(cross posted on dkos and the BetterCA blog)

We warned you…

Arnold’s early reelection announcement is designed with just one thing in mind: bolstering support for his failing ballot initiatives.  You don’t need any further proof of his intentions than he’s followed up his announcement yesterday by endorsing the horrid Proposition 75 today.  However, let’s take the time to look back at the Governor’s week long strategy, his attempt to turn around his dreadful numbers – numbers that make the former Mr. Olympia look like the photo featured on this woman’s sign yesterday.  

This has been a well choreographed dance, begging for attention.  It’s a classic media ploy and one that won’t really matter in the end. When the voters discover his arguments just don’t cut the mustard -it’ll all have just been poor gamesmanship.

From Monday to Sunday: Tracking a Media Extravaganza

Arnold’s handlers first task was to figure out the perfect timing for his series of announcements.  Tah-dah, the weekend of the California Republican Convention; press events would build up through the week, carrying attention over from one day to the next.  He would come up with something “newsworthy” every day, and he would try to keep the media engaged from Monday on.  

Monday he declared the start to his official proposition campaign.  They even worked in language that would tie the whole Monday-Saturday Arnold extravaganza together.

The next step was to have his staff to wrangle up some props…eer I mean… supporters and get them inside a night club for the re-election race declaration.  A site with noise insulation would surely deaden the sound of the protestors outside.  

Then they teased the news media all week that there was a “special announcement on Friday”.  Not very special, or a surprise that Arnold is running again, though a glance at his poll numbers gives one pause.  

Ok, status check: we have a quiet closed set, the media has been primed, and language to tie all of the events together.  That brings us to today, and his announcement of something we have known since April: Arnold supports a proposition designed to silence voices of public employees and clear opposition to the Governor’s destructive education, health care and public safety agenda.

The newspapers don’t yet have anything about this announcement, not surprising for a Saturday afternoon, so I went over to the Governor’s site to look at the language he used to justify backing Prop. 75.  For such a carefully coordinated media campaign you would think at least they would come up with a line of reasoning that couldn’t be shredded in one line.

“Public employee union members should not be forced to contribute to causes, candidates and controversial issues they don’t believe in,” stated the Governor.  “That is not a contribution.  That is a tax.

“Maybe they want their money to go for organizing or member services instead.

Mr. Governor, come here and have a seat beside me and I’ll whisper something in your ear.  Oh who am I kidding, I will just shout it out here for all to hear, its not exactly a secret, now is it: All union members, in every state in the union, already have the Supreme Court backed right to not have their union dues go to political activities.  That’s it really, your argument is bunk.  Now run along and see if you can do better, the strategy was effective, but you might want to work on the message.

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

Hundreds of SEIU health care workers are on strike now at some of Sutter Health’s top hospitals, the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC).

Sutter has nixed a mediators compromise offer, even after Pelosi, Boxer and Gavin Newsom
urged them to sign the agreement.

The strike is important because SEIU is trying to maintain staffing levels at safe levels. They are also trying to get a regional contract, which would give them better power in future negotiations. They also want a greater say in training and education programs. This would be done with joint employee-management ‘boards’ that would have some power to resolve disputes.

In short, SEIU is trying to give workers a more democratic voice in the workplace.

Andy Stern says :

The national SEIU has contributed $250,000 to a strike fund.

Ways to support them are below…

I visited the picket line earlier in the week, and spirits seem high. They had some good chants going, and some chicken grilling for lunch.

However, Sutter/CPMC, has hired out-of-state scabs (protected by Blackwaterish goons) and they are filling the positions of the strikers. There have been “three or four” workers to cross the lines, according to a striker, nothing substantial.

Sutter claims to be a non-profit, however they really aren’t as there are multiple layers of executives, for-profit yearly goals, and executive bonuses for meeting them. (They are currently being investigated by the City of San Francisco for violating their non-profit status)

Sutter executives have the reputation for being viciously anti-union, as well. I can attest to this because I have a friend who works as an assistant to one of their executives.

