In our dream world, this is the ad the Angelides camp would run next…

[Slow walking shot of Mr Angelides, maybe walking through a fancy neighborhood or along a beach. Malibu, perhaps.] Mr Angelides: My opponent has accused me of wanting to raise taxes on working families. He says he thinks of taxes as “a last resort.” I and my advisors are very much aware of the difficulty of being middle class in this state and one of my objectives when I get in office will be to do everything I can to fix that.
I will not raise taxes on the middle class. But taxes are the dues we pay to live in a civilized society, not a last resort, and the big question we have to ask is who pays. Yes, I am going to ask those who have benefited the most from the investments those who have come before us have made to step up to the plate. Right now we ask poor and middle class families to pay almost the same amount in taxes as the rich. [cut to simplified version of the chart from this CTJ study] All I am proposing is that we fix that in the most equitable way possible.
I know no one likes paying taxes, but they are an investment in our future. Join me and we’re going to really rebuild this state.

We can hope, right?