Posted on 03/22/2006 11:18:12 AM PST by John Jorsett
LOS ANGELES - Defying Senate Republicans' wishes, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday said he would not replace director Rob Reiner from the chairmanship of the state agency First 5 California. The governor told the Fresno Bee's editorial board that he was standing by his "friend" Reiner until there is evidence of wrongdoing. "Innocent until proven guilty," Schwarzenegger said.
Senate Republicans had asked the governor to replace Reiner in the chairman's job because the agency spent $23 million in tax dollars on an ad campaign promoting preschool while Reiner was qualifying a universal preschool initiative - Proposition 82 - for the June 6 ballot.
Peter DeMarco, a spokesman for Sen. Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks, said the governor has the final say in the matter but noted the continuing questions about First 5's use of tax dollars. Cox had circulated the letter signed by 14 Senate Republicans that asks the governor to replace Reiner.
"These facts give Senator Cox concern, and these are shared by the members of the Senate Republican Caucus," DeMarco said.
First 5 has spent tax dollars on consultants and public relations firms that worked on Proposition 10, the initiative Reiner backed in 1998, to create the commission.
Reiner has said he recused himself from any decisions about the ad campaign. But the Joint Legislature Audit Committee recently voted to audit the expenditures and First 5 California.
Reiner has been chairman of the First 5 commission since its creation in 1999. His four-year term has expired, but he continued in the job because Schwarzenegger had not named a replacement.
After the ad campaign created a furor in the Legislature, Reiner took a leave of absence from the chairman's job until after the June election.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Reiner's term expired 2 years ago, and a new person could be appointed at any time just for that reason. Schwarzenegger's a fool if he doesn't use that as an excuse to replace him.
When your enemy is digging himself into a hole, give him a bigger shovel.
Swartzennutter is a RINO at best or un unlabeled loon at the worst.
See, I appreciate the Governor saying "innocent until proven guilty" but since the term expired, there's no reason not to replace him. Friend or not. This is certainly one flaw in his coming from Hollywood.
You might have a point there!
This is not a good sign.
A Few Good Men is a great Rob Reiner movie.
Assuming Arnold is being candid as to his reasons, it's another in a string of disappointments.
Heh. Nice, um, platform? ^^
Arnold sides with looney hollywood left and ignores elected GOP. Gee, wish I could say I was surprised.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made the Rob Reiner mess his own. After weeks of avoiding questions on the matter, Schwarzenegger told the Fresno Bee editorial board yesterday afternoon he will not replace the controversial chairman of the California Children and Families Commission, who he described as “a friend.”
It was previously revealed here that Reiner, although a very liberal Democrat who considered running for governor this year, was a special guest at private parties during the Arnold Inaugural festivities in November 2003. He was on the “Friends and Family” list for inaugural gala activities.
The former action superstar might as well embrace Reiner and his woes. Although Reiner’s term in office ended long ago, back in 2004, the governor never moved to appoint his replacement. Nor did he reappoint him. But Schwarzenegger’s inaction served to empower Reiner.
Consider:
** Under Reiner’s leadership during the Schwarzenegger Administration, the commission undertook highly questionable activities, using taxpayer money to promote Reiner’s political agenda of stimulating demand for more state spending on preschool. This includes a state contract for $67.5 million in advertising signed on June 28, 2004. Which Reiner told me last week during his disastrous appearance at the Sacramento Press Club that he didn’t know about. That was only one of a number of telling points he said he didn't know about.
** Top officials in the Schwarzenegger Cabinet were involved with the Reiner Commission but raised no alarms about practices that even the governor has said, long after the fact, look bad.
** The governor rejected the recommendation of his highly touted California Performance Review that the commission -- which currently exists as an independent agency sorely in need of oversight -- be brought under the department of health and human services.
The Fresno Bee's Jim Boren tells me that the Reiner mess was only one topic during a 30-minute session with the governor. With a lot on their plate and a limited period of access to Schwarzenegger, the editorial board, which has not been focused on the scandal, didn't get much beyond the basics. But they did finally flush the governor out.
This is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mess now.
Stand by yur MeatHead (Girlie-)Man ...
Again and again, it is proven California has only one political party with two names. It is time for the California Republicans to clean house once and for all. Get rid of the "rich country club republicans", who are only Democrats incognito.
His "friend" has broken the law, deal with it.
The interview with the Bee is available for listening as an MP3 file:
http://www.fresnobee.com/static/2006/gov0321/gov0321.mp3
or, accessible from this page:
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/11961502p-12725556c.html
The first 5 minutes are also available as video (flash).
Between the idiot in the White Houst and the idiot in the state house, this Californian can get a break.
What a friggn IDIOT!
Friends are for having over, not playing politics with!
WRONG!!! They need to flush him DOWN!!!
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