Change to Win had a general consulting contract with Chris Lehane. That contract was terminated upon discovery of his role supporting the studios in the writers guild strike. As you know, Change to Win and its affiliates stand solidly behind the writers in their struggle for fairness, so we did not think twice about this decision.
The studios hired Fabiani & Lehane, at a crisis fee of around $100,000 a month, to battle the WGA members driven PR machine. They did so early in the week, which was another telling sign that they had no intention of making a deal. You don’t need “crisis PR” when you are doing the right thing. You hire “crisis PR” when you are going to walk out of talks and blame the other side for ruining Christmas. So, Lehane and Fabiani, longtime Democratic PR guys, have decided to switch sides and do some union busting. I guess they have come a long way since 2002.
No idea yet if they have lost more than they gained by signing this contract with AMPTP.
Way back in 2006, I wrote about Proposition 90. Remember how I said that was going to be terrible for the environment? Well, it’s as if the Hidden Agendas Scheme folks are trying to one up that. According to a new legal analysis by Shute, Mihaly, and Weinberger (a good environmental and land use law firm), the Hidden Agendas Scheme has some real potential to mess with California’s environmental regulations. You can get the complete report at the CA League of Conservation Voters Education Fund website here (look in the lower left corner).
Basically, Shute Mihaly issued an opinion that the CPOFPA would negatively impact the implementation of AB 32, CEQA, smart growth regulations and other environmental regulations and possibly be more restrictive than last year’s dangerous Prop90. Here’s a key quote:
[T]he initiative prohibits regulations affecting the use of real property that are enacted ‘in order to transfer an economic benefit to one or more private persons at the expense of the property owner.’ Put simply, nearly all regulation provides an economic benefit to some private person. Accordingly, although the initiative is ambiguous in several significant areas, a court could interpret it to restrict a host of environmental and land use regulations that would be plainly legitimate under existing law. (SMW report (PDF) 12.10.07)
Rack up another bullet point on the Hidden Agenda. The fact is that the Hidden Agendas Scheme is a poorly drafted piece of legislation, and it’s impossible to really see how far this can be stretched by overzealous landlords and property owners when they are facing the possibility of common sense regulation. We know about rent control. We know about the myriad of additional headaches this could bring to the water storage debate. Now we know about the possible negative effects to the environment. That’s quite a hidden agenda they’ve got going on.
A tremendous environmental coalition has been assembled to oppose this Hidden Agendas Scheme with members like the Cal League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club CA, the NRDC and many others. To put this bluntly, there can be no possible benefit to the environment from this initiative, but there could be a huge downside for the California’s environment just as we are making progress on the legislative front.
And when you add this to the end of rent control that is embodied in this Hidden Agendas Scheme, it is imperative that we make sure this initiative is defeated. This initiative would “amend the California Constitution to add a regulatory takings provision that would allow a property owner to sue to obtain compensation for, and/or to invalidate, regulation that imposes costs on the owner, regardless of whether the regulated activity is a nuisance, a threat to public health or safety, or harmful to the environment.” (SMW report (PDF)) We can get REAL eminent domain reform with the Homeowner’s Protection Act, without all the baggage of these Hidden Agendas.
(I really, really like Ms. Reilly, the current Mayor of Santa Cruz. While I would really, really like John Laird to stay in office, we need to consider all possible outcomes. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)
Recently, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger indicated he wants to institutionalize private-sector deals for infrastructure upgrades in a plan he will outline in his State of the State address in January. Though details have yet to be disclosed, design/build projects will no doubt be included. This is a mistake.
The idea of public-private partnerships appeals to a lot of people, and it is easy to understand why. There is a perception that public projects are inefficient, and sexy terms like “design/build” make other options sound appealing. As Mayor of Santa Cruz I often hear arguments that projects like these simultaneously cut costs and improve efficiency. Unfortunately, in the real world, it hasn't worked. We have seen that design/build projects routinely outspend their budgets and outlast their deadlines, costing taxpayers more in the end.
