The Debate is live online tonight at KABC in LA.  It’s not going to be aired live, so it’s probably the best way to watch it.  As of right now, it doesn’t seem to be working, but hopefully we’ll have something soon.  It appears that it’s not working in Firefox, but working in IE.  Of course, you could probably do as most others and just trust the media on how they did.  Here’s a list of the television times of the debates from Angelides.com:

Or watch in your area on these dates:
  San Francisco:
KGO Ch. 7
May 3 at 7 pm (digital channel)
May 7 at 4 pm

  Los Angeles:
KABC Ch. 7 – May 6, 3:30 pm

  Sacramento:
KTXL Ch. 40 – May 6, 12 noon

  Fresno:
KFSN Ch. 30 – May 7th, 4 pm

  San Diego:
KGTV Ch. 10, date of broadcast TBD

  Bakersfield:
KERO Ch. 23, date of broadcast TBD

The debate is sponsored by the League of Conservation Voters and focuses, unsuprisingly, on environmental issues. Both candidates are endorsed by Sierra Club, but neither really came into contact with enviro-issues in their previous jobs.  Angelides has his “green development history” in Sacramento, but I Westly’s environmental record is still a bit of a mystery.  He’s certainly leaning towards environmental groups in speeches, but I think what the Sierra Club is endorsing in both of these candidates is an Arnold defeat.

Check out Bill Bradley’s preview.  It’s got some good background.

Live blogging is on the flip.

Sorry I missed the first half hour.

7:28: Westly brings up his $3.5billion that he brought
7:29: Solar energy

Westly attacks Angelides for arguing for government take-over of electricity companies. Westly says that he has worked very hard for solar energy

  Angelides says that he stood up for the public against the electical companies.

7:30 Coasts:
Angelides is against off-shore drilling.

Westly: More public access to the beaches.  Once agian, he says $3.5billion he brought in.  And then attacks Angelides for attacking him.  Huh?

7:32 Toxics in environment, CA versus Feds
Westly: We need better laws than the Feds. Can fully fund CalEPA.  Talks about $3.5billion AGAIN.
Angelides: Will fight against pre-emption.  Tries to disagree about $3.5Billion

7:34: Ports and their pollution
Angelides: Ports need to handle trade for the state while not polluting.  Supports NRDC’s suit to improve ecological conditions in LA.  Shippers should pay for cleanup.
Westly: He says $3.5 billion is the right number.  Convert to electrification. “He knows how to make it happen”

7:36: Global warming
Westly: California must lead.  He created Global warming.  Supported Solar Energy Homes bill.  Points out Angelides job as a developer.
Angelides: He is proud of his career.  Supported legislation to green state’s cars.

7:38: Contaminated runoff bringing contaminants into water.

Angelides: We need strong urban runoff standards.  We should help localities do this.  Better development standards when building.  Says he fought Arnold when loosening standards

Westly: He stood up to governor too.  We need tougher standards too clamp down on developers.  Giver Air Resource Boards more support to clean air.

*Break* Candidates will question each other next…hmmm.
Westly to Angelides: Are you really proud of your developer record? Paved over watershed, Sierra Club sued him.
Angelides: He is proud of his business record.  Livable, walkable, sustainable community.  Helped close down nuclear power plant.  Got awards for environmental issues. 

Angelides to Westly: After governor became less green, Westly called him pro-environment.  Why did he gloss over differences with Arnold.

Westly: I stood up to Arnold.  I sent check even though Arnold signed executive order.  Ahnold took hard right turn.  I can win.  Tax increases are bad.  I know

Laguna West was a catastrophic failure.  EPA said Angelides paved over wetlands.  Is it really democratic to take 40% funds from developers.

7:47 Nuclear power
Westly: It is too costly.  We should subsidize alternative.  Never support nuclear until we can safely dispose of the waste.

Angelides: No on nuclear, yes to alternatives.  Led green wave.  Says Steve has lots of oil companies in his personal portfolio.

7:49 Environmental laws inhibit housing
Westly: We need more housing, but we need smart grwoth.  Stop sprawl. 
He says all of his assets are in a blind trust.  What are the developers buying with the 40%

Angelides: All investments are open records.

He supports smart growth.

