Top Ten Excuses/Reasons Republicans Aren't Supporting Governor's Budget*

*"Republicans in the Legislature spoiled an effort by Democrats to meet [the June 15] constitutional deadline for passing a state budget, calling the plan too expensive -- although it differed little from the one proposed by the Republican governor a month ago." (Los Angeles Times, June 16, 2005)

10. Mad because they didn't get invited to the "Bewitched" showing at the Crest.
9. Elderly still getting assistance.
8. No special tax breaks for yacht-owners? Harrumph!
7. "The dog ate my homework," or as McCarthy says "Haven't even had a chance to read it"
6. Still trying to pitch school-lunch cuts as "Reducing Childhood Obesity" program.
5. Too busy preparing hearings on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences decision to reject a "Best Stunt Coordinator" award. (See Governor's press release on subject):
4. Ackerman's running for Congress (No. Wait...That's not right.)
3. No calculator function in iPods McCarthy gave to his caucus.
2. Doesn't do enough for the homeless. (The second-homeless and the vacation-homeless, that is.)
1. Waiting for Industrial Light and Magic to add more special effects.

GOP: It Ain’t About Reform, It’s All About Position

California Republicans have left no doubt that their interests in this year’s special election lie in “positioning” for a power grab, not “reform”.

At Brooks Firestone’s annual GOP retreat a week or so ago, the speakers “concentrated on the special election, saying their party's future and Schwarzenegger's political prospects hinged on the outcome. ‘If we all come together, those initiatives will pass, and if those initiatives pass in November, we will have a lot of statewide officeholders the following November in the year 2006,’ said Republican state Sen. Abel Maldonado.” (Associated Press, June 13, 2005)

This after “Senate Republican leader Richard Ackerman on [May 18] said his caucus is less likely to acquiesce to Democrats' demands during budget talks this year because a long fight could benefit Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political position in a special election.” (Sacramento Bee, May 19, 2005)

This past weekend, at another Republican political event, Assembly Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said “he views the upcoming special election as one way to win back grassroots support… ‘We have not seen this type of excitement since the recall,’ he said. ‘The Republicans are in a very good position.’” (San Luis Obispo Tribune, June 27, 2005)

Well, maybe wasting $80 million of the taxpayers’ money on a power grab is what passes for “excitement” among hard-core GOP circles, but it’s hardly the word the rest of California would use.

According to the latest Field Poll, “More voters oppose (52%) than favor (37%) the Governor’s call for a November special election….” And, “when voters are informed of the special election’s estimated costs, voters reject the idea overwhelmingly [61% to 28%]”. (Field Poll, June 21, 2005)

Regardless of their collective tin ear, it’s refreshing to hear the truth from Republicans for once about the special election. For the Minority Leader and his crew it’s not about good policy, or helping the people they were elected to serve -- it’s all about “position.”

Fortunately, Californians see right through the GOP bait-and-switch. Voters are catching on to the fact that if the Chamber-driven, Republican-supported ballot initiatives pass, they could find themselves in another, less-flattering, position…

###

Helpful Energy-Saving Tips for the Governor

As the summer season kicks off, we have a few helpful energy saving tips for the Governor:

• Please keep the lights off in your Capitol office when you are not using it, which is pretty much all the time.
• Stop using your high-powered stage lights at your campaign events. We have tracked the state’s power usage and have seen a massive spike in energy usage on the days that the Governor does an event.
• Stop blowing hot air. Clearly the voters have already rejected the hot air you have been blowing the past six months.

Speaking of energy, this has been a tough week for the Governor’s energy plan. After pledging to “blow up the boxes” and talking about massive energy reorganization, the Governor’s scaled back energy reorganization plan was finally dropped on the Legislature last month.

