We have a few words of advice for Abel: Don’t do it.

Sure, Gov. Maldonado has a nice ring, but after sustaining back-to-back losses to Gavin Newsom and Lois Capps, your political career is badly in need of a “W.” And have you not seen those stats lately? Only 30 percent of California voters are registered GOP, and any Republican who tries to unseat Jerry Brown is destined for sacrificial lambhood.

Sure, the Republican Party needs a candidate, but it doesn’t have to be you. Maybe somebody could invite Sarah Palin to take up residence in California? That would give you a chance to enjoy a few years of R&R. But if you absolutely must run for something, we heard that Santa Maria had an opening on the City Council.

Oh, and about those Republicans who are encouraging you to run for gov? Forget about them. They are not your friends, and if they keep it up, we suggest you offer them generous servings of Santa Maria style brickbats.

Paso smart to research its streets

Just how bad are the streets of Paso Robles?

The city is about to spend $150,000 to find out.

On a 3-2 vote, the council decided this week to hire a consultant to assess city streets before any repairs are done — an expenditure some criticized as a waste of money.

We had similar reservations, until we remembered the chip-sealing fiasco on Highway 1 in Cambria.

So, if it requires a $150,000 engineering study to help ensure that road repairs are done correctly the first time, we support the decision. We look forward to traveling Paso’s well-paved roads with a load of bouquets when the work is done.

We’ll miss the Taste of San Luis

The Taste of San Luis, a longtime fundraiser for the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association’s programs, has been canceled — but we’re still hungry. We offer a bittersweet bouquet to the organizers of this delicious evening of music, food and wine, to say not “au revoir,” but “à plus tard” — see you later. We look forward to whatever innovative event the Downtown Association creates in its absence.

Say hello to @bentleymurdock

Here’s something u can tweet about: SLO has its first social media ambassador. He is Bentley Murdock, a poet and professional musician chosen from among 44 applicants for the one-year, $50,000 appointment.

Bentley will promote local events and hotels via social media such as Twitter and Facebook — a smart move by the Tourism Business Improvement District, which is funding the position. We wish Bentley best of luck in the blogosphere, and toss him a SLO-grown bouquet of hashtags and roses.