Former Schools Superintendent Eastin Announces She's Running For California Governor
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The day after the presidential election is over, the race to succeed Jerry Brown as Governor of California will rev up.
One unexpected candidate isn't even going to wait that long.
Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin says she will run for governor, saying she will focus on her area of expertise – education.
"I do it because I have a voice and I am an articulate spokesperson for children and for education," said Eastin. "And I can say that for [California] to be number one in per-prisoner expenditure, and number 42nd in per-pupil expenditure, is a disgrace to everything that our parents and grandparents handed to us."
Eastin hasn't held office in 13 years. Her statewide name recognition is virtually nil, but at the moment she's the only woman in a field full of men. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has been running for almost two years already.
State Treasurer John Chiang has announced he will run, and next week, former Los Angeles Mayor and Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to declare his candidacy.
Billionaire Tom Steyer and former state Controller Steve Westly could jump in soon after that. For now, it's all Democrats, though that should change.
