needs sincere reformers. Voters are craving a reason to go to the ballot box. But first Republicans have to figure out how to attract Republican voters. This weekend did not inspire many, and probably sent more than a few home feeling dirty.

But, never say never.

Republicans need to identify the leaders within. Reaffirm the ideology. Solidify the message. And tell the truth.

That shouldn’t be so tough – unless a different agenda is in the way.

MAR. 21, 2011

Ya gotta love it. In Feb. 2009, state Sen. Abel Maldonado, by voting for tax increases, sold his soul to become Arnold’s chauffeur. As a reward, Maldo was appointed Lt. Gov.

In his re-election bid, Maldo’s opponent for this pointless job that ought to be eliminated, and is good only for comedy, is S.F. Mayor Gavin “Call Me Gav” Newsom. Now Gav, a liberal Democrat, is hitting Maldo on the tax increase:

Newsom’s ad…features the sound of teapot whistling as a man asks his wife, “Hey, honey, what do you know about the lieutenant governor’s race?”

The wife replies, “I know one thing. I know who I’m NOT voting for . . A guy named Abel Maldonado.“

The wife goes on to say that Maldonado, who Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed lieutenant governor this year, had promised not to raise taxes when he was a GOP state senator.

“Then he cuts a backroom deal with Arnold Schwarzenegger,” the wife says, and he “voted to cut our public schools and supported the biggest tax increase in California history.”

Amusingly, the ad says (this wasn’t in the news story) that Maldo “hasn’t been straight with us.” Coming from S.F., is that Gav’s double entendre, a Freudian slip, or both?

Here’s the ad, one of those annoying ones in which a fake wife instructs her fake husband. (That’s because they’re trying to sway “decline to state” women voters to back Gav.)

Posted Sept. 23, 2010

Conservative activist Karen England is running a write-in campaign against Abel “Arnold’s Chauffeur” Maldonado for the Lt. Gov.’s seat.

In this year of the maverick, anything is possible. Maybe she could win. At a minimum, she could dump Maldo in favor of Democrat Gavin Newsom, mayor of Pyongyang.

Gavin is almost as ridiculous as Maldonado, but would be more entertaining in this unneeded post that ought to be abolished. Gavin also would save taxpayers money because, if Maldo becomes light gov., he would spend a lot of dough calling Arnold in Gstaad asking him what to do.

-Anthony Pignataro