ELECTION SPECIAL: Lots of Rich Californians Want Your Vote Today

California Gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari and his ax

It's election day in eight states, but as usual my eyes are on California, my home state, where the Top-Two primary system gets another tryout. Top Two, which was passed four years ago, allows California voters to ignore political labels, cross party lines and pick whichever candidate they like most. Gee, what a concept.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about today's otherwise garden-variety non-presidential election, whose turnout is expected to be historically low, is that a whole bunch of really rich folks on the ballot are desperately trying to buy their way in. New data released by MapLight, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that addresses money's influence on politics, reveals that 16 candidates on California's ballot have contributed more than $100,000 to their own campaigns. 

Doesn't do much to dispel the notion that Californians are narcissists, does it?

Of these 16 moneyed candidates - 11 Republicans, 5 Democrats - their contributions make up, on average, just over 50 percent of the overall amount raised by their campaigns, according to MapLight numbers, which are based on summaries submitted by candidate committees in Form 460 reports as of May 14.

Republican Neel Kashkari, pictured above wielding his trusty ax, is the biggest of the big spenders. Kashkari - yes, that's appropriately his real name - whose TV ads have been airing non-stop in recent days, contributed $1 million to support his not-so-Quixotic bid to unseat Gov. Jerry Brown and sit in Sacramento's comfiest chair. And he just gave himself another $1 million, post Maplight's analysis, according to the Sacramento Bee.  

It appears to be paying off for Kashkari, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Bush Administration official who looks like a cross between Howie Mandel and Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies. He's taken a slim five-percent lead (18 percent to 13 percent) over Tea Party rival and former border vigilante Tim Donnelly in the most recent poll commissioned by the Los Angeles Times and the USC Dornsife school. He trailed Donnelly just a few weeks ago. 

If that poll result holds up today, Kashkari, who says that if elected he will invite more oil companies to drill here, would go into a runoff with Brown, who polled at 50 percent. Now that would make for some lively debates.

Running a distant second in the "I like me" stakes is California Democrat Derek Cressman, who in his pursuit of the Secretary of State gig has spent $353,900 of his own money, according to MapLight. Meanwhile, Assembly candidates Jay Obernolte and Karina Onofre's personal contributions both embarrassingly make up approximately 95 percent of the total amounts taken in by their campaigns, according to MapLight.

But easily the most recognizable big-spending candidate in this primary is Sandra Fluke, the attorney and activist who was unfairly and harshly criticized by many on the right for testifying in favor of requiring employers to cover birth control in their health insurance plans. Rush Limbaugh rudely called her a "slut."

Fluke is among a crowded field of candidates in California's 26th Senate district, which encompasses the Los Angeles area. We'll find out today if her 15 minutes of fame combined with $100,000 from her own deep pockets - who knew? - will lead to success at the polls or prove that she really is a fluke. 

By the way, one of Fluke's opponents in the race, Amy Howorth, also spent more than $100,000 on her own campaign. But as far as I can tell, no one's called her any names.

Generous $25 Million Gift to Salk Institute is Boon For Cancer Research

Philanthropist Conrad T. Prebys  -  SDSU Newscenter

Conrad T. Prebys is at it again. The profoundly generous philanthropist, who over the years has supported countless San Diego organizations, has written a check to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies for $25 million to help find cures for a wide range of diseases. The gift, the single largest ever made to the Salk Institute's endowment, will help researchers at the renowned research facility in La Jolla discover new therapies for cancer and much more.

It will also allow Salk scientists, who are already doing groundbreaking cancer research, to take advantage of new technologies and scientific approaches that are rewriting the rules of biomedical research. And the funds will enable Salk, which of course was founded in 1960 by legendary polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk, to recruit more top scientists worldwide.

"The scientists at Salk are diving deep into understanding how our bodies operate at the molecular level and what happens when we get sick," Prebys said in a statement. "It is vital work that must be done before we can really conquer disease. We need this foundational science to lay the underpinnings for new therapies and cures. I'm honored to play a role in supporting this important research."

This level of generosity isn't new to Prebys, who just a few months ago gave $20 million to San Diego State University, my alma mater, to create several endowed scholarships that support at least 150 students annually. In recognition of his gift, the largest one ever made to SDSU, the university’s new student union has appropriately been named the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. 

The SDSU communications office wrote back in February that thanks to Prebys, "SDSU will offer additional scholarships to student veterans and to students in bio-medical research, the creative and performing arts, the Guardian Scholars program, entrepreneurship, leadership and the SDSU Honors program."

Prebys' positive impact on the San Diego community is virtually impossible to measure. He's also supported such San Diego-area organizations as the San Diego Zoo, Boys and Girls Club, Old Globe Theater, La Jolla Music Society, Scripps Mercy Hospital, Scripps Prebys Cardiovascular Center, and Sanford/Burnham Medical Research Institute. 

In honor of Prebys' dedication to Salk, the institute's auditorium, which regularly hosts talks by acclaimed scientists from around the world, will be named the Conrad T. Prebys Auditorium.

Prebys, a native of South Bend, Ind, was raised in a blue-collar neighborhood and encouraged by an inspirational teacher. The first of five brothers to graduate from college, he went on to found Progress Construction Company, a developer of real estate enterprises in California and Texas.

When he was a child, Prebys' brother contracted polio and the family witnessed the power of scientific research to cure disease when Salk developed the first polio vaccine.

Prebys previously gave $2 million to Salk to establish the Conrad T. Prebys Endowed Chair in Vision Research for Tom Albright, one of the Institute's neuroscientists.

"Mr. Prebys is renowned for his remarkable generosity and his vision in boosting San Diego by supporting its pillar institutions," said Salk President Dr. William Brody. "His gift to Salk's unrestricted endowment provides the financial flexibility for Salk to adapt and thrive as technology, science and human needs evolve, leaving a lasting legacy."