Today’s newspapers report that this plan is hitting a few more bumps in the road:

• “Parts of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ambitious plan to create a Cabinet-level energy agency headed by a statewide energy czar are unconstitutional, the Legislature's legal counsel said in an opinion made public on the eve of a key hearing on the governor's proposal. Schwarzenegger's plan to consolidate the work of a number of state commissions and departments into a new California Department of Energy would unconstitutionally infringe on the authority of the state Public Utilities Commission to approve the siting of electricity transmission lines, natural gas pipelines and natural gas storage facilities, according to an opinion by Legislative Counsel Diane F. Boyer-Vine. Boyer-Vine issued the opinion at the request of state Senate President Don Perata (D-Oakland), an opponent of the Schwarzenegger plan. Late Wednesday, Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer submitted a similar legal opinion to the state Little Hoover Commission, a 13-member independent panel that promotes efficiency and effectiveness in state government programs.” (Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2005)
  

###

Gov. Takes Plunge in Voter Approval Dunk Tank

Earlier this year, the Governor told the Sacramento Bee “"They know that my approval rating is in the 60s," he said…"The legislators' (are) in the 30s ... and you will see all those TV ads and those radio ads and those newspaper ads just to try to bring my poll numbers down. Those poor little guys. They're trying very hard...

"They may have a wonderful dream about that. But the reality is very sad for them. The reality is that they're not going to get my numbers down..." (Sacramento Bee, 2/12/05)

Four months later, the latest Field Poll numbers for the Governor are out and the San Francisco Chronicle (6/21/05) tells us “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suddenly ranks among the most unpopular governors in modern California history …”

Here’s a sampling of today’s headlines:

San Diego Union Tribune:
Governor Gets Chilling Numbers
'Self-inflicted' trouble sends approval rating tumbling in survey

San Francisco Chronicle:
Support for Governor Plunging Poll Finds Special Election, Budget Unpopular Among Californians

San Jose Mercury News:
Governor's Shrinking Popularity
New Poll Shows Support Dipping As He Stumps For His Initiatives

Riverside Press Enterprise:
Trouble for Governor
Approval-rating Just 37%; Fall Election Opposed

According to the Field Poll, only 31 percent of adult Californians approve of the Governor’s job performance.

Mark DiCamillo from the Field Poll says it best: “It's a very broad rejection of the governor across lots of different segments of the public.'' (Sacramento Bee, 6/21/05)

Underscoring this “broad rejection,” the survey also tells us the Governor’s approval rating with his own party plunged nearly 20 percentage points. (Field Poll, 6/20/05)

So, where do we go now? As the Governor is fond of saying, let’s ask the people: “Voters would back the Legislature over the governor in a confrontation over important issues.” (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/21/05)

Historically, Governors’ whose poll numbers tank don’t fare too well in California. One of the respondents of the Field Poll – John Geller from Oroville -- made this ominous statement: “Every time there's a decision to be made, he wants to go to the voters. If he does that, why do we need him?” (Sacramento Bee, 6/21/05)

###

Happy Father’s Day Abel!

State Senator Abel Maldonado had a little Father’s Day gift from the Editorial Board at his local paper, the Santa Maria Times.

Here are a few choice paragraphs from his hometown daily. Remember, these folks endorsed him for State Senate and they know his record:

“Now, only a few months after taking the oath of office for his first term in the Senate, Maldonado has announced his intention to run for state controller.

“It seems the young man with political goals has turned into just another ambitious politician, clamoring for whatever job he can get. You have to wonder what happened to the idealism and the promises he made while campaigning for those offices.

“We are surprised and disappointed that Maldonado would be looking to move on so soon after being elected to the Senate. We are strongly opposed to him bailing out of his commitment to Central Coast residents, just seven months after being elected.

“We would encourage him to reconsider his decision to run for controller, and we would urge residents of the Central Coast not to vote for him if he does run…

“We can all appreciate spunk and ambition in a political candidate, but more important is meeting commitments already made. Maldonado has had a singularly unspectacular career in public office, with far more smiles and handshakes than actual accomplishments with regard to creating good public policy.

(“What Happened to Commitment?”, Editorial, Santa Maria Times, June 19, 2005)

What Do You Gotta Do to Get a GOP Vote Around Here?

