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Arnold Schwarzenegger came into the governorship six years ago on a promise to end "crazy deficit spending" and bring order to the state's tangled finances. But as he begins his last year in office, the harsh reality is that so far he's utterly failed to cure California's fiscal ills. The qualities that had fueled Schwarzenegger's highly successful careers as a bodybuilding competitor and movie star – primarily his boundless self-confidence – did not translate well in the confines of the Capitol. His first months as governor were marked by contradictory words and actions that undermined what should have been a...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he is planning to undertake a budget and tax reform this year to give the state a more solid and reliable source of revenue. "I will talk more about this in my State of the State but the bottom line is, our budget and tax systems are the root of a lot of our state's fiscal problems," Schwarzenegger said Friday in his New Year's radio address. Over the last 12 months, California faced a 60-billion-dollar deficit and a 12.5-percent unemployment rate. ... "So this year, we must finally find the will...

During last summer's fiscal crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger borrowed the title of a film classic to describe California's budget, saying it contained "the good, the bad and the ugly." He was referring to welfare reforms and the streamlining of state boards that he was able to broker, along with deep spending cuts for schools, health care programs for the poor and AIDS-prevention efforts. All that's left in 2010 is the ugly. The nation's most populous state faces a nearly $21 billion shortfall over the next 18 months, a deficit that comes after years of making deep cuts in core state...

It's been a bumpy ride since Arnold Schwarzenegger took office in 2003. As he heads into his final year, here are some sentiments we would like to hear in his Jan. 6 State of the State address: "People of Cal-i-fornia, I've one year left as your governor to help set California on the right path. I am going to use every day to reach that goal. . . . "Everyone knows that Sacramento is a dysfunctional town. Democrats and Republicans don't work or play well together. In fact, we've gotten so used to the rancor that we've forgotten how the...

State air regulators found an extra $3 million Wednesday to help more Port of Oakland truckers buy new diesel filters for their rigs, but that did not stop more than 450 independent drivers from filing a lawsuit to block a state-mandated emissions deadline that will put them out of work on New Year's Day. Approximately 1,200 mostly independent drivers who haul cargo in and out of the port will not be able to enter the gates starting Friday. They applied for grant funds to install new diesel filters on their rigs but were rejected because a $22 million pot to...

California Pushes for Federal Help By STU WOO Facing a $21 billion shortfall through June 2011, California leaders want billions of dollars in budget relief from Washington that could head off deep cuts expected to state programs. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will ask the White House to waive rules that require the state to spend its own money on certain programs to receive federal funds, according to California officials briefed on the Republican's coming budget proposal. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, shown in November, is seeking federal relief as part of an effort to close a $21 billion budget gap. If the...

The governors of the nation’s two largest Democratic states are leveling sharp criticism at the Senate health care bill, claiming that it would leave their already financially strapped states even deeper in the hole. New York Democratic Gov. David Paterson and California GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are urging congressional leaders to rework the Medicaid financing in the Senate-passed bill, warning that under that version their states will be crushed by billions in new costs. After the Senate passed the bill in a Christmas Eve vote, Paterson said the expansion would leave New York $1 billion in the lurch. The state...

During his first year in office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger railed against state lawmakers, calling them "girlie men" and "obstructionists." As he enters his final year, Schwarzenegger is targeting a different branch of government: judges who "are going absolutely crazy." The Republican governor openly complains about the judiciary these days for blocking budget decisions and forcing California to find billions of dollars elsewhere. Recent judgments have contributed to the state's $20.7 billion projected deficit. Courts have ruled that California's attempts to divert transit and redevelopment money are illegal. They have found in some cases that the state cannot furlough workers. They...

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, anticipating a $21 billion state budget deficit, plans to ask President Barack Obama to ease mandates and minimums on social programs to save as much as $8 billion. The Republican governor plans to seek the relief, according to a California official who asked not to be identified because details haven’t been resolved. Instead of seeking one-time stimulus money or a bailout, the most-populous U.S. state wants the federal government to reduce mandates and waive rules stipulating expenditures on programs such as indigent health care, the official said. California is among states most affected by the economic...

