Capitol Alert

Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Sacramento Municipal Utility District Director Bill Slaton to the California Public Employees' Retirement System's Board of Administration, the governor's office said this afternoon.

Slaton, 64, was an early contender to challenge Republican Rep. Dan Lungren in an east Sacramento County congressional race in 2010. He dropped out before the primary, however, and endorsed fellow Democrat Ami Bera.

Slaton, of Carmichael, was bank director at Placer Sierra Bancshares from 2002 to 2007 and bank director at Sacramento Commercial Bank before that, according to the governor's office.

The CalPERS position, for which Senate confirmation is not required, pays $100 per diem.

Yes, California Assemblyman Henry T. Perea knows that 2 + 2 = 4.

But you wouldn't know it by looking at the Fresno Democrat's flier for an October campaign fundraising event, which promises to give donors one custom-made men's suit for chipping in $2,000 -- or two of what the flier called "suites" for $5,000.

Here's the kicker: Perea chairs the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.

The unusual give-and-ye-shall-receive political event will raise money for Perea's re-election campaign and for a ballot measure committee he controls. A Sacramento clothing firm, R. Douglas, will fit each participating donor.

Julie Sandino, coordinator of Perea's event, called the faulty math a simple typographical error. The correct figure is two suits for $4,000, she said, adding with a laugh: "Unless you really like Henry or want to be very generous."

Perea's flier also misspelled the name of the participating clothier, listing him as Ryan Douglas Hammond.

His last name is Hammonds.

The Republican National Committee has released a new Web-only ad hammering President Barack Obama for his ties to former California State Controller Steve Westly, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist.

"Meet Steve Westly," the ad says. "He raised over $500,000 for Obama's campaign. With Obama in office, Westly Group investments have received $500 million taxpayer dollars. Westly was even appointed to a top advisory role, influencing how taxpayer money was spent."

The ad comes as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney continues to defend against criticism of his time at Bain Capital.

"Obama's friends are doing fine," the ad says, "but the middle class isn't."

Westly is a bundler, or major fundraiser, for the Democratic president. His company, The Westly Group, had investments in companies helped by the Obama administration, including electric car maker Tesla Motors and green building company CalStar Products.

The companies were among scores of firms granted tax credits through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and Westly spokesman Joel Berman said Westly's portfolio did not benefit from his campaign activities.

"The ad implies a political payoff that never happened," Berman said. "We have taken every single step along the way to be as transparent as possible, to be above board and do this all the right way."

Editor's note, 1:12 p.m.: A previous version of this post said incorrectly that Joel Berman is a spokesman for The Westly Group. Berman is a spokesman for Steve Westly.

Combatants in three closely-watched congressional races in the Sacramento region are starting the general election campaign with relatively even campaign bank accounts, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

In Eastern Sacramento County's CD 7, Republican Rep. Dan Lungren and Democratic challenger Ami Bera are launching the campaign with about $1.2 million each.

In CD 3, which stretches into Yolo County, Democratic Rep. John Garamendi and Republican Kim Vann each have about $200,000 in the bank.

And in San Joaquin's CD 9, Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney and Republican Ricky Gill each reported more than $1 million in cash, but Gill has $153,000 in debt to pay off.

Dan Walters says CalPERS' low earnings could help Gov. Jerry Brown change the pension system.

Have a question you'd like Dan to answer? Post it on our Facebook page.

See other Dan Walters Daily clips here.

VIDEO: In today's report, Dan Walters says bad news for CalPERS may be good news for Gov. Jerry Brown.

Brown's tax initiative - aka Proposition 30 - will be top of mind for California State University trustees as they gather for their board meeting today in Long Beach. On the agenda is a major discussion about what CSU will do if voters reject the tax measure in November, triggering a $250 million cut to the university system.

Two contingency plans are on the table. The first raises student tuition by $150 in January and trims employee pay and benefits by 2.5 percent. The second option keeps tuition level but cuts enrollment by 6,000 students and trims employee compensation by 5.25 percent.

"Nothing but difficult trade-offs" was how Assistant Vice Chancellor Robert Turnage described the situation Monday.

CSU is also looking at saving money by having professors spend less time on research and committee work (and more time in the classroom), increasing tuition by $1,000 for out-of-state and international students, and charging students more for any class they repeat more than once or take beyond 16 credits each semester.

A decision on the contingency cuts is expected in September. Read all the details here.

CSU trustees are also voting today on compensation packages for seven campus presidents, including three who will make more than their predecessors because they're in line for salary supplements from campus foundations.