GOP goes head to head

A major overhaul and running the state like a business were the campaign platforms for the two Republican gubernatorial candidates in a debate Monday night.

Former EBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman sent a clear message in her first gubernatorial debate with state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.

“I would rather do three things at 100% than do 10 things at 10%,” she said.

Those three things are cutting spending, fixing the California school system and creating jobs. Whitman has been sticking with that message since her campaign for the Republican nomination began.

Poizner played to the Republican base, saying he’ll make radical changes, cut taxes, freeze spending and ensure that illegal immigrants are not receiving benefits. Though he has a history of being moderate, Poizner’s campaign has taken on a more conservative tone, as is common in GOP primaries.

“If you’re looking for broad, comprehensive changes, send me with a mandate,” he said.

Though the clashes were frequent, there were moments during the debate at the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Samueli Theater when both agreed, particularly on the benefits of community colleges and state universities.

Whitman said California’s college system is a good place to invest, but only after the state’s spending is under control.

Referring to the college system as the state’s crown jewel, Poizner said that college fees can’t continue to rise, and that there need to be alternatives for students who are not college-bound.

“Not everyone is destined for UC Berkeley,” he said. “What happened to vocational education?”

It didn’t take long for the two candidates to start firing shots. At one point, Poizner referred to Whitman’s politics as misleading and “nasty.” Whitman’s campaign ads have been hitting Poizner hard, calling him untrustworthy.

KNBC political reporter Conan Nolan, who moderated the debate, asked the candidates how their political inexperience — Poizner is in his first term in statewide office while Whitman is a newcomer to politics — matches up against state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown’s 40 years in public life. Whitman zeroed in on what she identified as the presumed Democratic nominee’s failings, adding that when he was governor, the unemployment rate doubled. She also pointed out that the state took over the Oakland Unified School District when Brown was mayor of Oakland. Whitman said she’ll place her success in running EBay against Brown’s failures as a “career politician.”

Poizner said he’s been successful in Silicon Valley, as a teacher and as a White House fellow after 9/11.

“I’m not a rookie, but I’m not a career politician either,” he said.