States: The once-great state of California has been reduced to begging from the federal government. But no matter how much help the feds give, the state's fiscal ills won't end until its lawmakers stop spending money. To say California is a mess is an understatement. In the current fiscal year, the state is expected to post a deficit of $21 billion as the budget continues to spiral out of control. Even after last year's epic budget battle, when Californians were hit with $12.5 billion in new taxes and $6 billion more in borrowing, the state still isn't close to bringing...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken advantage of the holiday lull before the next state budget storm to serve notice on the federal government that he will come looking for billions more in aid. Mr. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, also hinted that he might extend furloughs for state workers beyond next summer and revive a contentious plan to allow oil drilling off the Santa Barbara County coast. Budget advisers have also discussed paring corporate tax breaks that Republican lawmakers have insisted on. The governor is expected to unveil a proposal to right the state’s dismal finances in early January. But pieces of...

As this page has long noted, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s goal of being revered as a global green giant has a potentially huge downside for California’s economy. The governor considers AB 32 – the landmark 2006 anti-global warming state law that forces increased use of cleaner but costlier forms of energy – his greatest achievement. But ever since the bill’s adoption, Schwarzenegger has found it increasingly difficult to reconcile his claims to support economic growth with his environmental policies, which add unique costs to California businesses not borne by their rivals in other states and nations. His cheerleading for ever-more-onerous regulations...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to save $1.6 billion in state employee costs by maintaining monthly furloughs past next June, instituting layoffs or shifting general fund workers into positions financed by other revenues, according to sources familiar with the governor's forthcoming budget proposal. California faces a $20.7 billion general fund budget deficit through June 2011, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office.

California got $7 billion in state grants from Porkulus, and an opportunity to catch their breath while they attacked a monstrous state budget that desperately needs pruning. Congress has now begun to consider Porkulus II, with even more block grants for states, enabling them to paper over serious budget gaps. But that’s not enough for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wants an additional $8 billion from the feds in order to bail out a state that seems incapable of governing itself: Facing a budget deficit of more than $20 billion, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to call for deep reductions in already...

HE ASKS CONGRESS FOR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, LAW RELAXATION - As the U.S. Senate finalized its health care proposal, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked Congress on Tuesday to add billions of dollars for California and relax existing laws, warning that the state otherwise may have to slash Medi-Cal benefits or eliminate its in-home care program.The Republican governor connected the long-term health care plan to California's current budget deficit, estimated to be $20.7 billion by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. He suggested in a letter to Congress that the health care plan would lock in current federal reimbursement and eligibility policies that...

Over the past few days, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in Copenhagen making the bizarre claim to anyone who will listen that his job destroying environmental regulations are somehow good for the economy. He also made the even more off the wall assertion that America's economy would be stronger if only the entire country followed California's lead in this area, and that Governor Palin's common sense skepticism to the man-made global warming religion was somehow wrong. All of these musings by the Governator were forthcoming despite the fact that foisting his regulations on California's economy have chased businesses and the jobs...

Washington (CNN) – Not every Republican is a critic of President Obama. At least one thinks the president is doing a fine job – at least when it comes to the effort involved in being the country’s chief executive. Asked to give Obama a grade as the end of the president’s first year in office approaches, Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s Republican governor, gave Obama high marks. “When it comes to effort, [Obama] should get a straight A,” Schwarzenegger told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King in an interview that aired Sunday on State of the Union. “He’s out there with tremendous...

Not billions, but trillions of dollars will change hands. Government control like you’ve never even dreamed of will come to pass. Taxes will flow into incompetent government hands like never before. Energy will “necessarily skyrocket.” Of course, the real story is all of the money that will be made trading “carbon credits.” Al Gore, the Bernie Madoff of the climate change movement, has made hundreds of millions of dollars already off this scam, and stands to make billions.

Leadership: Alaska's ex-governor asks a question we'd like answered: Why is California's current governor pushing the same policies in Copenhagen that helped drive his state into record deficits and unemployment? The movie series that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name involved cyborgs traveling through time to alternately try to destroy or save one John Connor, who would grow up to be the leader of the resistance against a race of machines that ruled the planet. Prominent in the series was his tough cookie of a mom, Sarah Connor. Another Sarah has taken the lead in another resistance against another group...

