Guest blog post from campaign staffer Felix, who moved all the way from England to help get Jerry elected. Felix is impressed by the unique sense of pride he has experienced from the plethora of Californians he's met.

Labor Day has long been the traditional launching date for gubernatorial campaigns. This year, however, we have seen continual campaigning through the primary and the early summer months. A lot of the coverage has focused on the negative; unemployment, immigration, and civil corruption have dominated the political news cycle, making California’s future seem bleak.

While working for Jerry, I have developed a very different forecast for California than joblessness, environmental decay, and political detachment. Being involved with this campaign has shown me that, more than in any other state, Californians love their state. They do not only care about their own jobs and welfare, but those of their neighbors, too.

There are definitely benefits in having hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on your campaign. But the most obvious advantage from not spending huge sums is that Jerry has been forced to rely predominantly on volunteer workers, and as a result, we've ended up with a staff of ‘state-triots’.

Even in the Oakland office, the vast majority of staffers are unpaid; some have left promising careers in the worlds’ most successful companies, some have delayed taking college courses, others have come out of retirement, but everyone is highly skilled, and everybody loves their state. We are working because of a firmly held belief that Jerry Brown can and will allow California to flourish once more.

I have spent most of my time on the campaign working with the county volunteer coordinators (also unpaid). Those we have selected for the job come from all walks of life, but not a single one isn't passionate about California and about Jerry, proving our ‘state-triotism’ is by no means confined to the foggy Bay Area. Volunteer coordinators from Imperial County to Humboldt have begun to organize events across the Golden State, everyone firm in their conviction that Jerry Brown “has to be the governor!” once again.

Every day our email inboxes are filled with offers to volunteer, we get tweets and Facebook posts of support, and we receive dozens of phone calls “just to say that I love Jerry Brown." These messages come from people who realize that Jerry eats, lives, and breathes California. They're desperate to work with him and get this state back on the right track. And we haven’t even hit Labor Day yet!

Being part of a campaign with a mainly volunteer staff has completely contradicted the warnings I was given by family and friends about embarking on a career in politics. The people and politicians I have met are not motivated out of a lust for power, nor have they compromised their ideals. Rather, young professionals babysit, prominent politicians work two jobs, and college graduates walk dogs, all with two inherently linked objectives to elect Jerry Brown and to better California.

Far from being out-performed by Whitman’s goliath campaign, Jerry Brown has shown us how a campaign should run -- people of all ages working together to elect a politician whose passion seems to be timeless.

My prediction for the future of California is not based on the outsourcing, the furloughs, and the swollen political wages of the past decade. It comes from the hard-working, enthusiastic, and qualified people that I have met on this campaign so far. If given the opportunity, these people will work for California not only to get it working again, but to make it work better than ever before.

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Today we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Maggie, a member of the media team, tells us about a special woman in her life: Jerry's wife, Anne. 

Something I thought I would never care about in a politician is their spouse. But who you decide to spend your life with, and who decides they can spend the rest of their life with you, says a lot. One of the reasons I love Obama so much is that Michelle is among the coolest chicks on the planet.

I’ve spent some time with Jerry’s wife, Anne Gust, and the same thing can be said about her. If an amazing, independent woman like Anne made the decision to spend her life with Jerry Brown, he must be pretty special.

Gust, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., graduated from Stanford University and then University of Michigan Law School. She worked at several law firms before joining Gap Inc. in 1991. She had an incredibly impressive career, serving as their General Counsel and eventually working up to Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President.

Ned, who also works on the campaign, started at Gap as a file clerk and says she wasn’t hierarchical, treating everyone equally regardless of title. “She tells it like it is, and is persuasive. She has a great sense of humor, but can discuss topics seriously. She isn’t judgmental, and can use her sense of humor to lighten up a tense situation."

He continues, "People go to her to seek counsel because they know they will get an honest answer. When coming into a company comprised mostly of men, her strength and passion earned her respect. She spearheaded Gap's social responsibility department and felt strongly about the company behaving ethically - beyond just words on paper."

