No speeches or large rallies accompanied Anita Yu Westly’s
stop at UCLA Wednesday.
Instead, Yu Westly, wife of Democratic gubernatorial candidate
and State Controller Steve Westly, opted for a small, informal
luncheon with students and faculty, discussing the campaign issues
as they arose in conversation.
The event was sponsored by the Undergraduate Students
Association Council President’s Office, and is part of the
Westly Bus Tour across California, which aims to garner support for
Westly’s candidacy in the June 6 primary elections.
She stopped by all the tables at a lunch in the Kerckhoff Grand
Salon to introduce herself in a friendly manner and thanked the
couple dozen people who came for showing interest in the
campaign.
Westly is running against State Treasurer Phil Angelides in the
primary election. The winner of that race will go on to compete
with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the governor’s office in
November.
“I think Steve brings a sense of … innovation, (an)
understanding that you need to think outside the box,” Yu
Westly said.
A Los Angeles Times survey released Sunday found that Westly and
Angelides were neck-and-neck ““ Democratic primary voters
slightly favor Angelides over Westly, 37 percent to 34 percent,
with an error margin of 5 percent.
Twenty-eight percent of voters are still undecided.
The Times’ survey also found that registered voters
thought Westly was more likely than Angelides to beat
Schwarzenegger in the November elections, 50 percent to 40
percent.
“The support has been overwhelming. … I’m just
very grateful,” Yu Westly said of the response she received
during the tour.
The bus tour allows Westly to connect with the community, said
Richard Grundy, a tour volunteer.
“It gives them a chance to talk to real people and real
people get a chance to talk to them and that’s what
we’re all about,” said Grundy, a former senior staff
member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources.
Despite the negative television ad campaigns launched by both
Westly and Angelides, Yu Westly spoke little of the rivalry besides
mentioning that the race was “very tight.”
“It is very stressful these last (few) days leading up to
election day,” Yu Westly said.
With reports from Easter Khaw, Bruin contributor.