Besides writing local leaders, you can write to
Sutter at

Sutter Health
2200 River Plaza Drive
Sacramento, CA 95833

You can also call CPMC’s CEO, and I’ll post the number at my blog (not for traffic, but don’t know if it’s kosher at dkos). I called them and was called back by a hostile P.R. staffer, so the calls are having an effect. I’ll also post a pdf of the flier strikers are passing out.

(Really, Really dirty – promoted by SFBrianCL)

(crossposted on the BetterCA blog, My Left Wing and BooMan)

The San Fransico Chronicle has obtained an email sent to tech industry leaders who are joining Arnold on a trip to China. In that message they are wink wink, nudge nudge told not to reimburse the organization sponsoring the trip, but pay for their own flights and costs, AND drop $50k in the coffers of the California State Protocol Foundation, which incidentally doesn’t have report contributions.  They are intentionally laundering money that pays for the Governor’s trips overseas, and Arnold’s people say: “Sorry we can’t control what our friends do.”

High-tech leaders who may accompany Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on a November visit to China are being encouraged to avoid paying directly for the trip and instead make hefty donations to a nonprofit committee supporting the governor because the “contributions are not required to be reported,” according to an e-mail obtained by The Chronicle.

The arrogance is really quite astounding:

“The money that comes in can be used for anything. … It can be used for foreign trips,” Dicke [CFO for the Protocol Foundation] said. “The donors expect confidentiality. … We’re not required to disclose them, so we don’t.”

They are right; the letter of the law says that big business can contribute unlimited amounts of funds to organizations that then pay for the Governor to fly around the world.  But that is a far cry from the claims of independence from special interest groups like the Protocol Foundation that the Governor has tried to build his reputation on and far from what has been done in the past.  

Why do these donors expect confidentiality?  What do they have to hide from?  Why would they not want the public to know they are funneling money to the Governor?  Finally, why do they expect it when Gray Davis’s supporters did not?

Garry South, who was senior adviser to former Gov. Gray Davis, confirmed that Schwarzenegger’s Democratic predecessor also had a “host committee” — but he noted there was a key difference.
“Under Gov. Davis, a voluntary decision was made to report who gave money to that host committee,” South said. “We decided it was not worth shielding these people from exposure — that we had to release and report it.”

South, now an adviser to Controller Steve Westly, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said the TechNet’s solicitation crossed the line because it was “literally out there telling companies to launder contributions.”

“This is the pattern and practice of this administration — to try and hide as much of the money as you can,” he said.

The plethora of pro-buisness groups that have sprung up since the Schwarzenegger administration took office is another example of the message I noted earlier: “Say one thing, do another.”  It is up to you to send a message in return: “This is unacceptable and we will reject you and your big business supporters.”

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(Edited to add blockquote. – promoted by SFBrianCL)

Kudos to U.S. District Court Judge Karlton, who today decided that the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance is not constitutional.  While his decision immediately affects only three school districts in Sacramento County, it means that the 9th Circuit, and likely the U.S. Supreme Court, will address the issue again soon.  Unfortunatley, without O’Connor, God may prevail at the Supreme Court.  But at least this time the Sups can’t punt – all three plaintiffs in this case unquestionably have standing.

From SFGate:

In deciding the current case, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton in Sacramento said he was bound by the Court of Appeals’ previous decision.

Karlton said he would sign a restraining order prohibiting the recitation of the pledge at Elk Grove Unified, Rio Linda and Elverta Joint Elementary school districts, where the children of Newdow and his fellow plaintiffs are enrolled.

The order would not apply to other California districts unless it was affirmed by a higher court.

Referring to the previous decision in the court of appeals, Karlton wrote, “I conclude that binding precedent requires a narrow resolution of the motions, one which will satisfy no one involved in the debate, but which accords with my duty as a judge of a subordinate court.”