From my experience, Anne isn’t someone who will just follow in line. She was on the Board of Glide, an amazing San Francisco organization, and volunteered there. She's been a registered Republican, an Independent, and a Democrat. She has her opinions, but is always willing to listen to those of others. I have many impressive women in my life, and after meeting Anne, I'm excited to tack one more on the list. I think every woman should surround herself with other confident, independent women as role models. I’m lucky to be working with Anne.

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Guest post from Jerry Brown. Mario Obledo, a prominent Latino political leader in California, passed away last night at the age of 78. Among his many accomplishments, Obledo served as Jerry's Secretary of Health and Welfare from 1975-1982.

I was very sad to hear the news that Mario Obledo passed away last night. He was an extraordinary person - compassionate, thoughtful and wise.

Mario's career took him from Texas to Harvard to California and beyond. He lived an impressive and deeply meaningful life, and I was fortunate to know him.

When I appointed him Secretary of Health and Welfare in 1975, Mario was already established as a leader in the Latino community and a voice for justice. Mario dedicated his life to helping people and empowering the powerless.

After serving the people of California, he continued to champion the cause of civil rights at the Rainbow Coalition, the National Hispanic Bar Association and the National Coalition of Hispanic Organizations.

Mario earned every award he was given, and then some. I will miss him.

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In an earlier post, I talked about the yummy banana bread Jerry's wife, Anne, brought to a staff meeting one morning. While it certainly satisfied his sweet tooth, Jerry was quick to remind us that Anne's version was not the same as his own mother's "famous banana cake."

I was lucky enough to get my hands on the coveted recipe. Bakers, behold:

Bernice Brown’s Banana Cake

Cake:

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

2 eggs

1 and ½ cups sugar

½ cup sour milk (1 teaspoon lemon or vinegar to make sour milk)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 ripe bananas, mashed (the riper, the better)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks. Add milk with baking soda. Mix.

Put baking powder in flour, mix in gently. Add vanilla, banana and nuts.

Fold in beaten egg whites last. Mix barely, don’t over beat.

Bake in 3 greased layer cake tins at 325-350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Icing:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

2 and ½ cups powdered sugar

1 egg (may be eliminated if concerned about using raw egg)  

1 teaspoon vanilla

A little cream

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix. Add vanilla. Add cream until frosting is the right consistency to spread.

Make the cake the day before serving.

We'd love to hear from some of our own kitchen-happy supporters - share your favorite recipes in the comments section.

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Guest post from our campaign manager, Steve Glazer, who took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to share his reflections on this summer's efforts. Tip: I highly recommend following Steve on Twitter - as someone new to the art of tweeting, he has some fantastic things to say.

As the summer comes to a close, I wanted to update you on the progress of our campaign. The enthusiasm in the campaign office is very high as we are in a strong position to win this election.

We have withstood a barrage of negative advertising by Meg Whitman and her allies. Since the primary, she has spent more than $20 million on TV and radio ads – mostly negative – to little effect. At the start of the General Election in June, we were even in the polls. Today – almost three months later – we remain tied in both private and public surveys.

A survey we completed three days ago found most people who have seen a Whitman ad don’t believe her claims are true. When we asked whether these ads have improved or worsened their opinions of the candidates for Governor, the results were as follows:

Attorney General Jerry Brown: 6% improved; 4% worsened; 58% unchanged

Meg Whitman: 8% improved; 27% worsened; 31% unchanged

In more than 30 years of working on campaigns, I have never seen a candidate’s ads have such a negative effect on that same candidate.

To some, this may not be a surprise. Whitman has inundated the airwaves since September 2009, and most of her ads in the Primary and General Elections have been negative. Independent analysts have stated repeatedly that she lies in her ads.

In short, voters are numbed to her simplistic sloganeering and falsehoods and have stopped believing what she says.

Our campaign, on the other hand, has used the summer months to lay out a clear agenda for how Jerry as Governor will work to stimulate job growth, protect the environment, reform the public pension system, and improve education. (You can read more about Jerry's plans here.)

