"The most consistent and smartest thinking and writing about progressive politics isn't happening in Sacramento, but being churned out day after day on sites and by organizations like Calitics, Orange County Progressive, and the California Budget Project." - CalBuzz
The Worst Governer Ever used his line item veto to go further slash parks, and cut into AIDS programs, with deep cuts to children's welfare and health care. Defending big oil and big tobacco against tax increases, and passing through massive tax cuts to multi-national corporations have proven far more important to Mr. Schwarzenegger than the lives of his most vulnerable constituents.
"We question whether the majority of these vetoes are legal."
-Sen Pro Tem Steinberg responds in a statement, says Democrats will fight HHS vetoes.
• An additional $6.2 million cut from state parks, which will likely cause as many as 50 more parks to be closed (potentially 1/3 of parks - 100 total - will now have to close)
• Elimination of state funding for community health clinic programs.
• $80 million cut to child welfare services
• Total of about $400 million in health care cuts, including further Healthy Families cuts
• Elimination of funding for the Williamson Act programs to preserve farmland from development
Well, we may finally get the answer to that question we've all been asking: "Is he or isn't he?" That is: Is Arnold for marriage equality or not? He famously told Jay Leno he "didn't care" about it in 2003, then infamously put a halt to the "Winter of Love" San Francisco marriages in 2004. He twice vetoed marriage equality legislation in 2005 and 2006, then publicly spoke against Prop H8 in 2008 (but never regretted vetoing marriage equality).
Basically, our Governator has been pretty notorious on flip-flopping on a number of LGBT civil rights issues, especially marriage equality. But now, he may finally be taking a clear position on the issue. According to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, Arnold has filed its response to the Boies-Olson Prop H8 federal challenge... And he's finally called the marriage ban unconstitutional.
But wait, he also wants it overturned? That's the news EQCA broke. Apparently even though Jerry Brown wants H8 enforced now, he ultimately wants it overturned in the future by the federal courts.
After the flip is the announcement from Geoff Kors. I guess this is ultimately good news, but it's hard to keep up with all the new twists and turns in the ongoing Prop H8 saga.
So much for Arnie telling us how cutting home health care workers' wages will save us money. Actually, it turns out it may cost us a net loss of over $6.7 billion! How's that? Remember that thing called the federal stimulus?
The Obama administration is threatening to rescind billions of dollars in federal stimulus money if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers do not restore wage cuts to unionized home healthcare workers approved in February as part of the budget.
Schwarzenegger's office was advised this week by federal health officials that the wage reduction, which will save California $74 million, violates provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Failure to revoke the scheduled wage cut before it takes effect July 1 could cost California $6.8 billion in stimulus money, according to state officials. [...]
The wages at issue involve workers who care for some 440,000 low-income disabled and elderly Californians. The workers, who collectively contribute millions of dollars in dues each month to the influential Service Employees International Union and the United Domestic Workers, will see the state's contribution to their wages cut from a maximum of $12.10 per hour to a maximum of $10.10.
Oops. The Governator really made quite the mistake in pushing for more cuts to hurt working people when he could have avoided this mess by simply working with the Legislature to enact real tax reform. But as we're seeing with the ridiculous May 19 Special Election gimmicks most likely to fail miserably, the Sacto pols totally miscalculated this one. And unless they quickly move to restore the home health care workers' wages, we'll all be paying the price for Sacramento's folly.
(ed. note: Michael Fox is the creator and writer of the Moving Target blog.)
The Obama campaign should serve as a master class in winning elections for Democrats.
Unfortunately, not enough California Democrats are playing attention to the Obama campaign's most important lessons.
As the effects of the state's budget crisis and the nation's economic meltdown hit more and more California voters, the Democratic Party has a once in a generation opportunity to convince voters that it that will protect and defend their interests far better than the Republicans, as well as make fundamental and progressive changes in the way that California is governed.
But to do so will require that Democrats embrace and implement the lessons of the Obama campaign.
These lessons are:
1. Blame Republicans and Present a Democratic Solution
2. Use the Internet
3. Expand the Electorate
4. Champion the Middle Class
