Posted on 06/02/2006 11:13:53 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger filled a dormant state commission with four Democrats on Friday before asking them to approve a $1-an-hour minimum wage increase without the annual cost-of-living adjustments pushed by Democratic lawmakers.
Two of the four were originally appointed to the Industrial Welfare Commission by former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and served until their terms expired last year.
The two others were new appointments by the Republican governor, one of them representing the state manufacturer's association. A fifth commissioner's term expires in January.
Schwarzenegger, who vetoed two previous minimum wage increases, is asking the commission to increase the minimum wage earned by 1.4 million workers from $6.75 to $7.75 an hour. His proposal would circumvent separate bills passed this week by the Democrat-controlled Legislature requiring cost of living increases each Jan. 1.
The California Labor Federation filed a competing petition asking the commission to tie the wage to the Consumer Price Index as the Assembly and Senate bills would.
The hearing Friday was only for taking testimony and no vote was planned, Chairman Daniel Curtin said.
The administration discovered on Thursday that the terms expired for four of the five commissioners, leaving only Harold A. Rose of Santa Rosa, a retired state firefighter who held a state firefighters union leadership position from 1991-94.
The two former commissioners chosen by Schwarzenegger are:
_Timothy Cremins, 45, of Sacramento. He has been a director with the California-Nevada Conference of Operating Engineers since 1995.
_Leslee Guardino, 38, of Los Gatos. She heads the government affairs practice for Canyon Snow Consulting.
The two new commission members are:
_Curtin, 58, of Sacramento. He has been the director of the California Conference of Carpenters since 1987.
_Willie Washington, 59, of Sacramento. He is a consultant on workplace issues for the California Manufacturers and Technology Association.
The posts pay $100 per meeting and require Senate confirmation.
The commission is meeting for the first time since lawmakers cut off its budget in 2004.
Schwarzenegger on Thursday said he cannot accept indexing future wage increases to inflation.
"I cannot support something that has failed with our government," Schwarzenegger said. "Those automatic spending formulas have been terrible for our state, and why would we take something that almost bankrupt the state and say, now we're going to punish the private sector and we're going to have them do it too? It's a failed system, it doesn't work."
Labor leaders and legislative Democrats said automatic increases tied to inflation would end the political nature of the debate over the minimum wage.
The Fairness Initiative on Low-Wage Work, which supports minimum wage increases, said California joins a dozen other states attempting to raise their minimum wage legislatively, while four others will put the issue before voters in November. Twenty other states increased their minimum wages in recent years, bypassing the federal government that has not increased the national minimum in nine years.
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On the Net:
Read about the commission at http://www.dir.ca.gov/iwc/
**cough**cough**
I think I just choked on my six-dollar cheeseburger
Arnold's Answer: Increase minimum wage through Maldonado's legislation.
Right Answer: VETO all minimum wage hikes.
Hey FO, come on over here and spin this for us.
We don't need a Democrat for a Governor. The one we have keeps filling all the empty seats with Democrats anyway.
Let me take a shot.
Arnold has to do this to get along with the Dem controlled legislature. YOU don't understand the demographics! The Dems and the Independents represent the majority of the electorate. Arnold has to do this or he can't win! And, Angelides and Westly are both the spawn of Satan, you know?. Arnold vetoed the Driver's License bill, for goodness sake! And he vetoed gay marriage! (oh, please don't demonstrate again where he granted gay marriage in all but name) Why do YOU support Democrats???/FO Spin
Maybe he's just Hiss-spin-dering...
using a 'doormat' commission to slide 'it' in the back gate..
I heard of Trick Ponies but
Trick Trojan Horsies? wow.
He should have blow'd that dormant commission box up right off the git'go.. now we see why he didn't. ;-)
He used the PUC back gate to commit $3 BILLION for Solar Roofs, too.
Too bad he doesn't use it for causes other than leftist garbage and big spending boondoggles.
Do YOU want to see a Governor Angelides??????
/FO
sorry SW, forgot your wakeup call
Thanks!
UNBELIEVABLE!
I just got a phone call (recorded) from Newt Gingrich.
He was touting Abel Maldonado for Controller. "I can't vote in California, but you can. If I could, I would vote for Abel Maldonado... he supported an independent auditor to root out waste.... and will defend against terrorists.... " [Paraphrased]
No mention of his leftist Minimum Wage bill. Or his votes for the Big Bond Bonanza.
The call (advertisement) gave no mention of who it was sponsored by.
Newt promotes liberal RINOs on his own dime?
maldonado $ucks
Tony Strickland rocks!!!!
maldonado $ucks
Tony Strickland rocks!!!!
LOLOLOL at post #6!!
My Dad in Santa Clarita got the same call about two hours ago. I called Tony Strickland's consultant and shared the details.
Good job, Dan.
Aren't they required to disclose who is backing the ads?
Do you think this is from the RNC or CA Gop or other?
Main Street rides again?
It's probably just Maldonado's campaign.
Received today two endorsement slates from these phony paid-for "organizations," both touting Dis-Able Moldy-nada, both touting Yes on 81, and one of them touting Keith "HillaryCare" Richman, plus a few Dems running for "non-partisan" officies.
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