In addition to the problems on the infamous 91 Express Lanes, we have seen other design/build projects overrun their budgets and deadlines. The carpool lanes being built on the Garden Grove Freeway have doubled in cost to $550 million dollars and have yet to open. The San Joaquin Hills Tollway, another design/build project, required more than $1 billion in bailouts from officials in Orange County. And a toll road in San Diego, slated to be completed in 2006, is still not complete and has a budget that has grown to $800 million, more than twice the projected cost.
The system we have successfully used for public works in the state of California for decades is based on qualified engineers designing a project first, and then allowing several qualified contractors to bid on the chance to build that project. My tenure on the transportation commission has shown me that the incentive for these contractors is to come up with a complete, reliable set of plans that can be built at a low cost with high quality – that is how a contractor wins the contract. To ensure quality, engineers who work for the public inspect the work.
This process is backward in the case of design/build projects, which negatively affects the cost, timeliness and quality of a project. Under the design/build process a contractor is awarded a contract without having to bid, picks a designer and estimates the cost without the benefit of detailed plans, and later hires the inspector that will inspect the work. The checks put in place to protect taxpayers and citizens who will use the project are gone. This is not the solution to California’s infrastructure needs.
Instead, we should be using the money generated through the $20 billion transportation bond to build quality projects that are forward looking and contribute to a sustainable future, with the reduction of carbon emissions being a key benchmark of sustainability. In the Assembly, I will work to ensure that California follows the right path in improving our infrastructure.
The SEIU Local 99 in Los Angeles just fired Chris Lehane. This is the first. I don’t see how any union could ever hire this guy again after he has gone to work for management, and management who wants to bust their union.
“By the end of the week, I believe Chris Lehane will have no union clients because of his work for the AMPTP,” says SEIU President Andy Stern, who confirms that all Change to Win Unions are severing ties with Lehane. “His days are numbered in the labor movement.”
Management probably pays better. Hopefully his soul can live with it, too.
SEIU Local 99 in Los Angeles — education workers who include teacher’s aids, cafeteria workers and crossing guards — have fired former Clinton spokesman Chris Lehane from a consulting contract in support of the WGA .
“By the end of the week, I believe Chris Lehane will have no union clients because of his work for the AMPTP,” says SEIU President Andy Stern, who confirms that all Change to Win Unions are severing ties with Lehane. “His days are numbered in the labor movement.”
Chris Lehane by opting to go to work for the studios made a choice between that contract and those from labor. SEIU has been working to support the writers, so it comes as no surprise that they are the first to fire him. The question now is how quickly the other unions follow suit. As noted here back in October, the California Labor Federation hired Lehane to work on health care reform, outside of the IOHC coalition. I do not know what other unions he is under contract with, though we should hopefully find out soon.
While Stern is not my favorite right now, given his meddling in health care and a power struggle at the SEIU State Council that Brian has documented, this is a very strong and useful statement by him.
UPDATE: Lehane probably has a place waiting for him at Bush’s Department of Labor:
Political operatives in the Department of Labor are using federal reporting requirements to undermine trade unions and conduct a “political misinformation campaign” against them, a report released yesterday charges.
While the Bush administration has generally relaxed federal regulations, the department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards has done the reverse, beefing up disclosure rules, staff and investigations of union leaders and members, the study by the left-leaning Center for American Progress said.
The study criticized the reporting requirements as designed to overwhelm unions with paperwork and trick them into noncompliance. It also accused the office of inflating the number of criminal cases involving union leaders and members.
The report was triggered by the office’s latest requirement, new conflict-of-interest reports that, as of Jan. 1, would require a broad pool of union members to attest that even their car loans do not constitute a potential conflict.
The head hatchet man in the office right now is Don Todd, who came up with the Willie Horton ad. Come on, Lehane, you can be dirtier than him!
[UPDATE] by Julia. Courtesy of Trapper John over at dkos remember this Grover Norquist quote.