Jerry is endorsed by leading organizations in public safety, education, health care, civil rights, worker protection, and the environment. More than $25 million has been raised, and most of it has been saved for our upcoming advertising push.

We are part of an intensive grassroots effort to get more than two million Democratic, non-partisan and thoughtful Republican voters to the polls. An army of volunteers is knocking on doors and making phone calls to remind Jerry supporters about the importance of the election.

We enter the fall campaign better-equipped and better-supported than all of our planning benchmarks. Please stay connected to our campaign through our webpage and e-mails, and by following Jerry on Facebook and Twitter.

Many thanks for all of your support.

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Working on the campaign team in Jack London Square provides me with daily lessons on the history of politics in this country and especially here in California, given Jerry's amazing record of achievements.

Jerry Brown has served on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, as California Secretary of State, as Governor of California, the Mayor of Oakland, and the Attorney General of California. He sought the Democratic nominations for president in 1976, 1980, and 1992, and was a Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 1982.

Throughout his campaigns, Jerry has always integrated creative tactics, and I am honored to be working with a team that has a long record of willingness to be innovative. The staff has been excitedly embracing new media; which is great especially since tools like Twitter were created here in our state.

In 1992, Jerry ran an "ultra-grassroots" campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. When he traveled around the country to speak, he often slept on the couches of supporters. With a small budget, the campaign embraced the emerging alternative media of talk radio and cable TV.

One of the more interesting tools he employed was the use of a toll-free number for contributions. He frequently recited the number at events and printed it on most of his campaign gear.

The line was mostly monitored by staff members, but Jerry sometimes answered the phone himself. He has always been interested in engaging with people in real-time and staying connected to voters (one of the reasons he loves Twitter).

The donations from the toll-free number were really successful, providing access to a wider audience of supporters and eventually yielding 120,000 contributions. In fact, we still use the same number in the office today.

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Today is our campaign manager Steve's twenty-fifth birthday. He sure looks good for his age.

In honor of the festivities, we had our official Steve Glazer day here at the office.

In other words, everyone on staff dressed in his quintessential polo-shirt-and-baseball-cap uniform, and we all enjoyed a bagel brunch this morning.

Jerry and Anne joined in on the fun, too, touting their own ensembles.

The news of our celebration even reached the Sacramento Bee, which posted a story on its Capitol Alert blog.

For the record, I love and hate the fact that Ben & Jerry's is three blocks from the office. Every staff birthday = another ice cream coma for Carly.

Who do you think made the best Steve doppelganger? Comments encouraged! 

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Photo by @mutgoff

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Our interns were so excited about the post I wrote about them yesterday, they decided to send me a blog piece of their own. Take a look at what Laura and Ariel had to say about their experience this summer (and get excited for their video to be released next week).

In Laura and Ariel's words...

One of the things that we learned about campaigns and grassroots organizing in general this summer is the importance of pursuing every outlet and opportunity to the fullest. Social media and volunteer outreach are essential in getting the word out, especially on a low budget campaign. Email, Facebook, Twitter, my.jerrybrown.org, and the campaign website are organizing tools that can reach an almost unlimited audience.

We rely on you - our Internet savvy followers - to help spread our message to a broader audience. We are entering a new age of campaigning, and here at the Jerry Brown headquarters, we are rewriting the unspoken guidelines. We want the voters to come to us with their concerns, ideas, and proven interest in the future of California. With that said, please don’t think that we have forgotten about you.

One of things we work on as interns is Facebook outreach. With limited funds to spend on Facebook advertisements, we learned what it’s like to spread the word to many without using expensive resources. So we joined Facebook groups: college and county Democrat groups, environment groups, politically-minded groups, and even the “Ask Jerry Brown to support ferret legalization in California” group to encourage them to become a “fan” of Jerry on Facebook. We strategically invite our friends to check out articles on Jerry or to watch videos about the campaign in order to attract attention back to his profile without exhausting our efforts.

If you are reading this right now, we can assume that you found this blog from one of the social media outlets we mentioned above. And this is where we ask you to do like us, click the “Share” button, re-tweet, email blast, and “Suggest to Friends” so that they, too, can get the real, un-manipulated truth, straight out of our headquarters in Oakland.

