Posted on 06/11/2005 3:34:57 PM PDT by RonDog
.
Schwarzenegger ready to do battle in special election
By Gary Delsohn -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, June 11, 2005If the political experts are right, Sacramento's "summer from hell" officially begins Monday.That's when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, after months of threats and name-calling, has said he will sign a proclamation setting a special election Nov. 8 for his three initiatives that he says will reform state government. He plans to offer a live statement to television stations statewide at 5 p.m.
The election stakes are extraordinarily high. Some political analysts say Schwarzenegger's political future could be sealed in the outcome...
...he also seems to relish taking on the entire Democratic political establishment all at once. He got a boost Friday when the secretary of state's office said the last two of his proposals - a spending limit and a move to take redistricting out of lawmakers' hands - were certified for the ballot...
...Schwarzenegger has made it clear he intends to push his agenda by continuing to attack the Democrat-controlled Legislature and the powerful public employee labor unions that support and help fund their campaigns.
His top priority, he has said many times, is his initiative to control state spending, the so-called "Live Within Our Means Act."
But most political experts agree the proposal on the ballot that would do the most to shake up the Capitol is one he hasn't even officially endorsed yet.
The "Employee Consent" initiative, certified earlier in the week, would require public employee labor unions to get written approval from members before their dues are used for political purposes.
"This has the potential to substantively change the power structure in California elections," said Allan Hoffenblum...
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Key dates
2005 special electionMonday: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to call a special election for Nov. 8.
June 30: Last day for initiatives to qualify for a Nov. 8 election. Five have qualified; three are pending.
July 18: Propositions numbered.
Aug. 15: Ballot pamphlet printed.
Nov. 8: Election Day
Source: Secretary of State
Arnie you have got my vote.
Proposed Initiatives (Status, California, Schwarzenegger)
LA Daily News ^ | June 11, 2005 | AP
Posted on 06/11/2005 1:54:46 PM PDT by FairOpinion
The following initiatives are likely to be on the ballot Nov. 8 if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calls a special election by Monday, as he said he would. Five already have qualified. Others are awaiting verification by the Secretary of State's Office.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing three initiatives(all qualified for ballot):
TEACHER TENURE:
CONGRESSIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS:
STATE SPENDING CAP:
Other initiatives:
PARENTAL PERMISSION FOR ABORTION: (Q)
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNION DUES: (Q)
PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISCOUNTS (by D)(pending)
PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISCOUNTS: (other) (pending)
ELECTRIC SERVICE PROVIDERS: (pending)-- snip --
more info...
California Initiative Update as of June 7, 2005(thread includes potential candidates for statewide office in 2006)
3 posted on 06/11/2005 2:05:05 PM PDT by CounterCounterCulture (We shall overcome)CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
If he can pull this off, he's got my vote for President. We need to annex Austria as the 51st state in order to make it legal, but that shouldn't be that difficult. Not in comparison to this.
"June 30: Last day for initiatives to qualify for a Nov. 8 election. Five have qualified; three are pending. "
In that case, why is the Voter ID act trying to collect their signatures by sometime in August? It seems too late for Nov and too early for Spring 2006.
http://www.voteridact.com/
Conan is going to save California from the Raw Deal it's been getting, by Terminating the democrats True Lies. He'll have to protect for Collateral Damage, from the Predetor dems, but in the end, he'll be singing Jingle All The Way come election day.
8 movies, one paragraph. Cool.
"he also seems to relish taking on the entire Democratic political establishment all at once."
... loving it! :)
i find it funny that you are saying that democrat gerry mandered districts are bad, but what about all the ones we do, for example in texas, with the districts snaking through the state - or for that matter in any state red or blue - i didnt see you complaining when we picked up texas congressional seats through gerrymandering. We need indy district drawing in all states, not just the blue ones as you may like. Its best for democracy
For whatever reason, they decided to start the process now instead of closer to the 2006 ballot on which it would appear. I surmise from the fact that I hadn't heard anything about it up until now that it's a true grassroots effort. That could spell trouble for it, if a lot of people don't step up and collect signatures or donate so that professional signature gatherers can be used. It might also mean that the people who are involved don't know the ropes on how to get publicity for their effort.
