These are people who are going to be paying taxes and contributing to our economic vitality.

He believes Californians have made it clear that's a tax they would not be willing to support.

He believes it is incumbent upon elected officials to do all they can to bring in new revenues without hiking taxes. The controller believes that we can bring more money into government by rooting out waste, implementing procurement reform, cracking down on tax cheats, and hiring more auditors.

It's going to take many, many smaller efforts to close the gap. But there are many things we can do.

This is a smart investment with a good return. And it's something people can vote on for themselves.

The controller said from Day 1 that he would put in whatever was needed to be competitive. Clearly we have a nice financial edge and we'll continue to have it for the rest of the campaign.

I think that raises questions about what he has done in the private sector. What's he trying to hide?