Senate GOP rejects governor's education appointee

Sacramento Bee ^ | 1/11/7 | Judy Lin

[SmithL]

Signaling that the "post-partisanship" called for by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may be difficult to achieve, the governor's fellow Republicans in the state Senate on Thursday rejected one of his appointees to the State Board of Education.

The Senate voted 25-11 on the confirmation of teachers' union activist Joe Nuñez, but with minority Republicans opposed, fell two votes short of the required two-thirds majority.

Schwarzenegger reappointed Nuñez, a Democrat and official with the California Teachers Association, to the board in March, despite the fact that Nunez had helped lead a campaign against Schwarzenegger's ballot measures in the 2005 special election.

[rellimpank]

---anybody want to bet much against Aaahhhnnnnoooolllldddd switching parties sometime in the next few months--"my ppaahhhttyyy has moved away from me"---

[California Patriot]

Frankly, I wish he would.

It's great, and surprising, that the Rats haven't (yet) been able to confirm Nunez. Disappointing, but unsurprising, that four Republicans aren't opposing him.
A united front would have been most impressive.

[CounterCounterCulture]

Good!

[Clintonfatigued]

The Gubernator is taking the strategy of Triangulation way, way too far.

[goldstategop]

Its a sign of estrangement between the liberal governor and the mostly conservative GOP legislative bench. The latter owes the former nothing after he distanced himself from them last year by cutting deals with the Democrats and refusing to campaign for the GOP downticket. Arnold is being repaid fully for his lack of party loyalty - in spades.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[calcowgirl]

I heard that Denham and Maldonado voted in support of Joe Nuñez.
Who else did?

[calcowgirl]

Arnold is being repaid fully for his lack of party loyalty - in spades.

I think the votes had very little to do with Arnold and a whole lot to do with Joe Nuñez! Have you read this guys resume? Rat of all rats!

[California Patriot]

If I'm not mistaken, there are 25 Rats in the Senate, and Nunez got 25 votes. That doesn't prove that two Republicans voted for him, of course, but I'd like to know for certain.

Maldonado is a weasel. But if Denham voted for this hack, that would be truly disappointing. He's in a fairly competitive district, but was just re-elected to his second (and, with term limits, last) term.

[calcowgirl]

I'm going off what I had read earlier on Flash Report. There seems to be later speculation that maybe the SacBee has bad info on the number counts. Here are the snips:

Fleishman, 1-11-2007 10:33 am

CTA political hack Joe Nunez, who championed the public employee union led effort in 2005 to sink the needed reforms on the special election ballot failed to achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to be confirmed in his appointment to the State Board of Education. Nunez needed 27 votes and he only got 25... But while Senator Dick Ackerman and almost all of the Senate Republican Caucus get credit for opposing the nomination, unfortunately two Republicans spurned the group decision made by the GOP Senators, and voted FOR Nunez' confirmation - Senator Jeff Denham and Senator Abel Maldonado. However, two Democrat Senators were absent, and today was the deadline for Nunez to be confirmed.


Mike Spence, 1-11-2007 4:46 pm

I just got the regular email update from the Sacramento Bee. The headline reads: Senate GOP rejects governor's education appointee

I open the article and find a description of the rejection of Joe Nunez.

"The Senate voted 25-11 on the confirmation of teachers' union activist Joe Nunez, but with minority Republicans opposed, fell two votes short of the required two-thirds majority."

Now that is interesting because several hours earlier. Jon posted on FlashReport a description of the defeat and pointed out that "Republican" Senators Denham and Maldonado voted FOR Nunez. See Jon's post here.

The post explain that two Dems were absent for the vote.

So which is it? The Sacramento Bee makes GOP Senators out as partisan villains. And doesn't mention the Democratic absenteeism played a role.

My sources in the Capitol say that FlashReport has it right. At some point, I hope the Bee enters the era of post-partisanship and changes the story.


http://www.flashreport.org/blog.php

[calcowgirl]

Dan Weintraub is sticking to the SacBee Version:

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/insider/archives/2007_01_11.html#005212

Senate rejects ed board appointee

The state Senate has rejected the governor's re-appointment of CTA lobbyist Joe Nunez to the state board of education. Nunez has the votes of most of the Democrats in the Senate but couldn't get enough Republicans to get over the hump. In addition to working for the CTA, Nunez was chairman of the labor coalition that led the opposition to Schwarzenegger's 2005 reforms. But the governor reappointed him anyway because the two were in sync on high standards and expectations for all kids.

