Hey, I’ve Seen This Before…

With the Cesar Chavez holiday upon us, it looks like the Schwarzenegger Administration is continuing to stick a needle on the eyes of working Californians.

According to a Mercury News story earlier this week, “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's idea of a tribute to [Cesar] Chavez -- to work on Thursday -- is sending an uneasy message to those who worked hard to secure the holiday in the first place.”

When asked if the governor was going to do anything to commemorate the state holiday, a Schwarzenegger aide said, “Certainly there can be no better homage to Cesar Chavez than working.”

Others disagree. ``He doesn't see Cesar Chavez as worthy of having his own holiday,'' said Ray Baeza, chair of the Latino Caucus for the Service Employees International Union, Local 715, in San Jose. ``Perhaps he should go down to the fields and honor farm workers and the great work they do.'' (San Jose Mercury News, March 30, 2005)

In any event, the Schwarzenegger operation does seem to have taken a few shortcuts today. Witness the amazing similarities between today’s Chavez Day Proclamation issued by the Governor’s Office and the bio on the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation Website:

- Proclamation: “Cesar Estrada Chavez was a farm worker, civil rights leader, spiritual figure, environmentalist, consumer advocate and crusader for nonviolent change.”

- Foundation: “Cesar was a civil rights, Latino, farm worker, and labor leader; a religious and spiritual figure; a community servant and social entrepreneur; a crusader for nonviolent social change; and an environmentalist and consumer advocate.”

- Proclamation: “Cesar Chavez founded the first successful farm workers union in American history. His vision inspired an organization whose mission was to reclaim dignity, fair wages, medical coverage, benefits and humane living conditions, as well as many other fundamental rights for hundreds of thousands of people.”

- Foundation: “For more than three decades Cesar led the first successful farm workers union in American history, achieving dignity, respect, fair wages, medical coverage, pension benefits, and humane living conditions, as well as countless other rights and protections for hundreds of thousands of farm workers.”

While imitation can be considered the sincerest form of flattery, one would think the people Cesar Chavez championed deserve more than a cut-and-paste job to honor his memory.

Let’s hope the folks in the Horseshoe at least took some time for lunch today, something the Schwarzenegger Administration tried to deny workers via emergency regulations to change the rules concerning when workers can take meal breaks.

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PLEASE END THE PHONY KITCHEN CABINET TOUR

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

Potemkin village \puh-TEM(P)-kin\ n.
Something that appears elaborate and impressive but in actual fact lacks substance:
[After Grigori Aleksandrovich POTEMKIN, who had elaborate fake villages constructed for Catherine the Great's tours of the Ukraine and the Crimea.]
____________________________________________________

Today in California, Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin, has been replaced by Alan Zaremberg, President and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce.

Playing the role of Catherine the Great is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger riding a Hummer from village to village.

So far his carefully managed tour has reached such far flung villages as Fresno and Long Beach. Hiding behind the façade built by the Chamber of Commerce and called “reform,” the Governor has met with real people.

These commoners were handpicked by the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce (recently named the California Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Partner of the Year) and the Fresno Chamber of Commerce. The highlights include:

Clips from Long Beach (Long Beach Press Telegram, March 12, 2005):

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's motorcade rolled into one of Long Beach's historic neighborhoods Friday for his first Citizens' Kitchen Cabinet' meeting, giving seven local residents a chance to pitch their questions on redistricting, unions and government downsizing in an unusually intimate setting.

All were connected through the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the governor's visit.

At the end of the meeting, the governor handed out petitions to the group and enlisted their help in gathering the 600,000 signatures needed to get each of his reforms on the California ballot this fall. His top reforms cover redistricting, public employee pensions, and education.
After shaking hands and thanking his hosts, Schwarzenegger walked to his heavily guarded car and declared his first Kitchen Cabinet meeting a success.

"It was unbelievable," he told reporters. "I learned a lot from my new Kitchen Cabinet, and it was a wonderful thing. It's great to be out here with the people."


In Long Beach, the governor’s “kitchen cabinet” was hand picked by the Long Beach Chamber, which also put big money into the governor’s choice for Assembly, Steve Kuykendall. Their PAC contributed over $50,000.00 to Kuykendall. Here is a little background on some of the common folk:

* Janet Nguyen, billed as a newly elected member of the Garden Grove City Council, she also is the Vice President of Government Affairs for the Long Beach Chamber and the lead staffer for the Chamber’s PAC.
* Cheri Kinley, billed as a stay at home mom, she is married to a Board Member of the Long Beach Chamber who also chairs the Chamber’s Government Affairs Council and sits on the Chamber’s PAC committee.
* Kathleen Thurmond, the business owner who hosted the event, happens to be a donor to the Long Beach Chamber PAC.
* Doug Carpenter, owns Paragon Steel and donated money to the governor’s candidate in Long Beach and the recall election.
* Edward Wallace, owns a Landscaping company and donated money to the governor’s candidate in Long Beach.


Clips from Fresno (Fresno Bee, Thursday March 24, 2005):

His main focus was a series of proposals aimed at giving the governor more control over state spending, turning redistricting over to retired judges, changing the way public school teachers are paid and altering the state pension fund.