Governor makes full use of ballot box
Contra Costa Times ^ | Jun. 08, 2005 | Kate Folmar and Andrew LaMar
Posted on 06/08/2005 7:51:04 PM PDT by calcowgirl
SACRAMENTO - No one uses California's initiative process quite like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who swept into office through the recall election and promptly embarked on a perpetual ballot box campaign.
Born nearly a century ago as a populist tool to break the railroad industry's grip on the Legislature, initiatives have morphed into a billion-dollar industry over the past decade.
Since 2003, Schwarzenegger has relied on ballot measures to burnish his bipartisan sheen while campaigning with Democrats on bond and balanced budget measures, pushed an initiative to cajole lawmakers into rewriting the rules governing workers' compensation, and helped defeat gambling initiatives, among others.
Within days, the Republican governor who fancies himself as the voice of the people is expected to decide whether to call a special election for this fall. At stake are how the state controls spending, draws the political map, grants tenure to public school teachers and allows public employees to pool union dues for political purposes...
...Rather than work through a Legislature controlled by an opposing party, Schwarzenegger turns to the ballot box again and again.
"This is completely unprecedented. This is a governor using the initiative as his primary instrument of lawmaking," said Jim Shultz, a veteran of several initiative campaigns and author of "The Initiative Cookbook..."
...Although initiatives date back almost a century to Gov. Hiram Johnson's day, Shultz said they were widely regarded as an "amusing sideshow of California politics" until Proposition 13, the landmark 1978 measure that limited property taxes and reinvigorated interest in direct democracy...
...Schwarzenegger is uniquely poised to govern by initiative. He's a natural salesman who recites catchy campaign slogans with a trust-me grin. Even as protesters dog his events and rally against him, Schwarzenegger dominates a room. And crowds still flock to see him.
With his popularity sliding, it's hard to predict whether Schwarzenegger's campaign appearances will be as effective this time around, if he calls a special election. But they always make good television -- and frequently persuade voters.
To promote his views, the governor has toured the state in a customized bus and dubbed voters his "powerlifters for progress." He has hopped into an olive green Humvee bearing the fake license plate "Reform 1." He has dragged Radio Flyer wagons full of initiative petitions to elections officials.
In the last election, Schwarzenegger had no success persuading voters to elect more Republicans. But voters agreed with him on 11 of 14 ballot measure picks.
Politicians have used initiatives before to frame issues or help their campaigns. But no one has used them with the effectiveness that Schwarzenegger has. Or to the same extent. It's "a difference of degree," said Democratic strategist Darry Sragow, who worked with Schwarzenegger on last year's successful campaign to pass a bond-and-balanced-budget package, propositions 57 and 58.
"He is able to raise money in very large amounts," Sragow said. "He is able to attract very capable political talent. And he is able to get press coverage whenever he wants. It's a function of who he was before he became governor."
Rob Stutzman, Schwarzenegger's communications director, said the governor likes turning to the ballot, for obvious reasons.
"He has an advantage that past governors just haven't had, which is, frankly, celebrity," Stutzman said. "Also, the unique way in which he came to office has kept people interested in this governor."
The political play, though, is driven by more than personality. It reflects a fundamental shift in the state capital's dynamics. Some experts say an initiative limiting legislative terms helped usher in the new era.
The Legislature today is more partisan and, some contend, less effective than it was decades ago, when it was held up as a national model for good government...
...Whatever the cause, it's an only-in-California story, said one national expert.
Larry Sabato tracks political trends and watches legislative races as the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. It's a "special set of circumstances," he said, to have a Republican governor with such a high profile in a state populated by Democratic voters and legislators.