7:51: Diesel Exhaust
A: Pensions invest in alternative.  Require filling stations of alternative fuels.  CA should be leader

W: They agree!  5 top polluted cities are in CA. More at ports.  Convert diesel to electric at ports.

7:53: Lower gas prices by more refineries
A: Need a path away from fuels.  I will stand up to Bush on this area.  He says Westly was conserving his energy not the environment, rather than fighting Arnold

W: “If only your environmental record was as good as your sense of humor” I ahve a track record

Closing statements:
A: Who has truly led?  I stood up for the environment.  I set up smart growth 7 years ago.  Westly did that last month.  Westly followed me in my environmental leadership.  CA has big enviro challenges. CA needs a governor who is ready to lead.

W: Election is about who is prepared to lead on the environment>  I worked in Carter administration for the environment.  Angelides built collosal failures.  Toughest rules against pollution.  Angelides is a developer.  We led on catalytic converters, we can do that again.  I will lead on the environment.

Back in December, we wanted to know why Representative Duncan Hunter (CA-52) wanted to steal a national park and turn in back over to a private trophy hunting concession? Under intense pressure from Democrats and environmental groups, Hunter dropped his proposal to steal California’s Santa Rosa Island (part of the Channel Islands National Park) from the American people. This December raid was his second attempt to allow the private hunting concession to remain in charge of the island and exclude the public from the park.

Well, Hunter, who heads the Armed Services Committee, is back with a new proposal to insure that the public is excluded from the park that our tax dollars paid for, while hunting activities continue on the island. This time he is attaching the proposal to the Department of Defense authorization bill. A bit of an earmark for the trophy hunting concession on the island.

Last year, Hunter wanted to annex the island completely and turn its operation over to the Department of the Navy. The commercial hunting business would be allowed to remain, but provisions would be made for the military and disabled veterans to use the island’s facilities for hunting. Why the military and disabled veterans couldn’t be allowed to use any of the millions of acres of public land already under government management is unclear. Or, why these same military hunters couldn’t be accommodated on the other millions of acres of land under the control of the Department of Defense was equally unclear.

Hunter wants Santa Rosa Island and he wants the commercial business on that island to continue. His latest proposal leaves the island under the control of the Department of the Interior, but it abrogates the original agreement between the island’s previous owners and commercial hunting concessionaire that would end the hunting operation in 2011.

In effect, Hunter’s new proposal turns the island into a private hunting preserve under government sponsorship. In this case the general public would be excluded from the island for safety reasons, while trophy hunters would be free to use the facilities. Military hunters, disabled veterans and members of congress would also have access to the hunter facilities.

Once again, Democrats, enviromentalist and the National Park Service are trying to stop Hunter’s land grab.

Hunter’s proposal angered Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), whose district includes Santa Rosa Island. Capps’ aides distributed the bill language to reporters Monday.

  “This is Chairman Hunter’s third attempt in less than a year to exclude the public from accessing the national park that they paid $30 million for. The issue of Santa Rosa Island has no place in the defense authorization bill,” Capps said.

  “I am firmly opposed to this unilateral effort and will join hands with Republicans, Democrats and environmentalists to ensure the island is not turned into a private reserve,” Feinstein said.

  […]

  “Saying it is more important to have an opportunity to hunt a trophy animal that doesn’t even belong on the island than to protect the other species in the park, to me that’s what’s fairly disturbing about this,” said Russell Galipeau, the park superintendent.

Why is Hunter obsessed with this project? With so many other alternatives, why does Hunter persist in trying to steal a national park from U.S. taxpayers and give to back to a commercial trophy hunting operation?

I was going to write a piece about PowerPAC’s poll focusing on Latino voters in the Governor’s race.  However, Frank beat me too it and explains it very well.  So, I’ll just point you there by excerpting a few choice portions:

Taken April 6 to April 20, 2006, PowerPAC’s poll shows the two Democratic candidates for Governor in a dead heat, 25% to 25% in the primary with 48% undecided. Among Latinos, Westly has more support than Angelides, 30% to 20%.
***
While both Angelides (46% versus 36% for Schwarzenegger) and Westly (45% versus 37% for Schwarzenegger) have a real lead over Schwarzenegger among all registered voters, that lead tightens considerably once actual voter participation history is considered.(CalPropReport 5/3/06)

I will give you a little caveat: the poll breaks down small samples, so the MoE’s are quite big.  Just keep it in mind…