CA: Push for publicity comes as special election campaign appears to be struggling

AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 8/5/05 | Vic Pollard

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO -- Amid the first signs of possible trouble in raising money for his special election campaign, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is sending top administration officials out looking for free media -- beginning with a stop in Bakersfield next Tuesday.

Tom Campbell, the governor's finance director, and Margaret Fortune, a senior education adviser, will hold "an informal discussion" with Bakersfield business and community leaders about the issues in the election, said Todd Harris, spokesman for the governor's campaign organization.

Details on the time and place of the event had not been worked out Thursday, Harris said, but the media will be cordially invited. It will be the first of several such events around the state between now and the Nov. 8 special election, Harris said.

The announcement came just three days after new campaign reports showed that the two main groups stumping for the reform measures on the ballot had been spending money faster than it was coming in.

The reports showed that the governor's California Recovery Team and Citizens to Save California, a business group, had spent about $23 million but raised only about $22 million.

Although Harris said the fund-raising gap has already been made up, the governor's people have said they expect to be outspent three to one by the coalition of public employee unions battling his reform measures.

"We have known all along that we would be outspent by the unions on television and that an important part of our strategy would have to be taking to the streets and bringing our message to the voters," Harris said.

The governor is backing measures on the ballot that would limit state government spending and make it harder for teachers to get tenure. Other measures he wanted either did not qualify for the ballot or were thrown off by courts.

The union-backed campaign group opposing the measures is not worried about the new tactic, said spokeswoman Robin Swanson.

"Any time the governor's folks have announced they had some major ground operation," Swanson said, "we've seen 10 people show up."

[Mister Baredog]

If this attempt at reforms fails Arnold can walk away without shame and the rest of CA can pound sand. This is a state living in denial. The third world is not only encroaching upon us, we are becoming it. Our state government is a REAL JOKE PERIOD.