Yes, Whitman is opening up a campaign office in East LA

A Whitman campaign office in East LA?  Sounds crazy but it's true.

When Whitman opened her office in east Los Angeles, which has twice as many Democrats as Republicans, more than twice as many demonstrators than supporters showed up.

They criticized Whitman for saying she opposed Proposition 187 - even though she didn't live in California when state voters approved the anti-illegal immigrant measure in 1994 - while at the same time employing former Gov. Pete Wilson, the architect of the measure, as her campaign chairman.

Jessica Millan Patterson, the director of Whitman's field operations, understands the reaction. She grew up around here, the daughter of a union truck driver, and was married at the nearby Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church.

Boxes filled with Spanish translations of Whitman's jobs plan fill the office, with Whitman posters on the wall reading "Mas Trabajos" - more jobs. Volunteers soon will be swarming the surrounding neighborhoods to distribute the materials. This week, state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, said, "We should applaud (Whitman)" for opening an office in the neighborhood.

If Whitman makes just a small inroad with the minority vote in neighborhoods like East LA, the Jerry Brown campaign is in major trouble,