Every dollar that is spent [by labor unions] on disclosure and reporting is a dollar that can’t be spent on other labor union activities.
SEIU Local 99 in Los Angeles — education workers who include teacher's aids, cafeteria workers and crossing guards — have fired former Clinton spokesman Chris Lehane from a consulting contract in support of the WGA.
“By the end of the week, I believe Chris Lehane will have no union clients because of his work for the AMPTP,” says SEIU President Andy Stern, who confirms that all Change to Win Unions are severing ties with Lehane. “His days are numbered in the labor movement.”[Link]
I'm glad to see some retribution taken against Chris Lehane. We need to hold Democratic consultants accountable when they go to work against progressive organization.
A few random pieces cobbled together by the magic of bullet points:
Charlie Brown is having a fundraiser in Pasadena tonight hosted by some of our favorite Blue Dogs including the ever-so-fab Jane Harman. If you've got $250 to spare, perhaps you can ask her about this bizarre editorial with Pete Hoekstra. Charlie Brown for Congress (4th CD), Reception, US Reps. Adam Schiff, Jane Harman and Brad Sherman “invite you,” Charlie's Angel $2300, Sponsor $1000, Co-host $500, Guest $250, 7 p.m., Home of Dr. Michael Fortanasce, Glenoaks Blvd., Pasadena. Contact: 916 782 7696.
On the totally random front,Germany's largest employer and transportation company, Deutsche Bahn, is trying to privatize. They're hitting some snags now, and I'd say…good. See, management (and Merkel's CDU) wants to sell a stake to institutional investors, and the more liberal SPD party wants to sell to small investors. But, perhaps they could take a look over the pond and see how great our transportation system is. Because constantly bailing out our air transport companies post-regulation has been great. Hopefully somebody is paying attention at our CA High-Speed Rail Commission. Byt the by, the bond package for high-speed rail is still on the ballot for next November as far as I know. I'm sure Arnold will attempt to back it off again. Hopefully the Dems will support a vital piece of infrastructure for the 21st Century.
The Special Election to replace Laura Richardson in the Assembly is today. The competitors have been doing quite a battle, but I lean towards Furutani. And if I'm reading Paul Rosenberg's comment correctly, so does he.
The Governator is allowing hospitals to continue operating without completing seismic upgrades ordered after the Northridge 1994 quake. While I understand the need to ensure that our hospitals keep running, we also need to ensure that they are safe. Why can't they complete the upgrades? Well, under resourcing of course.
We learned yesterday that Chris Lehane used to do damage control for the corporation trying to limit PR fallout from massive health and safety violations while building the eastern span of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. He’s currently plying his trade as a paid shill for studios and networks who have the simple goal of busting the Hollywood labor movement.
Writers, (WGA head Patric Verrone) said, were looking to restore a sense of leverage and status that had been lost as ever-larger corporations took control of the entertainment business. He described Hollywood as teetering on the brink of a dark age, as far as creative types were concerned. “I think if they could do this business without us, they would, and so making our task as mechanical and simple and low-paying and unartistic as possible,” Mr. Verrone said.
The solution, he added, was to squeeze the corporations that own the studios, in an effort to represent the legion of writers on reality and animated shows that the guild had not organized through sign-up drives […]
Accusing guild leaders of pursuing “an ideological mission far removed from the interests of their members,” representatives of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expressed outrage over continuing demands of the writers that were not strictly related to pay.
These include requests for jurisdiction over those who write for reality TV shows and animated movies; for oversight of the fair-market value of intracompany transactions that might affect writer pay; and the elimination of a no-strike clause that prevents guild members from honoring the picket lines of other unions once a contract is reached.
The tone of shock in the producers’ statement seemed a bit artificial, as Mr. Verrone has for months laid out his plan to elevate the writers’ industry status.
This is the part where Lehane picked up the story and started writing it from his suite.
Yet their anger is genuine. Executives know that to concede the writers’ noneconomic demands would lead to a radical shift in industry power.
