Brown Picks Up Newspaper Endorsements

Both the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle have resoundingly endorsed Jerry Brown for Attorney General. Both editorials praise Brown’s proven record of experience in contrast with his opponent--Rocky Delgadillo--who is “not ready for the job” (Times). Additionally, the San Francisco Chronicle rebuked Delgadillo’s negative campaign calling it “desperate at best, disingenuous at worst.”

According to the Chronicle, “Brown’s extensive record of support for abortion rights is clear. So is the choice in this primary: Jerry Brown should be the Democrats’ nominee for attorney general.”

The Los Angeles Times said: “More than just a criminal prosecutor, the attorney general must protect consumers, uphold environmental laws, defend civil rights and advise countless state boards, agencies and officials on the law. Brown is clearly better suited than Delgadillo for that task.”

The editorials credit Brown as having “cut-to-the-chase sensibility” and “understanding of the state’s government and its many departments, a sense of how to bridge differences to avert prolonged and costly lawsuits and a dedication to the law” (SF Chronicle); and “his rare combination of innovation and pragmatism” (LA Times). The LA Times emphasizes Brown’s longstanding leadership on important issues including political reform and environmental protection.

The LA Times noted that Delgadillo’s “record is spotty” including a “shoddy probe into a billboard company that helped him get elected…sketchy explanations for why he sent lucrative contracts to particular firms…his poor oversight of [the law firms’] work,” activities that are “documented in a highly critical state audit.”

Every recent poll—including the Field Poll and the Los Angeles Times Poll—show Brown with a commanding lead over both Delgadillo and the likely Republican nominee. The Field Poll, California’s most authoritative independent poll, shows Brown with a 41 point lead over Delgadillo. The LA Times Poll shows Brown with a 33 point lead over Delgadillo and a 25 point lead over the Republican contender.