Anyone who's heard the governor open his mouth in public over the last few weeks has heard the word "reform" -- a lot.
George Skelton says the governor, like many other politicians, uses the word too liberally, and says Schwarzenegger's call for changes
should not be called "reform.""'Reform' is the pretty bow a politician wraps around an idea — whether sound or nutty — to sell it to voters. Remember electricity deregulation "reform"? It led to the California energy "crisis." (Another overused word.) President Bush is pushing Social Security privatization "reform" — a Wall Street bonanza — to avoid what he asserts is a growing "crisis."
Skelton, in essence says Schwarzenegger is no
Hiram Johnson, who the current governor often evokes in his "reform" push. On that note, the Washington Post's
David Broder says
Schwarzenegger is no Pat Brown. The difference, says Broder, in a word is "money."
But there's also this little tidbit about the governor's shop in Broder's piece: "Some fellow Republicans are beginning to question his operation. They describe a gubernatorial staff whose wide range of views -- from conservative Republicans to liberal Democrats -- has created continuing internal debates rather than clear policy lines. Some Republicans agree privately with Democratic consultant
Gale Kaufman's description of Schwarzenegger's behavior in setting fiscal policy as 'schizophrenic.'"
We'll give a
shiny, new California quarter to any Republican who comes out
publicly and agrees with Gale Kaufman on the guv's fiscal policy.
But just because Skelton doesn't like the "R" word, don't expect the governor to stop using it. And, we're guessing
this study, funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, will find its way somehow into the governor's stump speech. California joined Alabama as
the country's worst performer on handling finances, personnel, infrastructure and modern information systems through recent economic the downturn.
Utah and Virginia scored the highest overall, each with an "A-minus." Alabama and California scored the worst, each with a "C-minus."
In a weekend that was pretty much free of new bad things for
Kevin Shelley, this article in his hometown paper says he wants
legal immunity and a "safe place to land" before he gives up his day job. We're sure GOP press release specialist
Karen Hanretty has some ideas of where Shelley should land, and we imagine we'll be reading about those ideas before day's end.
Speaking of Shelley, we couldn't let a whole day go by without mentioning HAVA at least once. So, we'll spotlight this story from the
Bakersfield Californian which has
a new target in their sights -- Yolanda Gonzales. Learn the name. We predict you'll hear a lot more of it in the weeks ahead.
"The 30-year-old Bakersfield woman, who holds a part-time job with a student services program at Bakersfield College, has been swept into a politically fueled investigation of California's scandal-plagued secretary of state. ... The auditor's findings are being investigated by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, which is headed by Kern's Democratic Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, who was re-elected after one of the state's most brutal campaigns last fall.
Gonzales was the HAVA contractor who worked in Kern County in Parra's district.
"Bakersfield's Republican Assemblyman
Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans also challenge Parra's involvement in the investigation, because she likely benefited from Shelley's alleged partisan use of federal election funds. But Parra is not about to recuse herself." That may be, but her JLAC appointment now gives Republicans a tool to keep hammering on Parra, who is sure to be a target yet again come November 2006.
Barbara Boxer for President? California's junior senator gets in touch with her inner liberal, and becomes
the new darling of the American Left.Los Angeles Mayor's Race Taking a page from Gov. Schwarzenegger,
Jim Hahn seems to have hit upon a theme for his campaign:
A crusade against "Sacramento politicians". "At most campaign stops, Hahn attacks the Sacramento politicians he claims took $100 million a year from Los Angeles' share of tax revenues by voting for the state's budgets."
Meanwhile, public relations flacks take on the
"Anyone but Hahn" campaign. Hahn banned PR contracts at City Hall. Now, "some of the execs are concerned that the industry has been unfairly tainted by allegations that the city was overbilled by Fleishman-Hillard, which led to the ban.
