The Bee reports that
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been the catalyst
to unifying sometimes uncomfortable labor union bedfellows. California Labor Federation executive secretary-treasurer
Art Pulaski "said unions that haven't worked together since 1998 - when they defeated an initiative that threatened their political fund raising - have joined forces to fight Schwarzenegger."
One such union,
CCPOA, is again
spreading its disdain for the governor, this time in a Union-Trib write-up: "'I think a lot of our membership is surprised by the disdain the Schwarzenegger administration has for their profession,' said
Lance Corcoran, the association's executive vice president. 'It's disrespectful.'"
Meanwhile, Dan Walters
excoriates the education establishment for underreporting high school dropout rates.
Toughest beat, best healthcare: Mark Gladstone continues
his look at the state's prison system and finds "California stands out as the only state where comatose inmates are shackled and guarded -- often on overtime -- for months or longer at community hospitals outside prison walls."
But the Union-Tribune reports the governor may have a difficult time changing the state's prison system, which they call "
budget-draining, accounting-deficient, violence-plagued mess. The governor knows it. Legislators know it. Inmates know it. Schwarzenegger says he wants to tame the mammoth system, and many argue his tough-guy persona makes him the right person for the task. Yet in the past few weeks, it has become clear the governor won't have it easy." The governor's plans will be the focus of a
state Senate hearing on the prison budget Thursday.
The Chron's John Wildermuth takes a
snapshot of the special election fight. "The only reason for these initiatives is if (Schwarzenegger) calls a special election,'' said
Gale Kaufman, who is running the union effort. "If he doesn't go ahead, we pull ours.''
George Skelton says the governor is at a pivotal point of his governorship, and how he handles the attacks from political foes is crucial.
"For the first time,
real bullets are snapping at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ears. They're being fired not just by his professional enemies — Democrats and union leaders — but by angry citizens, such as nurses, teachers and firefighters," Skelton writes. "How Schwarzenegger handles the attacks —
whether he keeps his cool or explodes in a rage, whether he adjusts his tactics or stays stubbornly on course — will largely determine his fate.
Democrats gathered in LA this weekend for
48 hours of news-free Schwarzenegger bashing. And
Phil Angelides hit his central campaign message to Democrats --
I told you so. "'From the day this governor took office, I have stood up to him, no matter how high his poll numbers, no matter how big his megaphone,' Angelides said at a general session Saturday. 'It's wrong for Democrats to go along just to get along.'"
Meanwhile, the Democratic primary seems to have turned into a race between Angelides and
Steve Westly, at least according to the Mercury News.
Bill Lockyer is an afterthought in the paper's convention wrap-up.
Pension woes, LA style. San Diego isn't the only county with pension problems. The county's pension system reported
a $5.6 billion shortfall last June. "Like public employee retirement programs across the state, the county is
still paying for the enormous stock market losses that hit pension fund investments when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000 ... The county is also suffering the consequences of its decision a decade ago to borrow nearly $2 billion in bonds to plug budget shortfalls. The way the bonds were structured, the annual payments on the debt will peak over the next three years."
Finally, if you've seen Roundup co-editor Anthony York's laptop (stolen from the press room at the Demo confab) or the owner of
this finger, e-mail tips@capitolbasement.com.
