Great,, but this is not the end game, by any means.
Dont't forget pension benefits reform, legislative redistricting, entitlement programs, infrastructure, etc still remain as areas that need much work as well...
The timing of this release suggests that Arnold knew the Stalinists in the Legislature will be screaming bloody murder -- so much so that they even might have tried to hold up the budget, had they seen the contents a few days earlier, to try to force Arnold to agree not to dare to implement the report's recommendation.
Time for hitherto girly-man Arnold to start being Conan for once, and maybe this is just the catalyst he needs.
Uhh, that was a charade. These CA changes sound real.
Seems like Arnold is performing as promised. His first step was to stop the bleeding and buy him some time, which he has done. Now he has to chop.
I think something like this plan would be very likely to pass as an initiative with Arnold promoting it. So he has real teeth with which to fight the legislature. We may be a Democratic state, but I think even Democrats understand that our government delivers lousy results at very high tax rates.
In short, looks promising. Let's see what he does with it.
D
ping
More details needed on this..
CPR ping
Abolishing county level boards of education in favor of more centralization at the state level would make things worse. The real problem with education is not enough local control as it is. The only way education will ever improve is to empower the schools on the local level and encouraging hands on involvement of parents. The current system lacks local control and parent involvement and actually hates it when parents do get involved. The only level they want a parent involved is through the PTSA which is basically a tool of the teacher's unions.
The real problem is that government monopoly in the licensing and regulation business is simply too much power.
Check this out. (***Posse Ping***)
Fabian, you moron! That's what the executive branch does...Run state programs!
It certainly is no surpise that folks are very sircumspect about this. Imagine someone proposing 1/3rd of the California state workforce, plus over 100 commissions be cut, then folks just saying... "Well, I don't know this may not be good at all. We'll have to wait and see."
Lordy, this sounds like a weat dream to me. I've wanted this for decades... but I'll have to wait and see. LMAO
It's a definate step in the right direction and I'd like to see the folks that have skewered Schwarzenegger get behind him on this and push with all their might.
Geez guys, will nothing make you happy?
Once again, some of it will be good and some may not be so good, but it's a start.
No way in H@11 will that many union jobs be cut in CA or anywhere for that matter while there is still one Democrat politician alive.
Steiger's Law:
No one will fight as hard to dismantle an agency as those inside the agency will fight to preserve it.
Davisson's Corrolary to Steiger's Law
The likelihood of an agency's preservation is inversely proportional to the value of the service the agency provides. When the value of the service is nonexistent, the agency is guaranteed permanent status.
Get ready for a bloody fight. I wonder if Arnie can win this one... he has a 70% approval rating!
Pare down, state urged -- The task force assembled by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to streamline California's bureaucracy is expected next week to recommend eliminating 12,000 state jobs, wiping out hundreds of paid political patronage posts on state boards and commissions, consolidating agencies and departments, and shifting regulatory and political powers from lawmakers into the hands of the governor. Margaret Talev and John Hill in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/31/04
Businesses Had Say in Report on State Overhaul -- Some of California's most influential business interests — including Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and EDS — were given easy access to a state commission as it met privately to recommend sweeping government changes, according to disclosure reports and interviews. Public interest groups, in contrast, complained Friday that they were largely excluded from the five-month study, ordered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Peter Nicholas in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/04
The Savings Bump Up Against the Costs -- Even before its official release, a plan commissioned by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to revamp state government elicited wide skepticism Friday over whether it could produce its promised savings and overcome opposition from some of the Capitol's established lobbies and institutions. Though many groups were withholding public judgment until they read the report, others voiced concerns that some of the report's recommendations cloaked political goals beneath the veneers of frugality and efficiency. Jordan Rau in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/04
Law Enforcement -- The plan to overhaul the state government includes a proposal to consolidate California's public safety system under one department in a move to fight potential terrorism while cutting costs. The Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security, as it would be called, would replace or oversee more than 80 state entities involved in public safety. The report's authors found that the "current system contributes to a bloated, confusing and unresponsive government." William Wan in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/04
Consumer affairs -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's commission argues that 118 out of 339 state boards — which keep horse racing honest, push for high-speed rail and oversee the state's hairdressers and barbers — cost taxpayers millions each year while creating a dizzying maze of bureaucracy. "When state goals are pursued through unelected boards and commissions, government is less accountable than if the tasks had been performed directly," the panel's report said. "When something goes wrong with a board or commission, the electorate feels powerless." Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/04
Public works -- The proposal to consolidate housing, transportation, water and related public works under one umbrella agency drew praise from unexpected quarters Friday, as academics and urban planners cautiously embraced the idea of considering these intertwined and vexing issues together. Although planners said they don't necessarily agree with each proposal, they said they are excited at the prospect of finding new ways to plan, finance and build public works projects. Sharon Bernstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/04
Human Services -- Using names to track new HIV cases rather than anonymous codes is likely to provoke one of the most emotional debates among the proposals to reorganize the state's vast health and welfare system. Concerns over protecting patients' privacy had already created divisions among medical professionals and activists. Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/04
Education -- Educators on Friday gave a mixed report card to the plan to tinker with the state's schools and universities. The government streamlining panel's recommendations to move up the cutoff date for kindergarten enrollment would save money but hurt children from immigrant families who do not speak English at home, said Jim Morris, an assistant superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Jean Merl and Stuart Silverstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/04
Environment -- The plan to rebuild California government would eliminate the air pollution board that forced car makers to add catalytic converters three decades ago, a requirement that ranks along with removing lead from gasoline as one of the most effective clean-air innovations. Besides doing away with the Air Resources Board, the plan would drastically alter many of the agencies that have given the state a worldwide reputation as a trendsetter in environmental protection. In the process, it would eliminate an array of boards and commissions where decisions to regulate air and water pollution are made in public. Miguel Bustillo in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/04