This post has been added to the… California In Transition- Must read Threads! 
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Posted on 11/16/2003 2:56:10 AM PST by goldstategop
SACRAMENTO — As Arnold Schwarzenegger makes final preparations to take office as governor on Monday, the California political establishment is scrambling to adjust to the abrupt shift of power from Democrats to Republicans.
The inauguration of the Republican governor before thousands of spectators outside the domed Capitol in Sacramento will end five years of near-total Democratic Party control of state government.
Even if Schwarzenegger is not the ideological match of the Capitol's conservative Republicans, his takeover of the governor's U-shaped office suite ensures a radical change in the political dynamics of Sacramento.
Elected in a historic voter revolt against his Democratic predecessor, Schwarzenegger will take power with "a mandate directly from the people to come and change the way business is being done here — and what is being done," said Schwarzenegger communications director Rob Stutzman. "It's a mandate to step forward and lead."... Within the Legislature, the most immediate consequence of Schwarzenegger's arrival is the sudden empowerment of the Republican minority. Democrats outnumber Republicans, 48 to 32 in the Senate and 25 to 15 in the Assembly.
Under Davis, Republicans were unable to stop Democrats from passing hundreds of laws they opposed, most notably those resisted by business leaders. Among them were measures imposing health-coverage mandates on employers and strict new pollution controls on auto makers. The Republicans' only significant role was to block Democrats from raising taxes by keeping them from mustering the required two-thirds vote.
But now, one of Schwarzenegger's main tools for setting the state's agenda will be the power to veto legislation passed by Democrats, and he is counting on fellow Republicans to protect him against veto overrides, which also need a two-thirds vote.
Republican legislators, in turn, are apt to influence his administration in a way that was impossible under a Democratic governor. Their conservative voter base is nearly the same as Schwarzenegger's. So is their pool of campaign donors. Like Schwarzenegger, Republican legislators are strong advocates of business and have chilly relations with labor. ...
Some Democrats worry that voters could next lash out against them. Despite a political map that keeps a solid majority of legislative seats safe for Democrats, a top party operative in the capital said some "very nervous members are fearful that a well-known popular movie star is going to go out and do active campaigning and fund-raising against them, and that's got them all freaked out." ...
Inauguration broadcasts
Several Southern California television stations will air special programs and provide live coverage of the inauguration of Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor on Monday. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place on the Capitol steps in Sacramento at 11 a.m.
KCBS-TV Channel 2: Live coverage, 11 a.m.
KNBC-TV Channel 4: Special news coverage, 10 a.m.; Live coverage, 11 a.m.
KABC-TV Channel 7: Special news coverage, 10 a.m.; Live coverage, 11 a.m.
KCAL-TV Channel 9: Live coverage, 11 a.m.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Any guesses ?
As usual the democrats and the LA times have it totally wrong. The american people aren't stupid, the democrats should be fearful because they had a 5 year monopoly on the CA state government and basically ran it into the ground. That's why they should be freaked out, but as usual they've got it all wrong and they'll never know what hit them when the next election rolls around.
The LA Times, in a rare flash of insight, is forced to admit what the scorched-earthers tried hard not to acknowledge all along.
Dan
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