Why Hasn’t Arnold Replaced Reiner?

New West Notes ^ | 3/20/06 | Bill Bradley

[NormsRevenge]

Why hasn’t Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced controversial movie director/initiative promoter Rob Reiner as chairman of the California Children and Families Commission? That’s the question that has many, especially Schwarzenegger’s fellow Republicans, perplexed. Reiner has stepped away, taken a “leave of absence” from his post at the so-called “First Five Commission” in the wake of revelations about its highly questionable spending practices under his leadership. But he intends to return to the chairmanship after his Proposition 82 universal preschool initiative is voted on in June, even though his term in office expired in 2004.

Many Republicans thought they understood Schwarzenegger’s motivation when they saw several high-profile Hollywood names among the sponsors of tonight’s big Beverly Hills fundraiser for the governor. But those figures are not close to Reiner, a very liberal Democrat. The truth of the matter lies elsewhere.

There are several reasons for Arnold’s refusal to act, according to sources around the former action superstar. One is his desire not to speak ill of a fellow celebrity. Another is Maria Shriver’s insistence that he not get into more fights with liberals. Then there is the previously undisclosed fact that Arnold’s own administration is implicated in the unsavory doings at the First Five Commission.

Former Pete Wilson official Kimberly Belshe was a founding commissioner when it was formed in 1998 following the passage of Reiner’s Proposition 10 tobacco tax initiative. She served as vice chair of the commission. While she was a member of the commission, Reiner’s media consultants developed their plans to use state funding to promote Reiner’s “Preschool For All” theme of stimulating public demand for state preschool services.

Then in the fall of 2003, Belshe became a member of the Schwarzenegger Cabinet as secretary of the Health and Human Services Agency. After joining the Arnold Administration, she became an ex officio member of the Reiner Commission.

Another ex officio member of the Reiner Commission was then Schwarzenegger Secretary of Education Richard Riordan, a longtime friend of Arnold. Riordan, the former Los Angeles mayor, was part of the working group assembled by Reiner to draft Proposition 82. He is one of its most prominent endorsers.

The media contract under which the $23 million in taxpayer money was used to boost the Preschool For All initiative was executed on June 28, 2004. That was over seven months after Arnold became governor, clearly on his watch.

The Reiner Commission came under scrutiny from the California Performance Review (CPR). But although the former action superstar famously promised to “blow up the boxes” of the bureaucracy in his 2004 State of the State address, the highly-touted CPR was shelved by Schwarzenegger under pressure from Democrats and members of his own administration.

The CPR had recommended that the Reiner Commission be placed under the aegis of a new Department of Health and Human Services, effective July 1, 2005. Had the commission been placed under the direct oversight of the department, it is hard to believe that its $23 million advertising campaign boosting the Preschool For All initiative — after Reiner launched the campaign and while his operatives were in the field collecting signatures to qualify it for the June ballot — which started several months after, would have been allowed.

It’s clear that the two men, despite their differing partisan allegiances, have an entente. Each has contributed to the other’s causes. Reiner criticized Arnold during the special election, but his comments were much less pointed and of lower impact than those of fellow Hollywood stars Warren Beatty and Annette Bening.

In fact, Reiner was actually a guest at private parties during the Arnold Inaugural. It is laudable that people can have friendships across partisan lines in this far too partisan era. But Reiner’s term in office ended some 15 months ago. He has made it abundantly clear that he either deliberately pushed to use taxpayer money to promote his own ballot initiative or was remarkably unaware of activities that coincidentally promoted his own ballot initiative. Either way, it’s bad.

Consider his disastrous appearance at last week’s Sacramento Press Club luncheon. He said he doesn’t know about the state contract between his Children and Families Commission and his ad agency which instituted the program to stimulate more public demand for universal preschool which is his initiative campaign. He doesn’t know about the earlier memo by his advisors laying out the need for such a program. He doesn’t know about the highly improper use of state resources to promote his initiative campaign kick-off event featuring himself. He never even saw the taxpayer-funded TV ads promoting universal preschool after his preschool initiative campaign was launched.

That media contract he says he doesn’t know about is for $67.5 million. It was executed on the watch of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is just the sort of thing Arnold promised in his campaign to put an end to. Yet he has not. Aside from a few vaguely disapproving comments in response to questions at his Arnold Classic bodybuilding extravaganza last month in Columbus, Ohio, he has dodged the issue.

Indeed, at the end of last week, his people continued to evade the question.

Asked about Arnold’s intentions with regard to Reiner, a Schwarzenegger aide, who insisted on speaking on background, said this: “There’s nothing new to tell you. He has been totally focused on the infrastructure bonds. I can’t tell you when the governor will have something to say.”

Given the involvement of senior members of his administration in the Reiner Commission, given the fact that this has happened on his watch, given the fact that the CPR would have placed the commission under direct state oversight but was dropped by his administration, and given the fact that his drive to place the infrastructure bonds on the June ballot is now over, it seems obvious that Schwarzenegger should attend to this embarrassment in his front yard.

[dead]

Why hasn’t Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced controversial movie director/initiative promoter Rob Reiner as chairman of the California Children and Families Commission?

Replace him with cantalope. Save the taxpayers the money on limos and lunches.

[Bigg Red]

There are several reasons for Arnold’s refusal to act...

&&
The author forgot to add this one: Arnold's a RINO.

[staytrue]

One is his desire not to speak ill of a fellow celebrity.

Professional courtesy. We have in on FR too as there are a few posters who because of their past laudable efforts, are off limits in criticizing, no matter what they say.

[Enterprise]

It's because Arnold isn't the Governor, Maria is. And Reiner stays until she replaces him.

[Bigg Red]

It's because Arnold isn't the Governor, Maria is.

&&
Well put!!