Shedding jobs that once reliably attracted new residents, California grew at a slower pace this year than all but two other years since 1900, according to state Department of Finance figures released Thursday. The number of new births dropped. The number of new immigrants dropped. And more residents left California for other states than came here. The end result: Statewide growth from July 2008 to July 2009 was 350,000 people, or less than 1 percent. During the rest of the decade, California averaged 525,000 new residents each year. The four-county Sacramento region posted even more striking numbers, adding just 21,000...

As if she didn't have enough adversaries, Sarah Palin has decided to mix it up with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ostensibly, the issue was global warming. Actually, it's about the future face of the Republican Party -- whose it will be, and the ideology that person brings to the table. The exchange of criticisms between the ex-governor of Alaska and the current California governor was provoked by comments Schwarzenegger made about Palin at the international summit on climate change in Copenhagen – a conference Palin not only avoided, but called on President Obama to boycott. With that, the gauntlet was thrown for...

Video: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger bashes Sarah Palin for picking the economy over the environment. "The biggest jog creation is in green technology...people don't believe in fixing the envoronment or in global wrming...they are living in the stone age". He's talking about yesterday's USA poll which says that 7 out of 10 Americans believe that fixing the economy should be a higher priority than fixing the environment. Pesky humans may be able to "fix" the economy (except for California) but "fixing" the environment is an entirely different matter! How does one fix that which God created?

<p>"Why is Governor Schwarzenegger pushing for the same sorts of policies in Copenhagen that have helped drive his state into record deficits and unemployment?" Palin wrote on her Facebook page. "Perhaps he will recall that I live in our nation's only Arctic state and that I was among the first governors to create a sub-cabinet to deal specifically with climate change."</p>

Why is Governor Schwarzenegger pushing for the same sorts of policies in Copenhagen that have helped drive his state into record deficits and unemployment? Perhaps he will recall that I live in our nation’s only Arctic state and that I was among the first governors to create a sub-cabinet to deal specifically with climate change. While I and all Alaskans witness the impacts of changes in weather patterns firsthand, I have repeatedly said that we can’t primarily blame man’s activities for those changes. And while I did look for practical responses to those changes, what I didn’t do was hamstring...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took the stage in Copenhagen today to deliver his speech on combating climate change, but he also created buzz with a series of shots at 2008 GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin's global warming skepticism. "You have to ask: what was she trying to accomplish?" he told the Financial Times. "Is she really interested in this subject or is she interested in her career and in winning the [Republican] nomination [for president]? You have to take all these things with a grain of salt."

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Schwarzenegger slams Palin « - Blogs from CNN.com

COPENHAGEN (CBS 5 / AP) ― California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says world policymakers do not have to choose between a clean environment and economic growth. .. "we've proved that over and over again in California." .. he thinks world leaders may be risking setback by pushing so aggressively for an accommodation on curbs to heat-trapping emissions. .. people worried about climate change should pay more attention to companies, universities and "ordinary folks" and not put so much emphasis on a multinational consensus. He said that type of thinking is "setting yourself up for failure." .. poor nations have a right...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is delivering his big speech in Copenhagen right now -- but before he took the stage he offered an opening salvo -- a whack at fellow Republican Sarah Palin who has expressed skepticism about global warming. The FT, which is on quite a roll: The California governor has become an environmental standard bearer for the Republican party, which is split on the merits of curbing emissions. Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election, has attacked cap and trade and questioned any link between man-made emissions and global warming. “You have to ask:...

This week, leaders from around the world gather here, in a quest for a global pact to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and tackle the single greatest challenge of our time. I am joining them to discuss the urgency of their efforts, the economic opportunities we can seize, and the tremendous role of subnational governments in climate-change mitigation.