Schwarzenegger said he likes to visit "with ordinary citizens" to hear their concerns and ideas.

Garcia asked the governor to consider the financial outlook for hospitals, particularly those such as Community that treat large percentages of uninsured patients.

Schwarzenegger was sympathetic and said officials must work on getting health insurance to more people.

The common folk in Fresno included:

· Anne Speake, billed as president of Harbison International Inc., is also former President of the Fresno Chamber and its PAC.

· Barbara Farris, billed as homemaker, is a member of the Fresno County Republican Central Committee (District 5).


Hey Governor – end the phony Chamber of Commerce home tour and get back to work on the real issues facing this state. Maybe YOU can be one of those officials getting health insurance to more people (like that Healthy Families Program that you raved about during the recall campaign…)

MARCH 22, 2005

Latest Poll Shows California Voters Want All Children Covered By Health Insurance

A poll commissioned by the California Endowment and released today shows that Californians want all children to have health insurance. According to the poll, almost 90% of California voters identify the lack of quality health care for children as a serious problem and almost 80% support a plan to “ensure that every child in California has health insurance.”

Just 18 months ago, then candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged to make children’s health care a priority. Here are his words from the September 24, 2003 debate at CSU Sacramento:

“It's important that we take care of our children. We have to make sure that every child in California is insured. I'm very passionate about children's issues. We have to take care of our children and our seniors [because] they cannot fend for themselves. The children, we have a Healthy Family Program here in California. It's a very, very good program. It's supposed to insure people to get health care, for children and also for their parents if they're low-income people. The only problem with the program right now is only 2/3 of the people that are eligible are not having that health care. And because the government has not done a good job of reaching out and finding the people and letting them know to sign up and to find easy ways for them to sign up. And so that is really terrible. I will immediately go out there and promote it, and market it and get it out there, so everyone knows about it and everyone signs up, because we must insure our families, the low-income families, especially the children.”

So, what has he done? His first budget would have capped enrollment in Healthy Families coverage to deny over 114,000-159,000 children of low-income families basic health coverage in the first year. Currently, 300,000 children up to 250% of the federal poverty level are eligible but not enrolled.

To date Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not held a single event promoting the Healthy Families program…

Haynes’ Version of the Absentee Voter Program

Are taxpayers getting their money’s worth from Assemblymember Ray Haynes? Haynes is drawing fire for failing to appear for a single meeting of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee he was assigned to last year, according to records from the Assembly Budget Committee.

One would think it would be hypocritical to bill yourself as tough on state spending and then not to even show up for work. Sounds like Haynes is more showhorse than workhorse.

The Assembly Budget Committee is responsible for the writing of the state’s budget. It has five subcommittees that tackle portions of the budget. Haynes served on the subcommittee that focused on health and human services. According to committee records, Haynes did not attend any of the dozens of meetings the committee held, and failed to cast a single vote in subcommittee. Haynes was not reappointed to the Budget Committee this year.

Arnold’s Kitchen Cabinet Has No Shelves

We hear Governor Schwarzenegger is heading to Fresno tomorrow to meet with another Chamber of Commerce-selected group of “average” citizens. Last week, the Governor met with his “kitchen cabinet” in Long Beach where the Chamber-selected “average” citizens asked him about such urgent issue items as reapportionment and merit pay. That’s funny, the most pressing issues in LA County, according to the most recent PPIC survey are crime and gangs, education funding and transportation. In Fresno, the most pressing issues are air pollution, jobs, growth and gangs. How much you want to bet the questions out of Fresno will mirror the Governor’s initiative agenda?

Anyone Remember That Sweeping Reform Agenda?

Just over 18 months ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his sweeping political reform proposals. At the time candidate Schwarzenegger said, “The people of this state do not trust their government. They feel it is corrupted by dirty money, closed doors and backroom deals. They see the contributions go in, the favors go out, and they get punished with wasteful spending and high taxes. For democracy to be strong, we must bring the trust back to government,”

According to official Join Arnold campaign documents, the proposal included a complete Fundraising Blackout which would cover the governor, the lieutenant governor, and all members of the Legislature and prohibit any campaign fundraising.

The blackout period would run from the day the governor submits his budget proposal to the Legislature to the day the budget is signed and certified as balanced by the state controller.

“It’s no coincidence that during the budget season from January to the summer is when the Sacramento politicians raise their money,” Schwarzenegger said. “As governor, I will ban all fundraising by state officials during the budget process.” (Join Arnold Press Release - September 18, 2003 Schwarzenegger Lays Out Agenda for Sweeping Political Reform in Sacramento)

Just as he doesn’t consider himself a politician, I guess he doesn’t consider himself to be a state official.

Since unveiling his budget in January, The Governor has traveled to New York and Washington, DC to attend fundraisers hosted by corporate executives and drug company CEO’s and raised over a million dollars into his campaign committees.

Californians for Schwarzenegger - 2006 $818,700
Schwarzenegger's California Recovery Team $304,900

He has another fundraiser tonight in Irvine. Doing the “people’s business” for sure.