NOTE: An earlier version of this item suggested that Nunez fell short for a lack of Democratic votes. That was not the case.

Posted by dweintraub at 02:38 PM

[SierraWasp]

"At some point, I hope the Bee enters the era of post-partisanship and changes the story."

Now you know they dare not do that! It'll give 'em that "Post Partisan Depression" that you and I discussed the other day that caused the TX woman to drown all her children in the bathtub!!!

[pointsal]

ARNULD IS ....WELL A MAJOR PAIN IN THE BUTT!!!!!

[Amerigomag]

Republicans can make a difference in the legislature.

It's why the governor is working so hard to legally camouflage his proposed new taxes or is resorting to borrowing.

Neither procedure requires Republican approval.

[BillyBoy]

You think he's bad... our RINO Governor appointed Jesse Jackson (yes, THAT Jesse Jackson) to head the state's "Kidcare" program. I had to laugh when the Arnoldbots evoked Jesse Jackson's name as a reason why we had to replace Davis with Ahnuld. Jesse Jackson is actually a big fan of RINOs.

[calcowgirl]

Jesse Jackson... to head the state's "Kidcare" program

Amazing! Keep laughin' BillyBoy--it beats cryin! The world keeps getting more insane every day!

[BillyBoy]

It don't matter tat ah' bilked Ill'noys as head of Kidcare from 1999-2003. What MATTERS is tat mah man George Ryan (R) was ELECTABLE!

(And for more ensuring hilarity, check out all the card-carrying ACLU leftist nuts that George Ryan appointed to run his "Governor's Commission on the Death Penalty". Unfortunately for George, even his Marxist commission felt short of his goal to get them to "recommend" the death penalty be abolished outright. Not to be outdone, he promptly pardoned everyone on death row anyway.)

[BillyBoy]

"The number of children and pregnant mothers enrolled in our KidCare health insurance program has tripled since we announced our first outreach campaign in April 1999," Governor Ryan said. "Today, the enrollment in our state's KidCare program is more than 100,000 and growing. Because of the work of our outreach campaign, including tremendous work from our KidCare Application Agents, more Illinois families have the peace of mind of knowing their kids have health insurance. [But] we will not rest on our initial success," the [Republican] Governor [George Ryan] said. "The number of enrollees increased from 31,000 to more than 104,000 since our outreach effort began a year ago. However, we are just more than half way to our enrollment goal. We must continue our efforts to reach out to these children and their families, to help them protect our most precious resources - our kids. So today, I am announcing who will assist us in our efforts to reach out to families in the African-American and Hispanic communities." Those partnerships are with the following: Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and the Reverend Jesse Jackson -
KidCare's successful outreach efforts will be further enhanced with its new partnership with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Rainbow PUSH will promote KidCare through a variety of proven strategies aimed at eligible families throughout the state. PUSH will hold several community meetings each week to explain KidCare to families. Prominent Coalition members such as Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Rev. Willie T. Barrow and Rev. James Meeks will work with families to encourage them to apply for KidCare. PUSH staff will become KidCare specialists to assist families in applying for the program. The Coalition will provide exhibit space to KidCare and conduct KidCare mailings. Rainbow/PUSH will begin its work in July."


http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=3&RecNum=918

[calcowgirl]

I think La Raza must be handling the HealthyFamilies health insurance program for California--Jesse's west coast equivalent. (I'm just kidding, although I wouldn't be surprised!)

[calcowgirl]

FYI -- Today's LA Times:

(Snip)

The Senate rejected Joe Nunez, the CTA's deputy executive director and a chief architect of public labor unions' successful campaign against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2005 effort to upend Sacramento politics. Nunez was appointed to the board in 2001 by former Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat. To the surprise of many, Schwarzenegger reappointed him last year.

To be confirmed, Nunez needed two-thirds of the Senate, but only two of 15 Republicans voted for him, which wasn't enough for a supermajority. Both of them, Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria and Jeff Denham of Salinas, had been endorsed by the union in a previous election.

"He was on the board and supposed to be independent, and he was running a campaign against the administration for his employer," said Assembly GOP leader Dick Ackerman of Irvine. "This is a conflict you can't get around."

All 23 Democrats present — all but one of whom had been endorsed by the union — voted for Nunez. But he still fell two votes short because two Democrats were out sick.