California: While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger worries about rising seas, his state sinks below the waves. Don't mess with Texas, they say. But California and the nation could follow its lead. Last Wednesday, Gov. Schwarzenegger released a new report based on research compiled by the California Energy Commission claiming that by 2100 San Francisco Bay would be more bay than San Francisco, with Fisherman's Wharf and Treasure Island under the rising waters of climate change. His show-and-tell, which included a new Google Earth application the commission spent $150,000 to help develop, goes a long way toward explaining the once-Golden State's slide...

Ah...nold Schwarzenegger takes us on a computer generated tour designed to promote awareness of the challenges Ah...nold faces from climate change in California. You know, seasons like spring, summer, winter and fall! And......he does it with a straight face! Deception knows no socia-economic-racial boundries!

A map of how California will be affected by climate change in the future was unveiled yesterday by state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The map, which demonstrates the devastating effects of global warming in just a century, shows how San Francisco Airport would be completely underwater if sea levels were to rise by 150cm (60in). The coastline on the map was also coloured, highlighting how nearly half a million Californians are at risk from rising sea levels. The map, named CalAdapt, which was revealed at a press conference on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay by Mr Schwarzenegger and Google CEO...

A map of how California will be affected by climate change in the future was unveiled yesterday by state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The map, which demonstrates the devastating effects of global warming in just a century, shows how San Francisco Airport would be completely underwater if sea levels were to rise by 150cm (60in).

The map, which demonstrates the devastating effects of global warming in just a century, shows how San Francisco Airport would be completely underwater if sea levels were to rise by ...60in. The coastline on the map was also coloured, highlighting how nearly half a million Californians are at risk from rising sea levels. The map, named CalAdapt, which was revealed at a press conference on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay by Mr Schwarzenegger and Google CEO Eric Schmidt, was created as part of a plan for the state to adapt to global warming. 'Within a century, Treasure Island, this...

With state unemployment at 12.5 percent, its highest rate in 60-plus years, you’d think the last thing the California Air Resources Board and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would be doing is crowing about new regulations that are certain to kill jobs. But that’s just what happened this week when the air board issued the parameters for its “cap and trade” system under which companies would buy and sell allowances for the emissions that contribute to global warming.

A spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said today that an Internal Revenue Service lien against the governor for $79,064 in unpaid taxes was "a minor paperwork tracking discrepancy that is now being resolved." Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger's press secretary, said in an e-mail that the governor was not aware until today that the IRS had filed a lien in Los Angeles County last May for taxes from 2004 and 2005.

Apparently, Arnold Schwarzenegger owes the IRS a total of over $79K from 2004 and 2005.

According to documents filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Arnold Schwarzenegger owes the IRS $39,047 from 2004 and $40,016 from 2005. In total the Guv owes $79,064.00 ... and as we all know, he's definitely not saving the money for rainy day traffic violations. http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/1125_schwarzeneggar.pdf

Today Americans for Tax Reform, a non-profit taxpayer advocacy group, gave the first ever “Richard Rich Backstabber Award,” to current California State Senator and newly appointed Lt. Governor, Abel Maldonado. For those unfamiliar with Rich and why Abel Maldonado should be bestowed with an award in his name, Rich was Lord Chancellor during the reign of Henry the VI of England and Solicitor General under Henry the VIII. Rich is best known for perjuring himself in order to secure a death sentence for Saint Thomas More (who happens to be the patron saint of those who work in politics and...

Now the infighting begins. Democrats fired back only minutes after Republican state Sen. Abel Maldonado was appointed Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to fill the vacant office of lieutenant governor. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg questioned the cost: Wouldn't California be better served spending $2 million to defray college tuition rather than for a special election to fill Maldonado's Senate seat should lawmakers confirm him? "It may be both fiscally and politically prudent to permit the people to make their own selection for this statewide office next year and avoid the expense of a costly special election," Steinberg said...

