President Bush is
coming to town tonight to raise $1 million, before attending tomorrow's dedication ceremony for the retired Air Force One 747 at the Reagan library, and George Skelton writes that the governor's team is miffed by the fundraising component of the prez's trip.
"'What California needs from the Bush administration are more federal dollars, not fundraisers, at a time when we're just weeks from a crucial statewide election that could have a significant impact on the governor's administration,' [state GOP spokeswoman
Karen] Hanretty says."
The governor himself tells the LA Times that
he wished Bush would keep his distance. "We would have appreciated if he would have done his fundraising after the Nov. 8 election, because you know
we need now all the money in the world," Schwarzenegger said. "We want to make sure that we win, that we can have our TV spots out there on television, which is very important."
Is it possible that distancing himself from the president is part of the governor's special election strategy?
While the governor struggles to keep his distance from the prez, two Democratic legislators are urging Schwarzenegger to meet with Bush to lobby for more federal dollars.
Sen. Jackie Speier and
Dario Frommer will hold a press conference today to call for the two leaders to come together. But it doesn't sound like it's going to happen.
"'A little respect and courtesy for what Schwarzenegger is doing out here would be appreciated,' says a gubernatorial aide. Or, to put it another way: a little appreciation for what Schwarzenegger did for the president in Ohio, which included alienating California Democrats and turning himself into a full-fledged partisan."
"'
This is a president who values loyalty probably to a fault,' says a state GOP official. '
But he's showing absolutely none to Arnold Schwarzenegger.'"
We wonder where
Mindy Tucker is on this one...
Meanwhile, the California State Firefighters Association, which is not a union,
dropped its support for Governor Schwarzenegger yesterday, reports Andy Furillo in the Bee. "Schwarzenegger trumpeted the endorsement of the CSFA during the 2003 recall election, named its former president to his transition team and enjoyed the organization's support on his successful bond initiatives last year - only to see the 28,000-strong organization dump him hard Wednesday at a news conference in a parking lot next door to a downtown Sacramento fire station."
"'He worked hard for our endorsement and we worked hard for him,' CSFA President
Kevin Nida said. 'We were all looking for hope. We wanted him to make California a safer place. We believed him.'"
"'We were wrong.'"
"'The governor is a huge supporter of California's rank-and-file firefighters,' Harris said. 'But it's no secret he is at odds with union bosses who want California to keep spending more money than it has and just raise taxes to make up the difference.'"
"'
They can call themselves whatever they want,' [the governor's campaign spokesman
Todd] Harris said of the association. '
The fact is, this is a fight between Governor Schwarzenegger and reform-minded Californians across the state vs. the union bosses who want to preserve the status quo in Sacramento.'"
In the Register, Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Hanh Kim Quach cover the he said-she said over
whether Governor Schwarzenegger's fundraising affects his policy decision-making.
"'To me it's, 'Meet the
new boss, same as the
old boss,'' said Steve Maviglio, former press secretary to Davis who works for Alliance for a Better California, a coalition of Democratic and union interests fighting the governor's ballot initiatives."
And Maviglio knows a little about the old boss.
(Of course, you can't quote
the Who song without including
the scream)
Maviglio continues: "This is a governor who swore he'd clean up Sacramento, who wouldn't take money and wouldn't give to contributors. But turning the state government over to corporate interests is not any way to fix the system."
"Schwarzenegger denies that he's selling out."
"'
I can't be bought," he said during a campaign stop Wednesday in Anaheim. '
Everybody knows that'."
Meanwhile, Hank Shaw reports in the Stockton Record that farmers are
proud of how much money they've raised for the governor and their legislative victories. "Now the California Farm Bureau Federation can proudly report that all but one of the bills it opposed died either in the Legislature or at the hands of Schwarzenegger's veto pen."
"What's the difference? Strong lobbying, unusual unanimity -- and $1.74 million in campaign contributions."
The Capitol Weekly looks ahead to Election 2006: First, with a story about
two warring tobacco tax initiatives for the 2006 ballot. There is also a look at the two
woman vs woman Democratic primaries for
lieutenant governor and
secretary of state.
The entire new issue is
posted online, and will be on the streets this morning.
The Times's Evan Halper
reports that the governor vetoed several bills that would have increased efforts to collect delinquent taxes. "The governor has vetoed several bills that would allow agents to go after more businesses and individuals who cost the state millions by cheating on their returns, or not filing at all. He said the measures were flawed and would have unfairly burdened employers."
"'These vetoes basically say to these people that they can flout the law without repercussions,' said
Lenny Goldberg, president of the union-backed California Tax Reform Assn. 'Ordinary taxpayers can't do that.'"
"'We need to encourage businesses to come to California,' said Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee Vice Chairwoman
Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Niguel). 'If we start to penalize them for every little thing, we will push them out of the state.'"
Reuters throws a bone to California liberals with
renewed talk of a Warren Beatty challenge to Governor Schwarzenegger next year.
Are we really that hard up for copy?