The office in and of itself is filled with college interns, recent graduates, and professionals taking time off just to work on the campaign; the majority of us are full-time volunteers. We try our best to leave no stone unturned and to make sure that your support is appreciated and feedback heard.

One thing we observed is the loose interpretation of the roles of each person in the office. With the exception of Campaign Manager Steve, Campaign Spokesman Sterling, and, well, Jerry, everyone is self-made and self-motivated. The two or three words that each person uses to describe their role is an understatement of all the work that they do here. Volunteer Coordinator is a simple title for reaching out to every county chairman, devoted patron, working professional, and student to help to spread the word. The same goes for our title, Intern.

That’s why we scripted, directed, edited, and starred in a video tour of the office. We wanted to show the personality and passion that bounces off the walls at our headquarters in Oakland - lime green and electric blue walls decorated with gear from past campaigns, family photos, art, books from Jerry’s personal collection, and, of course, us: the interns who occupy the long wooden picnic table that you see when you first walk in.

Believe us, with the exception of a few coffee or Diet Coke breaks, everyone is working nonstop to get Jerry back to Sacramento and to reach out to you, the voters of California. 

Interns rallying at the San Francisco Pride Parade; Ariel and Laura are 4th and 5th from left

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Taking a quick moment out of my busy day at the campaign office to acknowledge a group of truly fantastic young people: the Jerry Brown for Governor interns. Each day, these talented college students plug away at their picnic table working on research, social media, field organizing, and pretty much anything else the staffers ask them to do. They'll take on any task we give them with a smile, even the most menial of requests.

Hailing from schools all over the country, our politically-minded young'ns are excited to gain firsthand experience in the industry. "I see Sterling in the office, and then I'll read a quote from him in the newspaper a few minutes later," says Laura, a rising sophomore at Georgetown. "I love the inside perspective I'm getting from working here."

And they're just as determined as the rest of us to put Jerry in the governor's office come November. Ariel, a rising sophomore at University of Redlands, considers the environment among her most important issues and thinks Jerry's past record proves he is the best person for the job. "His previous insights and measures he's taken shows how in-tune he is," she says.

I'm so sad to say goodbye to them as the summer nears it's final stretch. But this dedicated bunch has insisted on helping us out as much as they can from their various college campuses.

Before they go, Laura and Ariel are putting the finishing touches on a video about the 'Interns' look inside the campaign' - stay tuned for its release on this blog early next week.

Thank you for all that you do, wonderful Interns, and keep up the great work!

Got a question for our Intern pack? Leave it in the comment section below and we'll be sure to answer.

Interns hard at work; photo by @mutgoff

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One of my favorite things about our campaign office is the mammoth bookshelves lined with literature from Jerry's personal collection. Working late last Friday, Jerry took a quick break to peruse his library with Maggie and me.  

As he lent us books to read (Noam Chomsky for Maggie, Gore Vidal for me, although he doesn't necessarily agree with the views of either writer), he told us we should all be teachers to everyone around us. Look for opportunities to both mentor and be mentored, he said.

With that in mind, here are some of my own favorite picks from The Brown Collection:

• The People's History of the United States, By Howard Zinn. The classic volume that tells the story of our country from the perspective of America's working, poor, and minority classes.
• Memoirs of a Geisha, By Arthur Golden. My favorite book when I was a teenager; a compelling novel about a geisha working in Kyoto during World War II.
• Labyrinths, By Jorge Luis Borges. A collection of fantastical tales by the famed Argentine writer.
• Longitudes and Latitudes: Exploring the World Before and After September 11, By Thomas Friedman. Columns and observations from the New York Times columnist, providing a comprehensive album of his perspective during the years surrounding the tragedy.
• The Maltese Falcon, By Dashiell Hammett. A vivid detective novel set in 1920s San Francisco.
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being, By Milan Kundera. I'm currently rereading this philosophical Czech love story for the third time.

Got any of your own recommendations? Leave your comments below; there's a good chance I can find the book within Jerry's collection.

Photos by @mutgoff

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