Endorses Newsom for Lt. Governor

The Los Angeles Times has endorsed San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom in the primary race for California lieutenant governor.

Newsom, a gay rights ally, will face Los Angeles city council member Janice Hahn in the Democratic primary for the second highest seat in the state on June 8.

The Times writes, "Newsom, for all his cockiness, is a dynamic leader -- one who is more suited than Hahn to guide the state, and one who in the meantime is more likely to use the platform of his position in a creative and constructive fashion, even if he's not currently an expert on the duties of the state Lands Commission. California needs Newsom's combination of brashness and smarts."

The Times also endorsed Abel Maldonado for the Republican side of the ticket, over fellow state senator Sam Aanestad.

"Maldonado brings his own brand of brashness and exhibits the pragmatic centrism that California has been lacking of late," the editorial board writes. "He'd be more likely than Aanestad to be a governor who could promote accomplishment over partisanship."