The Fresno Bee provides some more details on the report that former “Democrat” Nicole Parra, former Assemblymember who fell out with Speaker Karen Bass and the rest of the Democratic caucus after voting against the budget in 2008, is going to help the Meg Whitman campaign:

Former Democratic Assemblywoman Nicole Parra has signed on to help Meg Whitman woo Democratic and independent voters, the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s campaign said this morning.

That’s no surprise. Parra is helping Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina in a similar capacity….

In a written statement, Parra said she would travel the state talking to Democratic and independent voters “who are tired of the old ways of thinking and are looking for fresh ideas and a new style of leadership from their elected officials. We will be talking about Meg’s plan for improving the economy, controlling spending and fixing our public schools, issues that Californians care most about. Democratic and independent voters will help lead Meg to victory in November.”

Carla Marinucci adds via Twitter that Parra will “lead” Whitman’s outreach efforts to Dem and DTS voters.

Parra re-registered as an independent, and helped Danny Gilmore win her old seat in 2008 as part of the ongoing Parra-Florez family war in the Central Valley. So apparently she’s got a chip on her shoulder against Democrats, and is doing all she can to help elect Republicans.

It certainly helped Gilmore in 2008. But I’m not so sure it’ll help Whitman. Parra’s tour in support of Whitman begins in Oakland, where I’m guessing the reaction she’ll receive from Dem and DTS voters is “Nicole who?”

Parra has absolutely no presence outside of part of the San Joaquin Valley. Nobody knows who she is, particularly Democratic and DTS voters. Whitman is probably hoping to use her as an example of a Democrat who saw the light and now supports Republicans, but that tactic usually only works if voters actually know something about that person. Most Californians outside the San Joaquin Valley will simply shrug at this unknown figure, and I’m not even sure Parra will have much impact in the Valley either.

Ultimately this suggests Whitman isn’t really putting very much of a priority on winning over Dem and DTS voters. Instead she is quietly building up a powerful field organizing apparatus, which she test drove to great effect in support of Sam Blakeslee’s successful campaign to win the SD-15 special election, in order to crank her right-wing Republican base to turn out in an election where Democratic turnout isn’t likely to be as high as it was in 2008.