** The respective Democratic and Republican leaders of the California State Senate and Assembly have just been meeting for the first time in days on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s protean call for a major infrastructure bond package. Having failed in the process of dealing individually and serially with the governor on his late-breaking drive to put some version of a package on California’s June ballot, the legislative leaders are at last talking among themselves to see what they can come up with for California’s November ballot. Expect nothing today. But next week? Stay tuned.
** State Controller Steve Westly, the ex-eBay honcho-turned-leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate, today announced that his office will conduct an investigation of California’s troubled prisons system. The probe will focus on the system’s malfunctioning health care system, where spending has doubled over the past half-decade. “The taxpayers have nothing to show for the billions spent on prison healthcare. Instead, we’ve seen the first federal takeover of a state agency in California history,” Westly said. “My audit will get to the bottom of this management meltdown and ensure that the people of California get a full accounting of their tax dollars.”
** State Treasurer Phil Angelides, the former state Democratic chairman and endorsed choice of most of the state’s Democratic establishment, announced another program in alliance with the state’s teachers unions, this for teacher recruitment. It is unclear how this is to be paid for:
“Restoring and expanding California’s teaching fellowship program to attract bright young people and mid-career adults to teaching.
Rolling back Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fee increases on teacher training.
Identifying the pay and incentives California needs to attract and retain talented teachers.
Restoring funding for teacher support.
Doubling the number of public school counselors to support teachers in the classroom.
Expanding homeownership assistance for teachers.”
** Governor Schwarzenegger has proclaimed tomorrow’s Cesar Chavez Day a day in advance. “As one of the century’s most remarkable civil libertarians, Cesar Estrada Chavez will always be remembered for working to safeguard and expand the rights of farm workers.”
Good for him in this charged moment in our history. Although it is amusing that he remembered Cesar’s day but forgot that little thing called Ronald Reagan Day until reminded of it here on NWN.
** Sac Bee columnist Dan Weintraub has an amusing item on Arnold appointing teachers union official Joe Nunez, the chairman of the Alliance for a Better California (ABC) — which is merely dedicating a couple hundred million dollars to his political destruction — to the state Board of Education. What next? Gale Kaufman to the Cabinet? Warren Beatty to the University of California Board of Regents?
Perhaps this is a new idea. Keep your friends close and your assassins closer.
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| Comments (64) |
Yes, yes, group hug.
Everyone ready to sing?
Where are those &%^%%$#@ marshmallows, anyway?
What a great conversation! I think several people identified the same perceived problem of not enough policy. That’s not to say primary voters are wonks, they just want to be able to say “he articulated a clear vision for the state.”
But here’s a question, how much policy is too much policy?
Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point” and “Blink” would argue we make a decision immediately, then try to rationalize it later. And, according to Gladwell, our decisions are often opposite to what we say we want.
Apply this California voters. What in the hell do they want?
The point I’m trying to get across here is either candidate only needs to have enough policy to make an impression. Or, to borrow a line from Machevelli “the appearance of policy is policy.”
So, which candidate has made the better imppression? Steve, Phil or Arnold?
Arnold simply because more poeple know about him. That advantage should degrade over time.
Voters are not going to argue over the minutia of policy like we are right now. Just look at the PPIC numbers on infrastructure it is clear they did not know what really went down. Whomever makes the loudest clearist noise without twisting themselves in knots will do well.
I think Julia is basically right on Comrade Bierko’s last question.
You know, I didn’t vote for Arnold in the recall, and I think he’s basically betrayed the rationale for his original candidacy, and over the past year+ has proven to be amazingly ineffective, and yet I have not ruled out voting for him in November. He’s hard to dislike, and there’s always the possibility that if he regains enough popularity, he might be able to push through the necessary political and budgetary reforms that the state needs.
First up, I’ll decide on the Dem I’ll vote for, but I may not vote for that person in November if I’m not impressed with his ideas.
I figured that one way in which Angelides would try to be the “anti-Arnold” was to present himself as a policy wonk (which is how I think of him) with some good ideas for the state. I remember reading a piece–I think it might have been by Harold Meyerson–in which he suggested the voters of CA might be ready for a policy-oriented, egghead type like Angelides.
To offer himself up as such seems like it ought to be part of his strategy. After all, he can’t expect to go toe to toe with Arnold in the charisma department, since the guv has a wee bit of charm and Angelides offers all the excitement of a bowl of oatmeal. I’m not convinced that by simply calling yourself the “anti-other guy” candidate you’ll engender a lot of enthusiasm for your candidacy. Ask Democrats at the national level how that went a couple of years ago.
Perhaps Bob Mullholland simply isn’t capable of running a constructive campaign.
Sean makes a good point. If Angelides is the Anti-Arnold, who is the Pro-Phil?
The problem for Phil may be that he will need to become the anti-Steve in the not terribly distant future without having really become the pro-Phil first.
Note: “Eli’s” post that I am responding to get caught up in the system’s anti-spam software because of the multiple URLs …
Well, it’s fortunate you had a good way of looking up those instances of Phil putting out something on infrastructure. I’m sure you don’t think I take notice of everything Westly’s offices send out.
During the actual debate over Arnold’s infrastructure plan and the Legislature’s various iterations of it, Phil was absent. On the day after the big bonds plan collapsed, at his only public event of the day, Phil said nothing about.
Only after he was questioned by the press did he offer up a fairly general criticism of what had transpired, turning it in the course of a few seconds into the usual attack on Schwarzenegger.
>Eli Jacks Says:
March 30th, 2006 at 6:31 pm e
As for the infrastructure bonds, Bill, try a Google search for “Angelides Infrastructure” and see what turns up. I found a few things:
“California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, Assemblymember Dave Jones
(D-Sacramento), Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, and environmental leaders today called on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and members of the California Legislature to derail the State’s path toward sprawl, air pollution and traffic congestion by adopting a “green” infrastructure bond plan that supports smart growth, preserves California’s environment, and strengthens California’s economy for generations to come.”
http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/news/releases/2006/20060223_green.pdf
“The State Treasurer’s Office has conducted an initial review of Governor Schwarzenegger’s infrastructure proposal and found that it does not live up to its own stated commitments, contains misstatements of financial and other information, and leaves many significant questions unanswered.”
http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/news/releases/2006/20060109_infrastructure.pdf
(I’ll admit I’ve got no html skills)
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