Interesting that the questions that reporters posed to Phil Angelides during the candidate forum sponsored by the Chronicle editorial board and CBS5.com were often to the effect of, “Why are you giving Schwarzenegger such a hard time? He gets along with the legislature, doesn’t he? He’s gotten a lot done. Aren’t those positive attributes in a governor?”

Although Schwarzenegger agreed to have a meeting with the Chronicle’s editorial board last Wednesday, he refused to allow the meeting to be webcast, and, unlike some downticket candidates, he refused to permit the meeting to be a debate with his major-party opponent. Angelides had a point when he said, “He had enough time for the Jay Leno show, but not enough time for the Chronicle or the people of California.”

Angelides’ answers were not always helpful, especially when, as frequently occurred, the reporters tried to paint him into a corner. He didn’t respond directly when he was asked why he had not attacked Schwarzenegger on his personal liabilities, such as the numerous allegations of sexual harassment that surfaced during and after the 2003 recall election.

On direct policy questions, Angelides ignored a question about Proposition 83. He refused to be pinned down on what he would do about the exploding costs of unfunded state obligations like public employee health benefits and pensions. Angelides said that he would lay out what the state needed to do to meet those obligations, but he steadfastly resisted laying it out in the forum, perhaps because most of the solution will involve massive new taxes. Instead, he said:

What you’ll get out of Phil Angelides is honest budgeting. It’s what I’ve staked my reputation on as treasurer … I will make sure that in any budget presentation I will not only balance the budget but I will lay out what our true obligations are in the future. Look, one thing you need to know about me. I’m very progressive in terms of my policies. I believe fundamentally — and history bears me out on this — that we build the strongest economy by a set of smart investments in our people, in our communities, in the knowledge and skills of our people. I don’t believe we’re a wealthier society if we just give more and more tax breaks to those at the top. Our best economic times have been when you’ve had a thoughtful government making investments that make all of us stronger. Having said all that, I believe that the starting points for trust in the government are honest budgets, honest explanations of costs, not hiding the ball.

On Schwarzegger’s promises to fund education and to reduce the emissions that cause global warming, Angelides said:

I guarantee you that if Arnold Schwarzenegger is re-elected, he will cut education next year. He has no alternative. Because he’s made it clear to all of you that he won’t close one corporate tax loophole or ask one person to pay a dime more. On global warming, I guarantee you as I sit here he will not move to enforce that bill or make it real in a way that will actually reduce greenhouse emissions, because in his term as governor, he’s done nothing of substance in that regard.

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