Capitol Alert

SAN FRANCISCO - It is less than three weeks before Election Day, and Gov. Jerry Brown is finally out and about, reveling in his characteristically awkward, unscripted stride.

In one speech lasting less than 15 minutes, the Democratic governor described his desire to limit his hand gestures while speaking and to be an "all-purpose candidate," before taking a message he said came from outer space.

Brown, taking to the podium a sign for Proposition 30, his Nov. 6 ballot measure to raise taxes, said, "I'm going to hold onto it, so that way I won't make as many gestures."

He said, "I don't know where I learned that, but I'm talking more and more with my hands."

SAN FRANCISCO - Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday accused opponents of his Nov. 6 ballot measure to raise taxes of illegal money laundering, saying the committee that accepted an $11 million donation from an out-of-state group is shielding the identities of its donors because it is ashamed of them.

"I think it's crucial to find out about this stuff, and I think the law of California is violated in this respect: A committee, when it gets money, particularly of $11 million, has a duty to understand where it comes from," Brown told reporters after speaking to members of the California Teachers Association at a campaign event here. "Is this money from a foreign source? That's illegal. Is it money from terrorists? That's illegal. Or what? So, in order to assure yourself that everything is up and up, you've got to find out where it is."