As Election Day nears, expect the Steve Westly gubernatorial campaign to make greater use of Anita Yu Westly, a Chinese immigrant with who could help significantly with Asian voters, who make up about 11 percent of the California electorage.

The Asian-Pacific Islander voter is heavily Democratic, but varies widely by country of origin. Chinese and Hmong are the most decidedly Democratic. Anita Westly said she intends to become more active in all voter outreach efforts, but particularly in Asian communities.

There is one slight problem, however. Anita Westly was born in Hong Kong, and her native tongue is Cantonese. Most Chinese immigrants in California speak Mandarin.

Anita Westly says she's taking lessons, but acknowledges that her 5-year-old son is probably doing a little better than Mom in picking up the language...