Live blog: First California gubernatorial debate

Tonight’s hour-long debate between Democratic candidate Jerry Brown and Republican candidate Meg Whitman will start at 6:00 p.m. and take place at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of the University of California, Davis.

5:58 p.m. The debate is just about to start on the UC-Davis campus, and the Los Angeles Times is reporting that various student groups are protesting in front of the Mondavi Center where the debate will be held.

6 p.m. Meg Whitman was thrown the first question of the round from Amy Riggs of the Sacramento Bee, who asked the former eBay CEO what she would say to those who think California can’t be fixed. Whitman says we have to get Californians back to work to lower the 12.4 percent unemployment rate — the third-highest in the country, she says — through tax cuts and eliminating red tape. California also needs to lessen government costs and streamline it’s process. Finally, “we also have to attack welfare. California has become a welfare state.”

6:04 p.m. Now to Brown, who’s talking about the budget. “It’s never been this late before,” he says. “The budget mess is one of the key characteristics of how screwed up things are in Sacramento.” California needs to “live within its means,” Brown says. If elected, Brown says he would start by example and cut “15 to 20 percent out of the governor’s office,” then move to the legislature and the agencies. Brown’s pointing to his experience, saying he’s “done eight budgets,” and “knows how to do it.”

6:06 p.m. Whitman replies by saying that Brown will bring everyone together if he’s elected, but to help out those who helped fund his campaign.

6:07 p.m. Brown replies by referencing a “TV ad he’s seen ad nauseum” and that he doesn’t want to benefit the “millionaires and billionaires.”

6:08 p.m. Kevin Riggs of KCRA 3 Sacramento, asked Brown about the state death penalty. Brown said he would uphold the state’s laws, but do it with compassion.

“I will be a tough on crime governor,” Whitman replies. “I support the death penalty.” She points out differences between her and Brown, saying he has a “40-year record of being liberal.”

6:14 p.m. Marianne Russ of California Public Radio, the final member of the panel, is asking Meg Whitman about jobs. She asks Whitman for “real specifics” on how she could create jobs. “This is one of my biggest priorities,” Whitman says, adding that she could add 2 million private-sector jobs by  2015. Targeted tax cuts, including eliminating a factory tax and start-up tax and streamlining regulation that “strangles” small businesses, are key, Whitman said. She also says developing an economic development team is key to boosting the state’s economy.

6:16 p.m. Brown says he would create jobs “quite differently” that Whitman, who Brown says would follow the “George Bush playbook.” Brown is talking about Californians living in poverty, who he says deserve attention. Brown’s plan, he says, is to invest in clean energy — “the green tech of the future.” Brown says he will stand firm on AB32, not suspend it like Whitman wants to, so California can become a leader in green energy. Brown points out that when he was governor, California was the leader in green energy, and points out other things he did as Oakland’s mayor, where he says he cut a lot of red tape.

Brown is now talking about other areas of the economy, after prompting from Russ. Retrofitting outdated buildings is an example of where additional jobs could be found, Brown said. Finding new jobs is key.

Whitman responds by saying only 3 percent of jobs come from green jobs, and she wants to make sure the other 97 percent of jobs aren’t lost by outsourcing work to other states. She’s mentioning taxes and red tape again, and how it can challenge business growth.

6:19 p.m. Brown has been asked about his pension plan, and responded by saying if other public servants “stuck around until they were 72,” they’d get the amount of pension he would draw. In fact, he said, if he’s elected, he wouldn’t collect until he was 76 — and if he was re-elected, not until four years later. Calling himself the “best pension investment,” Brown’s comments drew laughter from the crowd. Still, Brown says there needs to be a salary commission to “stop the excess,” which he would do if elected.

6:21 p.m. Whitman has also been asked about her goals to trim public pension, and she says retirement ages need to be raised for public servants  — from 55 to 65 — among other things to reduce the burden on taxpayers. “This will not be easy,” Whitman says. “The next governor of California needs to have a spine of steel.”

To settle this with union leaders, Whitman says, negotiation is key. Second, a ballot initiative might be necessary for the people of California to “take back control of their government.”

6:24 p.m. Brown strikes back, saying the situation is one where the “kettle is calling the pot black” in terms of her fundraising tactics.

6:25 p.m. Riggs is asking Whitman about her erractic voting record and whether or not that

“First of all, I am not proud of my voting record,” Whitman says. “But what I can do is tell voters how to turn this state around.” She quotes Einstein’s definition of insanity, saying it’s doing the same thing over and over again. This has to stop in Sacramento, she says. She has the ability to be independent in Sacramento and not be beholden to special interests, which will benefit her as governor, Whitman says.

Brown is asked why this time he could do more as governor. “Age,” he cracks, to the audience’s joy. Brown also says he won’t “try to close down the bars in Sacramento” like he used to, because he now has a wife. He’s in for the duration, he says.

Brown throws the insanity quote back to Whitman, saying Schwarzenegger was from the private sector and that didn’t help the state much. “You need the know-how,” Brown says. “I’ve lived in the state all my life, I love it … I love it, I’m going to make it work … and I think I can get it back on track,” Brown said.

6:29 p.m. On Whitman’s comments about the state’s old surplus, Brown asks where it came from. “The tooth fairy? I created that damn thing,” Brown says.