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

Apparently, California has just decided it worthwhile to enter into the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

California became the last of the contiguous states to join a nationwide emergency compact Tuesday, after legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were spurred to act by the hurricane devastation along the Gulf Coast.

The 1996 Emergency Management Assistance Compact helps states share emergency aid during times of disaster.

It will help California send aid more efficiently to states devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and it will let other states help in the event of a large earthquake or other disaster in California without waiting for bureaucratic paperwork, Schwarzenegger said in signing the legislation.

It certainly is a curious statement about California that we are only doing this now.  We are a state that is particularly prone to natural disasters with several very large population centers.  Yet we were the last state to enter into this pact?  Bizarre.

The Governor showed up in Antelope Valley yesterday to raise money for his hugely unpopular special election campaign.  While he did get the wads of cash he wanted from his big money donors, he and his backers also probably got more than they bargained for:

Schwarzenegger raised at least $300,000 from local supporters, but he and everyone who attended had to pass through a gantlet of opposition at the Antelope Valley Fairground gate where several hundred protesters, many from public employee unions, turned out to catcall the governor.

Arnold just can’t hide from the hardworking Californians his that special interests election is targeting.  Teachers, nurses, firefighters, and public servants from all over the state have kept the Governor on his toes at events all over California.  Our “man on the scene” sent in this report . . .

At the rally today we had well over 350 volunteers chanting and sending the message that Arnold has the wrong agenda. Our volunteers held hundreds of picket signs with the message “No on prop 74, 75, and 76”.  Vehicles passing by could not help but honk their horns in support or our efforts.  At past events held throughout California, the governor tried to evade activists –  and at today’s event was no different.  He arrived approximately two hours before the event to avoid public employees.

Moreover, individuals driving into the Arnold fund raiser event could not look into the eyes of our volunteers who were chanting in unison “Shame on you”.

If you want to let Arnold know just how you feel about his special election, you can join Alliance Volunteers at a Chase Arnold event like those in Bakersfield tonight, or in Burlingame (San Mateo Co.) tomorrow.  We’re not going to take this lying down.

(posted by Drew on the BetterCA blog)

(crossposted on the BetterCa blog Arnold is preparing to announce on Friday that he is running for re-election…big surprise there. What is interesting is the timing of the announcement and the reasoning for the change in plans.

SignOnSanDiego.com:

The timing is seen as a move to generate excitement among Republican activists heading to the California Republican Party convention, which convenes Friday in Anaheim.

The politically coy governor has long signaled that he probably would not disclose his political future, or even give it much thought, until after the special election.

He was apparently persuaded to move up his timetable by business supporters who have given a lukewarm reception to Schwarzenegger’s special election, but desperately want a Republican governor to fend off what they regard as bills hostile to business passed by a heavily Democratic Legislature. [emphasis mine]

The governor has to resort to making an early announcement because even the buisness interests that his special election is designed to benefit aren’t jumping out of their seats to help.  

Given Schwarzenegger’s low poll numbers, this early announcement will have little effect on undecided voters. Rather, as the article mentions, it is intended to rally that 34% who somehow believe he’s doing a good job.  His announcement won’t be an offensive move, but rather a defensive attempt to shore up the tiny bit of popular support he still has left.

(cross posted at the BetterCa blog, My Left Wing and Booman)

Today, the Governor launched the campaign in support of his wildly unpopular special interests election. But instead of taking his message to directly to the people, he took a page from the president’s playbook and sequestered himself in a warehouse full of handpicked supporters, far away from the chanting crowds outside.  

PE.com:

Schwarzenegger touted his three ballot initiatives, Props. 74, 76 and 77, before an invited audience of politicians, businesspersons and employees of K&N Engineering, Inc., an air-filter company that hosted the event in a warehouse.

The article has a great shot of some protestors outside with “No on 75” signs.  I wonder if he managed to walk in on red carpet this time, instead of the warehouse equivalent of the playground?

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

Agreed…He Won’t be Back.