Two weeks ago, the United States accused Saudi Arabia and 13 other nations of failing to stop the modern-day slave trade in prostitutes, child sex workers and forced laborers. The State Department said that these nations would be subject to sanctions if they do not crack down.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, “Trafficking in human beings is nothing less than a modern form of slavery. The United States has a particular duty to fight this scourge because trafficking in persons is an affront to the principles of human dignity and liberty upon which this nation was founded.”

(Saturday, June 4, 2005. “US Accuses Nations on Human Trafficking.” Associated Press)

Who would be against upholding our nation’s principles of human dignity and liberty?

Twenty-two members of the California Republican Assembly Caucus.

When Assemblymember Sally Lieber tried to crack down on human trafficking, twenty-two members of the Assembly Republican Caucus opposed her new law.

Lieber’s bill (AB 22) would establish civil and criminal penalties for trafficking in human beings, allow for the forfeiture of assets derived from human trafficking, create an Anti-Trafficking Advisory Task Force and add human trafficking to the list of crimes that the Attorney General is to give priority.

What’s going on? Did the California Chamber of Commerce add this bill to their “job-killer” list?

NO VOTES (11):

Daucher, Emmerson, Harman, La Malfa, La Suer, Maze, Mountjoy, Nakanishi

Plescia, Strickland, Wyland

ABSENT, ABSTAINING, OR NOT VOTING (11):

Benoit, Cogdill, Haynes, Houston, Keene, McCarthy, Niello, Sharon Runner, Spitzer, Villines, Walters

Conference Me In

Are you wondering what Governor Schwarzenegger is up to today?

According the today’s Capitol Morning Report, Governor Schwarzenegger has no public events planned and is holding private meetings in Sacramento.

Private meetings? Is he meeting with Legislators to complete the budget? Think again. A Los Angeles Times story from last week reveals he’s holding a conference call today with his big money contributors to give an update on his “phenomenon of anger” tour.

“The governor participated in a call with donors two weeks ago and is expected to do so again June 16. Presumably, that will be after he signs an executive order scheduling the special election, so he can take to voters some of his proposals for changing state government.” (Los Angeles Times, June 5, 2005)

Let’s hope he’s not making those calls from his office.

###

Kick off the Campaign the old fashioned way – scare the #*%@ out of them…

Yesterday Governor Schwarzenegger announced his special election to “reform” our state and today he paid a visit to a home in San Diego to campaign against “tweaking” Proposition 13. Huh?

According to the Governor, recent talk in Sacramento prompted him to speak about the dangers of changing Proposition 13. Has the Governor been talking to his financial advisor Warren Buffet again?

“Citing the inequity of the property taxes he pays on his homes in Omaha, Neb., and Laguna Beach, Buffett said the California cap on property taxes imposed by Prop. 13 ‘makes no sense.’” (San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, August 16, 2003)

Or maybe he overheard Pete Wilson talking about his opposition to Prop 13 when it was on the ballot in 1978?

Whatever the case, the Governor decided to stop praising vigilantes on talk radio and instead decided to scare senior citizens. http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/06/15/mn_specialelection2744.jpg

Maybe if the Governor were in Sacramento (or the state for that matter) long enough to know what has going on in the Capitol, he would know that there is no plan to raise property taxes.

I guess if the Governor can’t get traction on his flawed initiative package he has to keep changing the subject…

From the “finger in the wind” file…

Now that Steve Poizner, the $6 million failed Assembly candidate has moved into the race for insurance commissioner, state Senator Abel Maldonado has announced for State Controller, just six months after being elected to the state Senate in the 15^th District. This was after telling the San Luis Obispo Tribune in April that he was considering a bid for insurance commissioner.

In his announcement Maldonado told the San Luis Obispo Tribune (June 9, 2005) –

“‘I just think it's one of the most important jobs in state government -- to stop runaway spending -- and I think I've got a proven track record for that,’ he said Wednesday, two days after filing with the secretary of state.”

Let’s flashback to the good old days when the state was running a budget surplus and Mr. Runaway Spending was singing a different tune.

