I'll take this opportunity, as I do from time to time, to ask for your feedback on CAW. If you have a minute, we'd appreciate any comments, suggestions or complaints you might have about the newsletter. Are we giving you the type of coverage you're looking for? Is there something we're neglecting? What issues would you like to see covered in future newsletters? Whether you're a new subscriber or old, we'd love to hear from you! Send feedback to mailto:gabe@capenq.com.

On a related note (and if you've subscribed long enough), what do you think about the anecdotes I've been using in this welcome section? Are they what you expected? Should I continue introducing the newsletter with similar stories and commentary? Last time I brought up this question, I received a lot of positive feedback, but later received some negative comments. I'm still interested in what you think.

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Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

-Gabe

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- As Republicans lick their wounds after the worst GOP electoral showing in California in 40 years, the big question in Sacramento, for Democrats and Republicans alike, is "What happens now?"

The public views a change of administrations as a clash of ideologies. But professionals in the Capitol also view it as something more -- a gigantic shift in thousands of jobs.

As Republican Gov. Pete Wilson leaves office in January, an array of patronage jobs will be handed over to Democrats. Those include all the top and middle-level appointments in the bureaucracy, judgeships on trial and appellate courts, regulatory appointments, and a top-to-bottom restructuring of the powerful Finance Department -- the agency that writes the state budgets -- and the governor's executive staff.

Gov.-elect Gray Davis is familiar with the problems of transition. As chief of staff, he handled the transition for then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 1975. Now, he'll do it again, this time as governor in his own right.

If ever a governor had a public mandate, it's Davis. He is a pragmatic moderate who demolished conservative GOP rival Dan Lungren by 20 percentage points at the polls, and he believes his lopsided vote reflects the public's dislike for partisan bickering.

But he also has a pocketful of IOUs that must be paid to the powerful forces that gave him the election. First, is organized labor -- perhaps a fourth of the Democratic vote came from union households or union members, who see in Davis a chance to regain ground lost during 16 years of Republican administrations. Second is the educational establishment, led by the California Teachers Association, who want a new push for school funding. The public apparently agrees: A week before the election, the Field Poll reported that two out of three likely voters placed education as their No. 1 priority.

Next comes environmentalists, who backed Davis and want tougher regulatory protections for water, air and the California coast.

Then, of course, are the Latino and Black ethnic blocs, who overwhelmingly supported Davis. They want a greater say in major decision-making and Davis will have to provide it, or face the charge that his promises can't be kept.

Politically, Davis has one chore that overshadows all others -- reapportionment. Democrats who control the Legislature will craft new legislative and congressional districts to reflect changes in population, and Davis will be expected to sign into law their maps. Reapportionment is perhaps the most partisan and bitter of all political activities, and the action Davis takes to boost Democratic representation could have a dramatic effect on the balance of power in the House of Representatives, which currently is narrowly controlled by Republicans.

It is reapportionment that drew the nation's eyes to California's governor's race, and it is reapportionment that could cause Davis' election to resonate far beyond California.

Perhaps the best advice for Davis came from Jerry Brown, who greeted him the day after the election at the Concord BART station, where Davis had stopped on his victory tour.

"Move fast, fly low," Brown advised.

Wise words from someone who should know.

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