"During his stop in the Inland Empire on Tuesday, Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger pushed voters to support his initiatives on the May
19 ballot," writes Matt Wrye in the San Bernardino Sun.
"Schwarzenegger touted the ballot measures as much-needed reform for the state's budget process while acknowledging that recent tax
increases have proven unpopular with the public.
"'Why is it we have to raise taxes? Because we have a
crazy budget we have to deal with,' he said about California's $42 billion financial hole. 'We knew we couldn't solve it by cuts alone.'
"Schwarzenegger spoke to area business officials at
the 2009 Economic Briefing and Business-to-Business Expo, hosted by The Business Press."
Meanwhile, "[f]ormer state GOP Chairman Mike Schroeder served Assemblyman Anthony Adams with a recall notice on Wednesday evening, about an hour before Adams
began his fundraiser headlined by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"'I handed Adams the petition, he reached out and took
it, and I said, ‘On behalf of the taxpayers of the 59th Assembly District, let the games begin,' said Schroeder, who delivered the notice of intention
to recall Adams, R-Hesperia, just before 5 p.m.
"Recall co-chairs Schroeder and Lee Lowrey, chairman of the conservative Atlas PAC, seek to oust
Adams primarily for signing a no-tax pledge but voting in favor of a budget that includes
$12.5 billion in state tax increases.
"'The second reason is the budget’s still not balanced, even with this massive tax increase,
because we haven’t cut spending enough,' Schroeder said. 'We want to get someone in there who’s going to vote against any more new taxes.'"
Meanwhile, the governor went to bat Wednesday for Adams.
Schwarzenegger "was the key draw at a fundraiser for Assemblyman
Anthony Adams of Hesperia (San Bernardino County), who is fighting for his political future after voting
for the spending plan to close a nearly $42 billion shortfall through June 2010.
"Adams was one of three Assembly GOP votes needed to
clear the two-thirds majority needed to pass the plan, which was
brokered by Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders.
"Julie Soderlund, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger, said the governor
is committed to helping Adams remain in office.
"'The governor believes Assemblyman Adams showed tremendous
leadership ... in preventing the state from going off
the fiscal cliff,' she said."
John Howard reports on one union's divisions over the special election measures.
"Statewide, the 179,000-member America Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, opposes the six ballot propositions, measures 1A through 1F, is calling the budget flawed and fiscally irresponsible.
But the executive board of the 5,000-member AFSCME Local 2620 – its membership composed primarily of state employees
– voted in Burbank to endorse the propositions, calling
the initiative package “a crucial component of the state’s overall budget plan.”
"Willie Pelote, political and legislative director for AFSCME California, said he understood Local 2620’s support because of the looming cuts in state employees. He noted that the local was only one of dozens of AFSCME-linked groups across the state, and that opposition to the ballot proposals is widespread.
But Pelote also said the bulk of AFSCME’s membership would be hurt by the ballot propositions,
if passed, because of the cuts to social-service and other programs, as well as new taxes on
low-and middle income workers. He said he hoped to know
by the end of the week whether his group would campaign
against the initiatives."
"Groups opposing Propositions 1D and 1E on the May 19 special election ballot said Wednesday they are combining forces," reports John Wildermuth in the Chron.
"But the melding o f two cash-strapped organizations into one bigger cash-strapped organization probably doesn't strike fear in the hearts of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
and other supporters of the budget measures on the
ballot.
"Still, it's a move that makes a lot of sense. Both propositions
are designed to take money from ballot measures already
approved by the voters, so the opposition arguments
will be pretty similar.
"Problem is, even in the combined pool there aren't many dollars: Opponents of the measures have raised about $130,000 to fight the governor's plan, which in California politics is barely enough
for a cheap campaign brochure and some yard signs.
"Prop. 1D targets the tobacco tax in 1998's Proposition 10 to fund early childhood services, while Prop. 1E is aimed at Proposition 63's tax on millionaires for mental health services."
Stay on top of the dough flowing to the ballot measures on ElectionTrack.
"Two Florida-based contributors to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have agreed to pay the city's Ethics Commission $108,000 in fines for participating in a scheme to circumvent
the city's fundraising limits in the 2005 election," reports David Zahniser in the Times.
"The fines, if approved by the five-member panel next week, would be the fifth largest
in the agency's 19-year history.
"Sean Anderson and Richard Manhire, owners of Miami-based Travel Traders, agreed to the fines as part of
a settlement in which they admitted to laundering $36,000 in campaign contributions. When combined with fines
from their recent criminal case, total penalties resulting
from the scheme exceed $312,000.
"Anderson and Manhire pleaded guilty two weeks ago to
misdemeanor charges of campaign money laundering. They
had been seeking concessions at L.A. International
Airport."
George Skelton talks to Tom Campbell about his support for Proposition 1A, but opposition to Propositions 1B and 1C, the latter of which would leave a $5 billion hole in the budget.
"How would Campbell plug the hole? He's a fiscal conservative, but also a pragmatist. Would he raise taxes? 'I don't know yet,' he says. 'I try not to be doctrinaire. I hope people realize
that's the best way to govern.'
"First, Campbell says, he would negotiate "substantial givebacks" -- at least 15% -- from public employee unions, threatening unpaid furloughs
if they didn't agree. And he'd ask the Legislature to cut government programs across
the board, probably by 10%.
"Amazingly, he's a politician running for governor and taking positions
without having polled to measure and then mimic voter
views. A true rarity."
The Bee's Jon Ortiz reports that, despite agreement by SEIU
to go along with a once-per-month furlough, the fight over the constitutionals continues.
"The last furlough holdouts – seven statewide elected officials and the independent
Board of Equalization – last month lost a big court fight over whether Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had the authority to furlough
their workers. On Friday, Sacramento Superior Court
Judge Patrick Marlette made his ruling formal.
"Now the so-called "constitutionals" – Attorney General Jerry Brown, Secretary of State Debra
Bowen, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, Treasurer Bill Lockyer, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi,
Controller John Chiang and the BOE – are gearing up for an appeal. (Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, the lone Republican
constitutional, hasn't imposed furloughs but hasn't fought them, either.)
"'The governor's made it clear in the past that he views us as pests
that get in the way of his agenda,' said Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar. 'We're confident that we'll prevail on appeal.'
"So far, the statewide officers haven't followed the governor's order that their 15,000 employees take two unpaid days per month, About 220,000 or so state workers are taking furloughs."
"The University of California's huge workforce could face salary cuts and furloughs if the state's economy continues its downward spiral, UC President
Mark Yudof has told his staff," reports Jim Doyle in the Chron.
"In a memo this week, Yudof said he has instructed his
top deputies to "begin planning for the possibility of employee furloughs
and/or temporary and permanent salary reductions" as a response to the state's continuing budget crisis.
"While the memo reflects only a general direction, Yudof
said he hopes to have a detailed plan developed by
the time UC's governing Board of Regents meets next month.
"'Our hope is not to have to enact this policy. It's certainly an act of last resort,' said Mary Croughan, chair of the university's Academic Senate."
And finally, is a love of tofu obscene?
"One woman's love for tofu has been judged X-rated by state
officials. Kelly Coffman-Lee wanted to tell the world about her
fondness for bean curd by picking certain letters for
her SUV's license plate. Her suggestion for the plate: "ILVTOFU." But the Division of Motor Vehicles blocked her plan
because they thought the combination
of letters could be interpreted as profane.
"Says Department of Revenue spokesman Mark Couch: 'We don't allow 'FU' because some people could read that as street language for sex.'
"The 38-year-old Coffman-Lee says tofu is a staple of her family's diet because they are vegan and that the DMV misinterpreted her message."