According to a Los Angeles Times article on budget pork (June 7, 2001):

“One submission left little question as to which lawmaker was behind it: $500,000 for the final phase of the Abel Maldonado Youth Center in Santa Maria. The item was among those being sought by Assemblyman Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria).”

Maybe we should head down to Santa Maria to get a photo of the youth center for the campaign brochure…

###

You Be the Judge

With the US Senate confirmation of Janice Rogers Brown to a federal judgeship yesterday, Governor Schwarzenegger has the opportunity appoint her successor on the California Supreme Court. This also gives us an opportunity to take a closer look as his record on appointments.

“Based on a Mercury News review of Schwarzenegger's judicial appointments to date, he is lagging behind in selecting female and minority judges, a fact legal experts predict will add pressure to choosing a black person or a woman to fill Brown's post. Of his 57 new judge appointments, the governor has picked 13 women, or 23 percent, compared to 35 percent of the hundreds of Davis judges.” (San Jose Mercury News, June 9, 2005)

“According to Schwarzenegger's office, among the governor's 57 judicial appointees, African Americans are ‘1.75 percent’ of those who chose to identify themselves by race. In other words, one. She's Dorothy Reyes, a Democrat and former insurance defense lawyer named to the Superior Court in Los Angeles. The score is the same so far for Latinos. The sole Schwarzenegger judge is former public defender Alex Ricciardulli, also a Democrat now sitting on the Los Angeles trial bench.” (Sacramento Bee, June 9, 2005)

One Latino and one African-American…way to go.

“‘The numbers speak glaringly to the lack of women and minority appointments so far,’ said Chris Arriola, a San Jose prosecutor and chair of the judicial committee for La Raza Lawyers of California.” (San Jose Mercury News, June 9, 2005)

The Governor’s lack of outreach for qualified candidates is not limited to judicial appointments. If he has his way, his budget will cut $21.1 million for UC, $7 million for CSU from enrollment growth and outreach programs. (Source: Legislative Analyst’s Office, Analysis of the 2005-06 Budget Bill, February 2005)

It comes as no surprise that a member of the Governor’s own transition team, Carlos Olamendi, an Orange County businessman and Republican activist, lamented, “I think his advisers have shown a lack of experience and knowledge in the Latino community…That is very sad, No. 1, and also very dangerous politically." (Sacramento Bee, June 4, 2005)

###

One Night In Paris…

The Schwarzenegger money-grubbing operation knows no bounds.

The governor once campaigned against special interest fundraising but is now raising millions from corporations and others who have business before the State.

And now, it seems, he has absolutely no problem keeping money from characters of questionable reputation, including $10,000 in dirty money from a man under investigation for defrauding Ohio of $15 million and even a contribution from scandalous socialite Paris Hilton.

Saturday’s San Jose Mercury News reported that Schwarzenegger is refusing to return $10,000 from Tom Noe, a prominent Ohio coin dealer under investigation for possibly defrauding his state of millions. This despite the fact that President Bush, the Republican National Committee and Ohio politicians have returned more than $66,000 in questionable contributions.

White House spokesman Scottt McClellan said, ``I think that there are some serious allegations that have been raised against this individual. They have raised concerns with people in Ohio. They have raised concerns with the White House. And the president felt it was the right thing to return those contributions that came directly from him.” (San Jose Mercury News, 06-03-05)

Among the hundreds of thousands of dollars from Big Business interests in a Friday night massive dump of late contribution reports from Schwarzenegger’s California Recovery Team, was a $5,000 contribution from Club Paris LLC in Orlando, FL.

Club Paris is Paris Hilton’s nightclub, described as “THE place to party in Orlando. Featuring over 22,000 square feet of dance areas, state-of-the-art light and sound systems, and a decadent VIP section that includes a cozy boudoir area perfect for intimate encounters.” http://www.clubparis.net/vip/

Hmm? I wonder if the contribution comes with a free car wash? http://www.carlsjr.com/ontv

###

The Sky is Falling…

The Chamber of Commerce (err…I mean, the CA Recovery Team) has launched a new television ad that is loosely tied together by rubber bands, scotch tape and poll-driven catch phrases.

