(Ed note: While activists often complain about the Chronicle getting their message wrong, Leno shows that even state legislators suffer from such treatment)

Having read yet another story last Saturday in our local press about how Democrats are fleeing the Angelides campaign, my blood began to boil. This latest telling featured a lifelong Democratic woman from Berkeley who was quoted as saying that she had no reason to vote for Phil Angelides and was likely to vote for the incumbent Governor. I called information, found her number and placed the call. The Berkeley Democrat, named Mary, was very gracious and afforded me a few minutes to share with her 10 critical reasons why every Democrat must vote for Treasurer Angelides. She said she was unaware of much of what I had told her, at which point she spent the next days reading about and researching the race. Needless to say, she is now voting for Phil.

That experience gave me the idea to hold a press conference to unveil our Top 10 list. I was joined by Assemblywoman Loni Hancock from Berkeley along with San Francisco Assessor Phil Ting, President of the Board of Superviors Aaron Peskin and Supervisors Fiona Ma (candidate for State Assembly,12th AD), Sophie Maxwell and Tom Ammiano along with a few dozen community leaders and activists.

Each of the elected officials and activists introduced one of the 10 reasons passionately explaining why any one of the reasons was argument enough to vote for Phil. At the end of the press conference, Mary from Berkeley announced that she was no longer short of a reason to join Phil's campaign effort and would be voting for him.

Unfortunately, though the two San Francisco daily papers were in attendance, neither reported that the List of 10 had been delivered. The next day's story was that I had rescued one Democratic vote for Phil. So, I am pleased to share with yours readers the Top 10 critical reasons why every Democrat must vote for Phil Angelides.

Clearly, the Governor has no interest in an open exchange of ideas. He refuses to debate and wants voters to know only that which he will tell them in his incessant television commercials paid for with over $60 million collected from the most powerful corporations on earth - HMO's, tobacco, oil, and insurance companies.

This is insulting to the voting public and an assault on our democracy. One very important difference between the two candidates would be Reason #11 - Phil supports clean money, Prop. 89, and Arnold opposes it for all too obvious reasons.

With the race getting closer by the day (Zogby poll shows it at 47% to 40% as of yesterday) there is still time to wake up your friends, neighbors relatives and co-workers before it is too late. Let's keep this blue state blue. We can do this.

TOP 10
CRITICAL REASONS WHY EVERY DEMOCRAT
MUST SUPPORT ANGELIDES FOR GOVERNOR

10. Angelides is the true environmentalist with environmental endorsements;
Schwarzenegger plays politics with the environment gutting the
landmark AB32 by an executive order just like Bush and his signing statements

9. Angelides respects minimum wage workers and the increase they deserve;
Schwarzenegger only plays politics with them

8. Angelides supports a smart, strong and fair immigration policy;
Schwarzenegger flips flops and flips again

7. Angelides supports equal marriage rights for all Californians;
Schwarzenegger vetoed them

6. Angelides supports affordable universal health care;
Schwarzenegger opposes it

5. Angelides can be trusted to fully fund education;
Schwarzenegger broke his promise on education and to our children

4. Angelides stands up to big oil and supports Prop 87;
Schwarzenegger opposes Prop 87 and is in the pocket of big oil having taken more contributions from oil companies than any politician in America except George W. Bush

3. Angelides fights for a woman’s right to choose and opposes Prop 85;
Schwarzenegger opposes choice, doesn’t oppose 85 and fully embraced the voter-rejected Prop 73 of last year

2. Angelides opposes Bush’s war in Iraq;
Schwarzenegger supports it

1. Angelides supports Nancy Pelosi to become Speaker of the House;
Schwarzenegger is working against Pelosi’s speakership and supports
the status quo, Republican Party stranglehold in Washington, DC

*Labor Donated