Riiight. See, now it’s conglomerates 99.999999%, employees 0.000001%. If you actually gave the same benefits to everyone who generates a script, whether they did so before or after the shoot, that would shoot up to .000009%! That’s a 9-fold increase!
And the other complaint, that a no-strike clause would be a death knell to the business, is absurd. This is a classic strategy of divide and conquer. Forcing union members to work and not honor another union’s strike is an attempt at isolation and union busting. This city’s unions don’t get along that well; often they’re competing for membership (IATSE’s leader just blasted the WGA because they have some animation writers in their stable and they don’t want to lose them). Furthermore, on any given day 1 out of 3 industry workers are unemployed. There’s already little incentive for solidarity, and the studios want to eliminate that even further.
Let me introduce you to a new word: permalance. I know it because I’ve been one, on several occasions. In no other business that I know can you be working for 40 hours a week at one company for several months and not be a permanent employee. MTV workers just learned the hard way why conglomerates do this: because it gives you no leverage.
Scores of workers from MTV Networks walked off the job yesterday afternoon, filling the sidewalk outside the headquarters of its corporate parent, Viacom, to protest recent changes in benefits.
Freelance workers from MTV Networks outside the headquarters of the company’s corporate parent, Viacom, Monday.
The walkout highlighted the concerns of a category of workers who are sometimes called permalancers: permanent freelancers who work like full-time employees but do not receive the same benefits.
Waving signs that read “Shame on Viacom,” the workers, most of them in their 20s, demanded that MTV Networks reverse a plan to reduce health and dental benefits for freelancers beginning Jan. 1.
In a statement, MTV Networks noted that its benefits program for full-time employees had also undergone changes, and it emphasized that the plan for freelancers was still highly competitive within the industry. Many freelancers receive no corporate benefits.
In other words, you’re lucky you get anything at all, so STFU.
The media business has being playing this game for years, and because most of their employees are too young to know the difference, there’s been little outcry. The WGA labor action is shining a bright light on the practices of this industry, which is a massive profit-maker globally. At some point, you get sick and tired of being pushed around.
We Will Right The Wrongs, Make Our Nation The Way We Want It To Be – That’s America Rising
As he opened an eight-day bus tour across the state this afternoon, there were reminiscent strains of his 2004 message in the air at the Polk County Convention Center as he presented his closing theme for this campaign: “America Rising.”
I wrote a Diary that was very important to me and heartfelt. And this new 8 day bus tour only reinforces my assertion that John Edwards is going to do all he can to make the system work for everyone again, not just those who have the money and power to influence the process, but those who go to bed hungry, those who don’t dream of going to college because of money, those who worry about how they will pay their next mortgage payment and those who are doing well today but could find themselves financially ruined because of a catastrophic illness or accident.
This campaign is more about America than it is about John Edwards and it’s more about lifting up those who have been held down for far too long. I sincerely believe that Edwards has seen how the power of the Government has been abused by the few at the cost of the many.
John Edwards needs every single voter to rise to the occasion and make a choice. We need to stand up and be heard, as Edwards in the past has so eloquently said, “I think our voices together are more powerful than our voices alone.” That too is America Rising.
America Rising
December 10, 2007
Excerpts From prepared remarks
“I grew up in a family where my grandmother walked to work at the mill every day wearing her apron. My grandfather, who was partially paralyzed, hauled rolls of cloth using one arm. My dad worked in those mills for 36 years, my mom worked too – all of them for one reason – to give us a chance to rise up and have a better life.
“That’s the greatness of America – the promise that every generation will give its children the chance to rise higher, dream bigger, live greater. I took the chances my parents gave me and spent my life fighting to make sure that people just like the people I grew up with had a real chance in the world. When indifferent, irresponsible corporations knocked them down, I was there to help them rise up.