Even before the present standoff, California tended to turn to the initiative and referendum process more than any other state. But with Schwarzenegger, that tendency has "gotten completely out of hand," Sabato said.
To be sure, initiatives today are big business. Of the 16 states that regularly vote on initiatives, California is the most active, Sabato said.
California has "perfected it," he said. "It's an art form there. There are a lot of jobs and many fortunes riding on California's initiative process."
Between 2001 and 2004, for instance, 160 measures received a ballot title and summary from the attorney general, a necessary step before collecting voter signatures. If the trend holds, more initiatives will grace this decade than any before it.
"Ballot initiatives have become the parallel Legislature," McCuan said. "That's where all groups run -- good groups, bad groups, all groups. The outside, parallel game is where it's at."
CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
Conan is going to save California from the Raw Deal it's been getting, by Terminating the democrats True Lies. He'll have to protect for Collateral Damage, from the Predetor dems, but in the end, he'll be singing Jingle All The Way come election day.See also, from politicalhumor.about.com:8 movies, one paragraph. Cool.
Source: Registered@aol.com
Gov. Directs Staff to Prepare for Special Election Campaign
[Arnold's going "nuclear", too!]
LA Times ^ | 5/17/05 | Robert Salladay
Posted on 05/16/2005 9:05:45 PM PDT by Timeout
SACRAMENTO -- After five months of failing to sway Democrats to his "year of reform," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has directed his political staff to prepare for a special-election campaign that would denigrate the California Legislature and its union benefactors.
Escalating the governor's fight, chief political consultant Mike Murphy said Monday that Schwarzenegger may endorse an initiative that could hobble the money-raising machine of public employee unions. Murphy said the governor has asked him to conduct polling and voter focus groups on a so-called paycheck protection initiative.
"Arnold has not touched the Legislature with a feather yet compared to what the real campaign will be," said Murphy, one of the governor's closest advisers. "It's a referendum on the governor versus the Legislature, and he will win."
CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
Schwartzie has my vote. All he needs to do is roll over a truck of liquid nitrogen in Sacramento to impress me farther.
The "Live Within Our Means Act" is a pretense compared to restoring the Gann spending limits.You're right!
Bring back eGray!From:
Separated at Birth? (Humor Break?)
various | Dec. 19, 2001
Posted on 12/19/2001 2:11:51 PM PST by Cinnamon Girl
-- snip --
[former] California Governor Gray Davis
Howdy DoodyCLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
I will certainly do my part and gather at least a few signatures of friends.
We never know, it may qualify for the spring ballot.
But I don't know why don't they have a deadline later than August.
Schwarzenegger at Santa Monica College Commencement, June 14th.
NEED BODIES!
SMC Republicans | Tom Oster
Posted on 05/26/2005 12:04:26 PM PDT by CalGOPTom
Greetings all! My name is Tom Oster and I am the president of Santa Monica College Republicans. This year, we have been fortunate enough to get Governor Schwarzenegger to come to speak at our graduation commencement on June 14th.
At the moment, however, Gov. Schwarzenegger is, as most of you probably know, being relentlessly pursued and hounded throughout the state by far-left groups, unions and other assorted characters. Faculty and staff on our campus, leftist on-campus groups and outside organizations are coordinating to protest and disrupt our graduation.
We mean to oppose them and stand in support of our own graduation. SMC Republicans, formed in 2003, exists to oppose exactly these sort of on-campus antics. Right now, we are looking for supporters and allies to come to the commencement to support us and the Governor and stand against the crazies.
Our commencement will be on Tuesday, June 14th, starting at 5 pm. It will be at Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA. Right now, we are organizing when and where we can have supporters meet and be placed.
We can be contacted at smcrepublicans@yahoo.com.
Thanks again, Tom Oster President, SMC Republicans
CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
The main and best part of it is, that it gets rid of the huge mandated spending earmarked for school, mandated by the passing of Prop. 98.
Without that there can be no real spending reform.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
