First Take: Brown, Whitman waste no time. State tax collections rise

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Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown came out swinging as the general election officially gets underway.

Brown compared Whitman’s campaign to a Nazi propagandist.

Whitman launched a new TV ad, while allies of Brown launched a spot of their own.

The GOP nominee did agree to a debate in October, nine fewer than Brown wants before election day.

In other news, the state’s tax collections were more than $500 million higher than expected for May.

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-- Anthony York in Sacramento