Schwarzenegger silences critics of Calif. sell-off

AP on Oakland Tribune ^ | 4/8/10 | Judy Lin - ap

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The Schwarzenegger administration has removed appointees from two oversight bodies that must sign off on its plan to sell California state office buildings, replacing potential critics of the move with people who support it.

The appointees—to building authorities in San Francisco and Los Angeles—were replaced quietly in recent weeks as the state began taking bids on the properties, and their removal likely quashes any dissent or independent financial studies that might have emerged as the property sales move forward.

In both cases, the replaced board members had questioned whether the administration's plan is in the best long-term interests of California taxpayers.

Last month, the administration removed two longtime appointees on the San Francisco State Building Authority, just days before the panel was scheduled to review the sale of the San Francisco Civic Center.

[JoeProBono]

[EagleUSA]

The state is being run with the mentality of a drunken, compulsive gambler that cannot stop gambling and is selling everything he has to pay his gambling debts.....the radical liberals continue to shred what was once the nations’ strongest and largest single state economy....when it was run by conservatives.

Taxifornia has one sixth of the nation’s population and ONE THIRD OF THE NATIONS WELFARE LOAD. It is just a massive mess.

[combat_boots]

Next comes the sale of California itself. The San Joaquin Valley........

Or will that be claimed by the ChiComs & Soros for services rendered? Payment in satisfaction of debt?

[Snickering Hound]

[mlocher]

Two more appointees revealed this week that they had been removed from the Los Angeles State Building Authority for asking questions about Schwarzenegger's plan. Marina del Ray developer Jerry B. Epstein told The Associated Press that he had asked the state for a cost-benefit analysis.

Lead, follow or get out of the way. In this case Epstein and Doms chose to get shoved out of the way.

[Del Rapier]

Selling offices and closing government services when people need them the most.

[DTogo]

Selling offices and closing government services when people need them the most.

More like selling assets and real estate when investors want them least.

Spend like drunken sailors, then sell your assets in a historically LOW market to raise more cash.

Isn't Ah-nuld supposed to be an MBA financial genius?

[mlocher]

I understand, and the decision to do it may have been exceedingly stupid. However, the decision had been made and the team was formed to implement the decision. Epstein and Doms chose not to implement the decision, but rather to question the decision. They may have had good reason to question, but they should have asked their questions BEFORE the decision had been made, not after.

In the private sector, people get fired for not implementing decisions made at higher levels.

[McGavin999]

I don’t really see how California has much choice in the matter. They absolutely refuse to adjust the union benefits, so.....you gotta do what you gotta do.