Free Republic

SACRAMENTO — Few people have worked harder than Joe Nuñez to sabotage Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political fortunes. A high-ranking teachers union official, he helped engineer the governor's embarrassing defeat in the special election last year. So to Republicans, it was nothing short of infuriating and confounding that Schwarzenegger would appoint Nuñez to the state Board of Education. He handed a Democrat and avowed enemy one of the most prestigious patronage jobs in government. --snip-- Among all Schwarzenegger appointees to state government jobs, regulatory boards and commissions — more than 2,000 in all — about 54% have been Republicans. The rest...

Every new year seems to bring on a new Arnold Schwarzenegger. In his first State of the State address in January 2004, he was the Arnold who would “blow up the boxes” and remake state government. That idea fizzled, and in 2005 he proclaimed the “year of reform.” This notion became the four ballot measures stomped on by the voters in the November special election. So in 2006 Schwarzenegger is back with another “New Arnold,” this time as the great empire builder. JIM WILSON / The New York Times Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, shares a laugh with Senate President Pro...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have reversed course on several issues since taking office in 2003, but on one key concern he has been unwavering: the need to do everything possible to help the state's economy thrive in a 21st century that will be marked by enormous competition. “California is already on the leading edge of the global economy and it's changing and growing by leaps and bounds. And yet we will let this advantage slip from our fingers if we don't make the long-term investment in our ports, our roads, our schools, our information systems – and all the other...

The recent semi-annual California Republican Convention was an attempt by Governor Schwarzenegger and others to solidify his support with the base of the party. Despite his efforts and those of State Senator Tom McClintock, Arnold has failed as of now. Schwarzenegger positions have left the base feeling that supporting him for reelection may not only be the wrong thing to do, but may also be counterproductive. Arnold and his gaggle of handlers believe his fight is with wild-eyed, right-wing conservatives. That is not true. Mainstream Republicans who have stayed away from the moderate/conservative slugfest in the California Republican Party are...

I've been listening all afternoon to the media about the "massive" spending cuts proposed by our new governor. Well here are the numbers compared to the budget proposed just one year ago.Total Spending -- increased 2.8%Education K-12 -- decreased 1.8%Health and Human Services -- increased 5%Higher Education -- increased 6.7%Business, Transportation and Housing -- increased 0.7%Courts -- increased 2.2%Tax Relief (principally the VLF) -- increased 293%Local Government Subventions -- decreased 9.6%Youth and adult Corrections -- increased 1.5%Resources -- decreased 51%Enviornmental Protection -- decreased 20%State and Consumer Services -- increased 4.5%Other -- decreased 29%

SACRAMENTO – Hours after suffering a major election-year defeat by failing to put his ambitious public works bond on the June ballot, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger guaranteed that the entire package would be put before voters in November. “We are going to have this year the infrastructure done. That I can guarantee you,” Schwarzenegger told a Capitol news conference yesterday. “We will have it done this year. We haven't been able to do it by June. But we will do it by November.” As a deadline approached Wednesday night, marathon negotiations to place a $50 billion bond issue on the June...

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today addressed the National Hydrogen Association's 17th annual conference, discussing his administration's commitment to protect California's environment and encourage the use of clean energy sources such as hydrogen. "California is investing millions of dollars to line our freeways with hydrogen fueling stations so that low emission cars can travel up and down our wonderful state," said Governor Schwarzenegger, who addressed the assembly of nearly 1,000 participants in Long Beach in a video-taped address from the State Capitol. "With more and more businesses proving that hydrogen power is practical, clean and here to stay, we are well on...

Finance Director Michael Genest got back to me and said he misspoke when he said the operating deficit would be $5.5 billion in 2007-08. He now says it would be bigger. And he's provided the chart that shows the projection for the annual operating deficits for several years going forward. The numbers: 2005-06 $2.6 billion2006-07 $6.4 billion 2007-08 $6.6 billion 2008-09 $9.7 billion 2009-10 $8.6 billion And this in good economic times. Wow. Buried in a budget appendix is this fact: total state tax collections as a percentage of personal income are expected to reach an all-time high this year...

Last year, FR’s interview with political strategist-analyst Arnold Steinberg caused quite a stir. Since then, I have been getting periodic requests to interview Arnie again. Finally I approached him. Steinberg, an author years back of graduate textbooks in politics and media, also has been widely published as a columnist. He has been appointed to Federal commissions and boards by the Reagan and Bush administrations, and he served on the California Coastal Commission. He is an expert in virtually every phase of electoral politics, including candidate and initiative campaigns, and political advertising, including mail, print and especially broadcast. He has advised...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Having sex with corpses is now officially illegal in California after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill barring necrophilia, a spokeswoman said on Friday. The new legislation marks the culmination of a two-year drive to outlaw necrophilia in the state and will help prosecutors who have been stymied by the lack of an official ban on the practice, according to experts. "Nobody knows the full extent of the problem. ... But a handful of instances over the past decade is frequent enough to have a bill concerning it," said Tyler Ochoa, a professor at Santa Clara...