The ad features an announcer, playing the role of Chicken Little, highlighting a litany of warmed over Republican scare tactics about tax increases, including that old favorite – the dismantling of Proposition 13.

Coming to our rescue is the great “Reformer” Governor Schwarzenegger with a budget plan built on broken promises.

Let’s turn the tables for a moment and see what an ad highlighting the Republican’s grand budget plan might look like.

The script of the ad would go something like this:

• Announcer: Republican Legislators under pressure from big business contributors and conservative think tanks have a new state budget plan. Their plan includes:
• Gutting the state constitutional guarantee of minimum school funding…
• Holding out for tax breaks for millionaire yacht owners and corporate tax loopholes…
• and above all refusing to compromise, instead creating even more gridlock in Sacramento.
• A better plan…stop the partisan bickering and call on Governor Schwarzenegger to end his out-of-state fundraising jaunts and work on a plan that includes real solutions – not poll-driven distractions.
• Parent: What happened to the people’s Governor who was going to bring everyone together to rebuild California?
  

###

Just Another Politician

In the first of what are expected to be a string of reversals from newspapers that endorsed the Governor in the recall election, the Chico Enterprise Record today blasted the Governor, calling him “just another politician.”

In an editorial titled “Governor doesn't live up to promise,” the Record reconsiders its October 2003 endorsement of Schwarzenegger. The paper writes:

“The choices in the October 2003 recall election of Gov. Gray Davis were uninspiring. Our headline on the editorial page said it all: ‘Hold your nose and vote for Schwarzenegger.’

“He wasn't a politician. He vowed to eliminate government debt, attract jobs and reform a state government in need of drastic changes. He talked famously about ‘blowing up boxes’ and assured everyone he had the strength and courage to get it done.

“As Schwarzenegger hits the midway point of his term and considers whether to run again next year, this much is obvious - he has become just another politician. He seems more interested in raising money than keeping his promises, and more interested in hearing himself talk than worrying about the implications of his words.

“Indeed. The Governor has broken promise after promise.

“Whatever happened to reducing the number of commissions and commissioners, people who make six-figure salaries for attending a few meetings a year?... He picks fights, then backs down. One day he's angry at nurses, the next day it's teachers, the next day it's Indian casinos, the next day it's illegal immigrants. As soon as any of the groups fight back, he apologizes and tries to be chummy again.

“It should be no surprise that the actor-turned-politician doesn't have all things figured out. But he should at least be wise enough to keep his mouth shut until he does. To use the governor's words, we want ‘action, action, action.’ Instead, we've received too many misguided promises.” (Chico Enterprise Record, Editorial, June 1, 2005)

Not Worth the Paper It’s Printed on

Today, Governor Schwarzenegger issued an Executive Order to establish new greenhouse gas emission targets for California. This made-for-TV event will have the same impact on the environment as his call for a ban on campaign contributions during the budget cycle had on fundraising – none.

Instead of attempting to grab headlines and manufacturing an artificial “break” from the Bush Administration, why not really send a message by introducing legislation to implement real change?

If Schwarzenegger really wants to demonstrate his commitment to the environment, why not get behind AB 1365 (Ruskin), which would require inclusion in the state planning priorities the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 7 percent by 2010 and 10 percent by 2020 based on the 1990 greenhouse gas emission levels? Nah, better to just issue an executive order that is silent on how to reach its goals and enforce reductions.

The Governor’s budget for next year has no money or direction for environmental agencies to implement the plan. It’s not really leadership to issue an executive order that has no effect and will not take place for 10 to 40 years.

It’s a hard to take this administration’s “commitment to greenhouse gas emission reductions seriously. This governor has said that he cares about the environment, but has vetoed legislation that would have helped achieve the same goals he now claims to support.

Last year, for example, he vetoed SB 1478 which was strongly supported by environmental groups and which sought to increase the amount of renewable energy used in the state by 20% by the year 2020.

###