Posted on 02/20/2005 10:36:29 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO -- With a March 1 deadline for action on the verge of going unmet, Californians can expect to see a massive campaign for their signatures unfold as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attempts to meet a narrow timetable for putting his government-overhaul package on the ballot.
Schwarzenegger's commitment to put his reforms before voters this year means he'll have just seven weeks to collect the 1.2 million signatures he needs -- for each initiative -- to qualify his measures for the ballot in a November election.
If the governor wants to call a Nov. 8 special election, state law requires him to do so no later than June 13. At least one initiative must qualify for the ballot by June 13 in order for him to do so. And to meet that deadline, the Secretary of State's Office is recommending signatures be submitted for verification by April 19.
"It's fair to say that this is unprecedented," said Tim Hodson, executive director of the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento. "We have had statewide special elections, but we have never had a situation where there were so many initiatives being proposed in such a short time frame."
Ten measures are currently circulating for signatures, with 71 awaiting the go-ahead from the state Attorney General's Office. Some of those 71 are expected to begin circulating later this week, with more following suit throughout March and even as late as early April.
The Republican governor has given the Democrat-led Legislature until March 1 to vote his package of proposed constitutional amendments onto the ballot, or else he has threatened to bypass lawmakers and ask Californians to give him the 600,000 voter signatures he needs to qualify his measures for a public vote. The campaign would aim to collect many extra signatures to offset any ruled invalid.
His plan includes overhauls of budgeting, pensions, public education and how political districts are drawn.
With the March 1 deadline approaching and initial policy hearings not even scheduled to begin -- except for one -- until Feb. 28, political observers say it now appears certain the governor will have to bypass lawmakers and take his measures directly to the public if he wants them to be submitted for voter approval this year, rather than waiting until the June 2006 primary or November 2006 general election.
The governor has criticized the Legislature's inaction and, in the same breath, cited that as an argument for his proposal to take away the power of lawmakers to map out their own districts' boundaries.
"If they are sleeping over there at the Capitol, which of course it's easy to do because -- you know why -- there is no competition. The way they drew the district lines, they don't have to worry about getting voted out," Schwarzenegger said recently to a group of Republican supporters.
"So now what we're going to do is, we're going to go to the people. They can go and do whatever they want -- the train has left the station."
The Secretary of State's Office estimates it will cost taxpayers from $55 million to $60 million to hold a special election this year.
While analysts say the campaign for signatures in March and April will clearly be driven by Schwarzenegger -- the governor has promised his effort will include numerous appearances at Costco stores and shopping malls throughout California -- there are other political groups preparing to join the fray.
Citizens to Save California -- composed of Schwarzenegger allies Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Bill Houck of the California Business Roundtable, and others -- is raising money, and could end up pushing several initiatives that mirror the governor's overhaul agenda, with the purpose of aiding his effort to place that agenda on the ballot.
Conversely, labor unions and other opponents of Schwarzenegger's reforms have formed their own committee -- Seriously, Saving California. Composed of six labor unions, including the California Teachers Association and California Professional Firefighters, its goal is to beat the governor at his own game.
"Our members are certainly motivated and committed," said Carrol Wills, a spokesman for the firefighters union. "And to the extent that firefighter people power is involved in trying to defeat a big-money ballot campaign by the administration, we'll be right there."
Dave Gilliard, a Republican political consultant based in Sacramento who ran the petition drive that placed the recall of former Gov. Gray Davis on the ballot, said Schwarzenegger's biggest enemy is time.
Gilliard himself is sponsoring a measure that would overhaul the drawing of legislative and congressional districts -- though it differs slightly from Schwarzenegger's proposal.
The combination of competing pro- and anti-Schwarzenegger initiatives and the necessity of collecting signatures for more than one measure could hamper the governor's petition drive. Another possible hurdle to overcome: some initiatives Schwarzenegger might push might not be eligible to begin gathering signatures until weeks after March 1.
Gilliard also warned against "signature fatigue." Though CSU Sacramento's Hodson doubts this will be a serious impediment to the governor placing his reforms on the ballot, Gilliard said it's much harder to get people to spend the five minutes it will take to sign four or five separate petitions than it is to get them to spend 30 seconds to fill out one.
"Money really isn't the issue here, it's the calendar."
State law designates the responsibility for calling a special election to the governor, providing he set it for at least 148 days out and that at least one initiative has qualified. And while many political analysts are assuming Schwarzenegger will call it for Nov. 8 because that is the same day a number of municipal elections are scheduled, there's nothing to stop him from calling it for later in November or even December.
In fact, a 1983 special election called by then-Gov. George Deukmejian to decide on a measure overhauling how political districts are drawn was held in December. The Schwarzenegger administration declined to comment late last week on which date the governor prefers to hold this year's special election.
While at least one measure has to qualify for the ballot by June 13 for the governor to call a Nov. 8 special election, all other measures targeted for that election would have until June 30 to have their signatures verified by each county and be certified by the secretary of state.
David M. Drucker, (916) 442-5096 david.drucker@dailybulletin.com
TIMELINE
If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is eyeing Tuesday, Nov. 8, as the date for the special election on his proposed constitutional reforms, a series of deadlines must be met:
April 19 -- The Secretary of State's Office is recommending that all signatures for ballot initiatives be turned in by this date to allow time for counties to verify the signatures.
June 13 -- Last day for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to issue a proclamation calling a Nov. 8 special election. For him to do that, at least one initiative must be certified by this date.
June 30 -- As long as at least one initiative has been certified by June 13, all other initiatives have until June 30 to qualify for the Nov. 8 special election.
The Legislature can also call a special election and can waive the deadlines listed above, except for the requirement that initiatives be certified at least 131 days before an election to qualify for the ballot.
SOURCE: California Secretary of State's Office
So what are his chances of getting all this accomplished?
He needed to make this job 1 from Day One, he didn't and I don't see much of a chance of anything passing that actually makes much of a difference , if any.
He has served his purpose to keep the left in power, imo.
nothing more..
Still wanting my "Don't Blame Me I Voted for McClintock" sticker.
Borrowing 15 billion roght off the top and more since, and playing partisan and nice nice to a bunch of rats seems like a lose lose to me, no matter who anyone voted for.
tom mcclintock makes too much sense to get elected by the california patio lizards, trial lawyers, unions, indian res', and mexicans.
what these groups stand for is the destruction of california.
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