First Take: Maldonado’s close-up; Schwarzenegger’s new letter; Whitman vs. Poizner, continued

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The chairman of the state Democratic Party tried to stoke the fire in the fight between Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner.

At City Hall, some council members are resisting calls for new budget cuts.

A new poll shows Gavin Newsom as a potential front-runner in the race for lieutenant governor, while Jackie Speier has opted to stay in Congress.

In the wake of the release of President Obama’s budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote a letter to Washington asking for more money.

Abel Maldonado lobbied the press corps Tuesday as he prepared for his first confirmation test in the Senate rules committee. The Assembly budget committee begins its work, reviewing the governor’s spending proposal. The California Fish and Game Commission considers a ban on non-native frogs and turtles. The state’s stem-cell institute meets in San Francisco to consider guidelines on loaning money to other businesses.

Get the latest from California politics as it happens. Follow PolitiCal on Twitter.