6:30 p.m. Brown, a child of the University of California system, said he’s dedicated to supporting the school system. “I care about the university, I try to hold down the fees as best I can, but we’re in a tough time and we’re all going to have to sacrifice,” Brown says. He said he would do his best to prevent future fee hikes, and will encourage other state organizations to tighten their belts before cutting further into the UC system.

Whitman is now talking about the budget woes facing the UC system. “It breaks my heart,” she says. Her plan for the UC and CSU systems, she says, is to reduce costs and take $1 billion back to the UC system. This can be done by streamlining government back to the size it was five years ago, reforming pension and welfare programs. She mentions jobs again, saying welfare “can’t become a way of life.” Finally, the government has to be run more efficiently, looking to the models in Silicon Valley for examples.

She said she would give the $1 billion to the UC chancellors, and ask them the best way to use the money.

6:34 p.m. Whitman is now being asked about her campaign tactics, and whether or not voters can trust her based on the “distortion” that has been alleged against her ads. Whitman has brought up the now-infamous commercial which used former clips of former President Bill Clinton. “I stand by the ad,” Whitman says, adding that Brown doesn’t like it because it’s true. She’s going back to her main talking points — education, welfare, unions. “I stand by the ads,” Whitman says.

Brown is not being questioned about his ad where Whitman is depicted as Pinocchio. “It’s a hell of an ad,” Brown says, and the audience laughs. He’s talking about how he expanded the charter school system during his latest stint as governor and as mayor of Oakland.

Whitman is now talking about the Brown ads again, and Brown’s support of Proposition 13. “But you know what drives me crazy about career politicians?” Whitman asks. “They refuse to take responsibility.” Brown ran as a education-governor, but didn’t follow through. If elected, Whitman says she will be accountable — like all government officials should.

6:39 p.m. Immigration is now the topic of conversation, and Brown says he supports legalization as part of a comprehensive federal reform bill. Securing the borders, getting a verifiable electronic identification system are key, Brown says, but ultimately there has to be some process for finding a path to citizenship. Other notable leaders, including Kennedy, have looked at this, Brown says. Still, Brown says, criminals could be subject to deportation. Criminals should be deported, Brown says, but there should be a system for legalization for those who follow U.S. laws.

Whitman says she doesn’t support the path to legalization. “We have got to get our arms around what is a very, very pressing problem,” Whitman says. This starts by securing the border, Whitman says, and employers must be held accountable in only hiring documented workers. Sanctuary cities must also be eliminated, and temporary guest worker programs need to be strengthened for areas like agriculture, Whitman says.

When asked how she would pay for workplace inspections given California’s already tedious budget, Whitman says the long-term costs associated with illegal immigration would outweigh the costs. Illegal immigrants come to the U.S. for jobs, and the state must get to the root of the issue.

6:44 p.m. Meg Whitman is now being asked about campaign finance, and the national record she broke in terms of self-funding her campaign. “I don’t think you can buy an election,” Whitman says, before again pointing out her three main talking points — jobs, streamlining government and education. She’s now talking about fundamentally changing how the state is run and that investing her own money allows her to be independent in solving California’s problems.

6:46 p.m. Brown is asked about his “long-standing ties to labor in the state,” and how he could remain neutral if elected. Brown says he’s taken a “legendary,” “no-nonsense approach” to pay. Unions might have their problems, Brown says, but so does business, which is plagued with “fraud and abuse.” He’s talking now about the national economic problems caused by an abuse of power of those on Wall Street. He’s alleging that the Chamber of Commerce is giving Whitman money to attack his campaign, and asked for full disclosure of the funds.

Whitman says she’s amazed by the fact that Brown is trying to distance himself from the labor unions that he’s been “joined at the hip with 40 years.” It would be like “putting Count Dracula in charge of the blood bank,” if Brown were elected, Whitman says, drawing her first laughs from the audience. She’s now going back to government efficiency and reducing fraud.

6:51 p.m. Amy Chance from the Sacramento Bee has the last question of the evening, and it’s about water usage. She asks Brown if he would support sending water to Southern California from the northern part of the state. Brown says he will support water efficiency and anything that might help it. Negotiation and bringing in all parties will be key, Brown says, adding that his plan is for any region who benefits from getting the water to pay those who provide it. Safe water, water conservation, beneficiary pays and taxpayer support are other elements of his plan.

“Turning our backs on water is turning our backs on jobs,” Whitman says. Water bonds might not always be perfect — she points to an earlier one that failed — but sometimes doing something that isn’t perfect does mean getting things done, she says. “We have a humanitarian crisis going on in the Central Valley,” she says, adding that she would support conservation in Northern California.

6:55 p.m. Closing statements are now being made, and Whitman’s up first.

“I refuse to believe this state, our beautiful state, can’t be better than it is,” she says. She wants to restore the faith Californians have in their government and prove to the people that the state can be improved. “I can do that,” she says, adding that if citizens unite, “we can make the Golden State golden again.”

Brown: “To tell you the truth, I did think long and hard about whether I should run for governor again,” he says, pointing out the difference between his experience and Whitman’s. “I’ve got the know-how, I’ve got the experience and at this point in my life, I have more insight and independence,” he says.

That concludes the first of three California gubernatorial debates. For more coverage, check the Daily Trojan’s Wednesday print edition.