Even as Sen. Abel Maldonado was being nominated Tuesday to serve as lieutenant governor, Democratic leaders expressed doubts about confirming him. "It may be both fiscally and politically prudent to permit the people to make their own selection for this state office next year to avoid the expense of a costly special election," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said in a written statement. Steinberg's reaction signals that the appointment of Maldonado, who angered members of his own party this year by voting to raise taxes, is no slam-dunk to be confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed one of his few allies in the state legislature to fill the state's vacant lieutenant governor's position. That man is state Sen. Abel Maldonado, who like the governor is a moderate Republican. A 42-year-old lawmaker and broccoli farmer from near Santa Barbara, Mr. Maldonado broke a five-day budget-session impasse in February when he cast the final Republican vote needed to approve a series of spending cuts and tax hikes to close a then-$42 billion budget shortfall. "Senator Maldonado has proven he has the strength and courage it takes to reach across the partisan divide...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spilled the beans to late-night host Jay Leno that he's nominating Republican Sen. Abel Maldonado to fill the vacant lieutenant governor seat. Here's how Schwarzenegger described his pick, according to the show's transcript: "He's a terrific, loyal man that has worked very hard in public service. But he's also into bipartisanship and postpartisanship, so he can cross the aisle. He makes decisions based on what's best for the people rather than what's best for the party. He has helped us, many times, pass a budget, which was very important. And he comes from an immigrant family. They...

Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named Senator Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County) as his pick for lieutenant governor Monday, making the announcement on a late night show. Maldonado, a Latino and moderate Republican, gave the governor a crucial vote on the budget this year - which included tax hikes- angering the party's base. It's not the first time he's stuck his neck out for the governor.

When it comes to complying with California traffic laws, the first couple is having a rough fall. ... Well, it appears the governor also needs a reminder about the state's traffic laws. The celebrity gossip hounds over at TMZ have posted several pics of the governor hopping in a Porsche he had left parked in a red zone.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talks with Spc. Ferrell Mapp, a resident of Richmond, Calif., and a member of the California National Guard, 49th Military Police Brigade, during a breakfast event held on Camp Victory, Baghdad, Nov. 17. At right is Brig. Gen. Donald Currier, commander of the 49th, and close aide to the governor in his civilian job. Photo by Sgt. Kenneth Bince, 49the Military Police Brigade. BAGHDAD — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shared breakfast and conversation with his State’s Soldiers during a visit here to Camp Victory, Nov. 17. Schwarzenegger said he visited the Fairfield, Calif.-based 49th Military Police...

A big chunk of the money that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger collected last year to finance a political reform ballot measure came from a man now being accused of running a massive Ponzi-style fraud in Florida. When federal investigators raided the offices of Fort Lauderdale, FL, attorney Scott Rothstein, looking for evidence to bolster civil and potentially criminal charges of running a huge Ponzi-style fraud, they found many pictures of Rothstein with prominent politicians. The Wall Street Journal reported that Rothstein appeared to be particularly close to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist but among other political figures in the photos were former...

November 16, 2009 Arnold Schwarzenegger visits Iraq - and aims to transfer military tactics to California Oliver August in Baghdad The governor of California trots out his most famous one-liner wherever he goes but, at the Victory military base in Baghdad today, he apparently meant it. “I’ll be back,” Arnold Schwarzenegger growled after working out with a group of American soldiers on active duty in Iraq, all with necks and trunks as thick as his. The muscleman who rose to Hollywood fame as The Terminator came to the site of America’s bloodiest war in a generation to cheer up troops,...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visited troops in Iraq today for the first time as governor at Camp Victory, just outside of Baghdad, according to spokesman Aaron McLear and video from the Multi-National Corps Iraq Public Affairs. Schwarzenegger gave a six-minute speech designed to motivate the troops. He delivered cigars, signed autographs and told them he'd return Tuesday morning to work out with some of them before breakfast. "I just wanted to let you know how much we in the United States appreciate the work you are doing," Schwarzenegger said in his speech. "Now I know you are thinking many times, why...

On Nov. 1, the government of the state of California began withholding from workers' paychecks 10 percent more than what it had been withholding. The Los Angeles Times described this move -- prompted by California's fiscal calamity -- as "a forced, interest-free loan" from taxpayers to the government. The Times explained to its California readers that "You'll be repaid any extra withholding in April. Those who would receive a refund anyway will receive a larger one, and those who owe taxes will owe less." The ostensible purpose of withholding is to better ensure that taxpayers actually pay the taxes they...