NYC Mayor Bloomberg Campaigns For Whitman
SAN JOSE (KCBS/AP) - Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is uniquely qualified to tackle California's high unemployment and its ongoing budget crisis, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday.
Bloomberg described the former eBay CEO as a problem solver whose background in business would allow her to rise above political warfare to solve the state's economic problems.
Whitman campaigned with the moderate Republican at the San Jose printing factory of t-shirt manufacturer Zazzle. She described the company as a business success story she would like to see repeated throughout the state.
"It is about jobs, making California a better business climate for companies like Zazzle," Whitman said.
A company that started as just three employees in 2004 today employs more than 500. Zazzle officials expect the company to grow another 75 percent in 2011.
Its three founders know Whitman from her tenure at eBay.
KCBS' Betsy Gebhart Reports:
Bloomberg said that his campaign, like Whitman's, had to confront skepticism about whether a business executive could function successfully in government.
Whitman and Bloomberg's joint appearance comes a day after President Barack Obama campaigned in the Bay Area.
President Obama and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown spoke at a rally Friday on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
A poll released this week shows that Brown has opened up a lead over Whitman.
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