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's new joke about his motorcycle crash and veering back to the political center may not be so funny to him — or California — by the end of the year. "A car pulled out in front of me and I just couldn't make a decision which way to go," he says. "I knew if I turned left that the Republicans would get mad, and I knew if I turned right my wife (a Democrat) would get mad." "So I crashed right into the car. That was the safer thing to do." His comment came during...

Is a fee different than a tax? Technically, yes. But for many Republicans, they are one in the same. In fact, in recent years GOP lawmakers have made many an eloquent speech about how Democrats tack on a "fee"... which can often be approved on a simple majority vote... rather than assess a new "tax", which requires a two-thirds vote (and, therefore, GOP votes). Now, fast forward to today... where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to Sacramento's Nimbus Dam on the American River to promote his new water safety and flood protection package. The $35 billion proposal is part of the...

Arnold Schwarzenegger has repeatedly set up himself and his governorship for failure - promising more than he could deliver, reneging when promises collided with fiscal and political reality, overhyping his modest accomplishments, and confusing Californians by abruptly changing his rhetorical tone. Having reaped what he sowed one might think that Schwarzenegger would approach the governorship more realistically. But he did it again Thursday, pinning his re-election hopes on a grandiose, $222 billion program of public works improvements, and thus digging a pitfall that could be the final resting place of his political career. Evoking politicians of the past, Schwarzenegger declared...

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to propose a $1 increase in the state's minimum wage after vetoing similar legislature this year, a further indication that he is cultivating a more moderate image as he begins his re-election year. An aide to the governor said the proposal will be included in Schwarzenegger's State of the State speech on Thursday. Under the plan, the hourly wage would rise from $6.75 to $7.25 in September and to $7.75 in July 2007. Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill last September that would have provided the same wage increase but also mandated automatic hikes to...

Every political campaign, be it a contest between two candidates for office or a duel over a ballot measure, is an exercise in definition. Every campaign begins with an assumption that a candidate or cause has an automatic base of friendly voters, and winning hinges on appealing to those who are not automatically committed to one side or the other by defining the terms of the contest. It's Politics 1-A, but Arnold Schwarzenegger flunked in what must be regarded as his single-biggest political blunder. As the governor launched the mother of all California political battles a year ago, he wanted...

The celebrity California governor, gearing up for 2006 reelection bid, aims to craft a more centrist image. Recover. Reform. Rebuild. As a bodybuilder, that was Arnold Schwarzenegger's method to sculpt eye-popping muscles. As a governor, it was his three-part plan to fix California. Now, it might be his prescription for political survival. But revamping the Schwarzenegger agenda to reflect Democratic priorities is exactly what California Republicans fear most. "Hell hath no fury like a conservative scorned," says California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres. For now, Republican Party leaders are standing by their man. "He's done a great job for this...

If you assume, as I do, that the purpose of the political process is to persuade people to entrust you with power, the solution to the losses Governor Schwarzenegger faced in November is simple. It is also hard work. And it is the solution the Governor seems to be avoiding. If I have any complaint with many of my California Republican colleagues, it would be that they think they can outsmart, outwit, or outmaneuver the Democrats. They believe that if they can find just the right issue, or just the right tactic, they can slick their way into a majority...

That ominous shadow that is now darkening the Golden State is being cast from a massive "infrastructure" bond trial balloon. Although an exact amount has not been announced, the Capitol is abuzz with numbers that would make Bill Gates blush. Insiders from both the Schwarzenegger administration and the Democrat controlled legislature have suggested that a "megabond" of $50 billion, or even $100 billion, is possible. Backers of this monstrous debt issuance claim that the proceeds would be used to rebuild California's infrastructure of roads, levies, dams and other critical "brick and mortar" needs which no one disputes have been horribly...

Late last week, while the media focused on his veto of the same-sex marriage proposal, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill intended to protect gay men and lesbians against discriminatory business practices. Apparently, not too many people noticed. Assembly Bill 1400, the Civil Rights Act of 2005, authored by Central Coast lawmaker John Laird, will expand anti-discrimination codes by including sexual orientation in the law. It builds upon the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, or medical condition. Laird’s bill forbids all businesses that provide services, goods or accommodations...