Posted on 04/08/2006 10:04:28 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
For two years, the California Teachers Association has beat up on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger with relentless ferocity. It made sense: The CTA is used to treating state revenues as if they were an all-you-can-eat buffet, and the governor – at least in his old fiscal-conservative iteration – was eager to take the union on.
Last November, unfortunately, the CTA won the power struggle. All four reform initiatives Schwarzenegger touted were rejected after a campaign in which the CTA-run Alliance for a Better California ran loads of demagogic ads describing the governor as a threat to truth, justice and the American way. This deceptive campaign – overseen by CTA political strategist Joe Nuñez – morphed Schwarzenegger's calls for spending controls, redistricting reform, teacher-tenure changes and giving union members more say over the use of their dues into attacks on “our families and communities.”
Given this backdrop, what the governor did last week is beyond mind-boggling: He reappointed Nuñez to the state Board of Education. This is akin to Mike Aguirre nominating Dick Murphy for the pension board.
Much has been made of Schwarzenegger's optimistic governing style. But thinking that throwing this bone to the CTA will help win the union over is delusional. Even after the governor offered budgets that raise education spending by a stunning 16 percent over two years, the CTA still wants his head – and he pals up to its chief strategist?
And while the Nuñez choice is baffling on political grounds, it's crazy on substance. Given how thoroughly the CTA dominates California's education debate, the last thing we need is a CTA official on the state school board.
Perhaps the governor is no longer just smoking cigars. This decision, more than any other of his administration, seems hallucinogenically inspired.
Reappointing Nuñez to the state Board of Education is grounds for a 5150.
uh, what's a 5150 ?
A 5150 is a 72 hour mental health evaluation hold.
Dan Weintraub last week had a more fitting comparison.
The governor and his allies got slammed pretty hard today in a Court of Appeal ruling on their failure to fully report in a timely fashion contributions last fall in the campaigns for Props. 74, 75, 76 and 77. It looks as if the matter will now go to the Fair Political Practices Commission to decide if the campaign should be fined, and, if so, how much.
The case was brought by groups that opposed Schwarzenegger's proposals on the ballot last year. The governor's lawyers claimed that the violations were technical and meaningless. The court forcefully disagreed. And now the Alliance for a Better California, a coalition of labor groups that has opposed Schwarzenegger, is pressing the FPPC to levy up to $25 million in fines for the violations.
I've always supported requirements for full and immediate disclosure of campaign contributions, so I applaud the Alliance for pursuing this case to the FPPC, though I'd guess that the eventual fines will be much smaller than those sought.
As an aside, it's worth noting that in the Alliance press release touting the decision on its Web site today, the first person quoted was the group's chairman, California Teachers Assn. rep Joe Nunez:
"We’ve known all along that the Governor’s team has been breaking the law, and the Court of Appeals agreed with us,” said Joe Nunez, chairperson of the Alliance for a Better California. “We will continue to take all steps necessary to ensure that the Governor’s campaign is held accountable for their egregious violations of the law.”
This is the same Joe Nunez who was reappointed Wednesday by Schwarzenegger to another term on the state Board of Education. When I commented on that appointment yesterday, I mentioned Nunez's role in the CTA, and the CTA's role in the Alliance. I didn't realize Nunez was chairman of the Alliance.
This is the equivalent of George Bush appointing Michael Moore as his ambassador to Iraq. Either Schwarzenegger has figured out a very creative way to shore up his relationship with the CTA or he has very strange judgment in appointments. And given the Nunez quote in today's press release, it doesn't look as if the governor's guy is building many bridges. Bizarre.
but, personally, 72 hrs won't do a whit toward gettin our Gov headed in the right direction
Just wondering at what point Schwarzenegger becomes indistinguishable in deed from Bustamante... have we arrived there yet?
"what's a 5150"
It's Van Halen album.
Arnold is in a serious "d^%$ if he does and d&*^ if he doesn't situation.
If he didn't reappoint Nunez, the Dems would probably use it in the election to attack him, that he didn't reappoint him for "personal revenge", and of course if he reappointed him, he looks silly, because he reappointed an enemy.
It was a no win situation, and maybe upon assessment they decided that this was the less of the two damaging situations. They may not have been right, but at least the Dems can't use it as an election year issue against him.
People need to realize that Arnold is walking in a minefield.
You're kidding, right? Is George Bush attacked for not hiring Michael Moore or Cindy Sheehan?
Since when would anyone expect a Republican governor to appoint a leader in the leftist-most organizations in California?
The answer: NEVER.
The spin you present shows no bounds.
Exactly. And there is absolutely NO justification for doing so.
The Dems cleaned house of Republicans when they replaced the prior (R) administration. Arnold seems happier leaving leftists in his administration and adding more! (Reiss, Tamminen, Henning, Kennedy, etc.)
RE-read my post 11.
There is no way Arnold would have picked Nunez and APPOINTED him, but once Nunez was there, Arnold was in the situation I described in Post 11.
And as for adding people to his administration, Arnold added several Bush's people.
ROFL! Whatever, FO. Keep on spinnin!
BTW--he added Bush people to his CAMPAIGN team--NOT his administration.
I'd rather see some Republicans running the State instead of the Dem activists
like Susan Kennedy and David Zingale sitting in the Executive suite.
(and of course the Greenies like Reiss and Tamminen)
Those pesky little facts, Don't ya just hatem.
Actually he didn't. The Davis administration appointed Nunez in 2001. The Schwarzenegger administration in 2006.
Now, if Kennedy made the selection, then she did, indeed, reappoint Nunez. But we'll never know. So we're stuck with consecutive appointments, not reappointment's.
You are so upset that Arnold hired Susan Kennedy, when you are working hard to get Angelides or Westly elected.
Talk about hypocrisy!
That is a lie.
I am working hard to keep elected officials accountable to their constituency and hold them to promises they made when elected.
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