Governor's race turns to industry dollar

Candidates set the stage for high-profile donors

By TED JOHNSON

Less than a day after California attorney general Jerry Brown declared that he's forming an exploratory committee to run for governor (a job he's already had), he set Nov. 18 for a high-profile Hollywood-centric fund-raiser, hosted by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.

Meanwhile, his chief rival, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, already has enlisted Ben Silverman, Ari Emanuel, Eric Paquette and Rob Reiner as co-hosts of fundraising events, as well as an eclectic group of industry donors ranging from Neal Baer to Lars Ulrich to Harvey Weinstein.

And on Oct. 5, former President Bill Clinton will campaign with Newsom and attend a reception for the candidate at the Biltmore Hotel, with general tickets at $500-per-person, and $5,000 per person for a co-chair's reception.

All this would appear to set the stage for a high-profile fight for industry donors reminiscent of the bitter battle between the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns.

Maybe, but don't bet on it.

The race has yet to generate nearly the excitement that greeted the two presidential rivals, for obvious reasons. The lingering recession has consumed attention to all but the most politically minded, and has made raising money that much more difficult.

Clinton's presence is hoped to give Newsom's bid a push, given that he has lagged behind Brown in the polls, and well behind in fund-raising. Not officially in the race, Brown this year has been raising money for his reelection bid for attorney general, but that money can be rolled into his gubernatorial race.

Newsom from the start embraced the social networking technology that added an aura to the Obama campaign, while his supporters have subtly cast Brown as a product of the political system, having already held the job and built a career on state and local office and somewhat nonchalant about his next pursuit of the governor's office. Brown has touted his resume and qualifications, while his backers warn that Newsom is untested in a statewide race, and to handle the wealth of problems facing California.

For the governor, showbiz is important, not just because big names can lure donors but because the industry brings billions to the state -- some $16.3 billion in wages in 2007, according to the MPAA.

And for workers in showbiz, the California governor is obviously an important race. Hollywood donors often give to national candidates for worldly concerns like the environment or education.

But in the case of the Golden State's highest office, industry-centric issues can take center stage, such as the recently introduced state film tax credits designed to prevent runaway production.

The real wild card is the state's volatile political environment, one that Republican candidates seek to exploit even in the heavily blue state.

In a field that includes former Congressman Tom Campbell and state insurance commissioner Steve Poizner, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman has been the most aggressive in lining up support within the industry, with a finance team that includes former Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel and MGM chairman Harry Sloan and a list of donors such as Charles Ergen, Gordon Crawford, Bruce Ramer and Jeffrey Immelt.

Her biggest rival is from the state GOP political establishment, Poizner, who has hammered her as too green (in more ways than one). He's most recently hammered her for a spotty voting record.

Before that, he pounced on the fact that Whitman once said she was a 'huge fan" of White House green-jobs adviser Van Jones, and the two ended up on the same climate-change-themed cruise. Poizner issued a video parody, mocking the trip as "The Love Boat."

The candidates and their showbiz supporters have to focus on the issues. But they also must confront another issue: The fact that entertainment industry support could become a liability.

Hollywood is perpetually an easy target. Last week, critics who target the "Hollywood liberal elite" cited Roman Polanski, his 1977 plea bargain and the recent petition for his release -- circulated by Weinstein (who's a New Yorker, not a Hollywood figure) -- as another example that Hollywood is elitist and out of step with populist anger.

Political bloggers also noted that the case, which originated in California, is potential grist for any opponent of a candidate who relies too much on liberal showbiz for support.

Then again, the Golden State is accustomed to watching notoriety morph into the notorious.

"We are talking about California, my dear," quips Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a veteran political analyst and senior scholar at USC's School of Policy, Planning & Development. "I think it is going to be a minor issue for anyone who is running. The people who are going to be totally up in arms aren't going to vote for a Democrat, anyway."