JERRY BROWN IS IN. While most of us who follow politics knew all along former Governor Jerry Brown (now California Attorney General) would enter the race for governor on the Democratic side, he waited until the last possible moment to declare his candidacy. On Tuesday, Brown announced he was in. This came a few weeks after Senator Dianne Feinstein said she would not run for governor. Now the drama unfolds, and this will be a very interesting race in the Golden State.

Republican candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner have both said they are running, despite the efforts by Whitman supporters and campaign staff to get Poizner out of the race. Whitman has a substantial lead in the Republican race, but Poizner has enough money (if he uses his own) to beat her up as well. As you know, I’m on Whitman’s agricultural coalition and have given her advice from the Central Valley perspective. She is a dedicated, motivated businesswoman who sees where she wants to go and acts. With her billions and her intellect, she is a formidable candidate. I like her style.

However, Brown called me last week and we talked for about 20 minutes. He has reinvented himself a few times, and after our conversation, I came away very impressed. He continues to be his own man, not influenced by the party establishment, but knowing where he comes from. He told me that he is against raising taxes, and he supports getting business back to prosperity in California. In short, he almost sounded like a Republican. He is reaching out to lots of people, from big business to labor, but no one will tell Jerry Brown what to do. He listens, contemplates and reacts.

As mayor of Oakland, he essentially turned that city around. Today as Attorney General he works mostly out of his offices in Oakland, visiting Sacramento when needed. He is focused and driven, and I expect he will give the Republican winner a lot of grief. Brown is not the guy we knew as governor back in the 70s. The old cliché of “older and wiser” certainly fits him today.

Stay tuned! Politics will be fun this year.

FFA ADMIRED AND SHOULD BE COPIED. Whether you are a student in Newman and Gustine or Modesto and Sacramento, the FFA program is soaring. Teenagers from both farm and non-farm backgrounds are signing up for classes ranging from leadership to animal science. City kids are fascinated by what they are learning, and farm kids love going to class. The FFA program here sees more than three-fourths of the student body passing through its classes, and I’m told that schools in the bigger cities are seeing much of the same. This is remarkable, considering that 98 percent of our students are removed from the farm these days and know very little about where their food comes from. The FFA program is a wonderful way to educate students and their parents about food and fiber and its benefits to the economy throughout the state, and certainly the nation. My hat is off to our West Side programs that do so much good for the students but also our community.