It didn't take long after Meg Whitman snatched the GOP nomination for fellow gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown to challenge her to ten town hall debates around the state to discuss employment, education, and the state's fiscal crisis. The Democrat argued that the town hall debates would bring variety to a race that he says has so far been dominated by Whitman's scripted advertisements.

“I'm inviting Meg Whitman to join with me to run a campaign that will put the focus on town halls where each of us in an unscripted manner will discuss our positions and answer questions,” Brown said.

According to Mercury News, Whitman, who recently released a 48-page policy book detailing her policy proposals, countered by demanding that Brown “lay out a plan for California” so that there would be “something to debate about.”

Brown, who has spent roughly $400,000 campaigning this year versus Whitman's $71 million, said that the town hall debates would give voters a “full picture” of the two candidates for governor and would make television advertisement more obsolete.

Brown has been playing up his frugality. He currently has $20.6 million in cash on hand for the remainder for the campaign. Whitman, however, is expected to spend an unprecedented $150 million on top of the cash she already spent.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.