“And that’s what drives me now. When I talk about the Two Americas, this is what I mean – the very wealthiest and most powerful have manipulated our government for their own ends. They use their wealth and their power to keep themselves wealthy and powerful at the expense of everyone else. And when they do that, they’re holding America back.
“But that’s about to change. You can feel it here in Iowa. Because America can’t be held back. Because America belongs to us.
“When we face obstacles, you know what we do? We get up. We rise up. We right wrongs and we make our nation the way we want it to be. That’s what’s happening in this election. That’s what’s happening here in Iowa. America is rising.
“When we lift 37 million Americans out of poverty – that’s America Rising. When we guarantee universal health care for every man, woman, and child in America – that’s America Rising. When we stop reckless trade deals that send American jobs overseas and create great jobs here – that’s America Rising. When we can look James Lowe in the eye and say with conviction, what you lived through will never happen again in our America – that’s America Rising.”
Toward the end, he said: “Are we going to be looking for careful political calculation, or are we going to be looking for bold, strong leadership for the United States?”
That’s a very important question, what are we looking for? I’m looking for someone who is not afraid to take a stand, who is not afraid to say “I was wrong” and who is not afraid to ask the tough questions.
And for those who have counted Edwards out, I have this for you:
As candidates prepare to chart their last movements across Iowa – selecting the itineraries for their bus tours, crafting the message of their final arguments – Mr. Edwards has an institutional memory that other candidates must rely on their strategists to provide. Yes, there are as many differences as similarities between the race of 2004 and 2008, but the ingrained experiences for Mr. Edwards should not be overlooked.
“You’ve got to believe there’s going to be some movement,” Mr. Edwards said, recalling his “dramatic rise” at this point in the campaign four years ago. Asked how that experience helps, he added: “I know these people. I know what they care about.”
“Rigged” features John Edwards speaking directly to New Hampshire voters about how the system in Washington is corrupt and rigged against hardworking Americans on behalf of the moneyed corporate interests.
John Edwards’ latest television ad airing in New Hampshire:
“We don’t have universal health care because of drug companies, insurance companies, and their lobbyists in Washington, D.C.”
This is my reason for standing up, Charlotte, a happy, healthy little girl who has so much ahead of her. She doesn’t have a care in the world, this was her this Saturday at the Southern California GCN Christmas Party. What’s that? It’s the Gay Christian Network and I’m a proud Christian Ally for the gay, lesbian and transgender community, I want to stand up for those who don’t have many of the legal rights that many take for granted. Why bring my daughter? Because I want her to know many different people and understand the blessing it is to have a varied community. I guess you could say they are part of my village. So I’m rising for Charlotte, I want her to have all the opportunities that I’ve had and more.
By the way, that’s her with a bit of table decor in her mouth, she’s by far the silliest person I know. Why do I share this? Because this is a personal choice and we all have our own reasons, I want people know that my personal choice has to do with this person in my life.
Today, in recognition of International Human Rights Day, the American Civil Liberties Union released a comprehensive analysis of the pervasive systemic and structural racism in America. The report, Race & Ethnicity in America: Turning a Blind Eye to Injustice, is a response to the U.S. report to the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) released earlier this year. The U.S. report was a whitewash, sweeping under the rug the dramatic effects of widespread racial and ethnic discrimination in this country.
It’s time to begin an honest conversation about the fact that racial bias remains perhaps the most significant barrier to opportunity for people of color, particularly African Americans and Latinos. The ACLU report finds that discrimination in America permeates education, employment, the treatment of migrants and immigrants, law enforcement, and access to justice for juveniles and adults.
The results for California are particularly disturbing. The report documents the persistence of racial inequity and institutionalized discrimination in California’s educational and criminal justice systems, and in the treatment of immigrants. Among the examples cited in the report:
•Compared to schools attended mostly by white students, schools with a high concentration of African-American and Latino students are 74% more likely to lack textbooks for students to use for homework; 73% more likely to have evidence of cockroaches, rats or mice; and three times more likely to report that teacher turnover is a serious problem.
•In California, African Americans are given third-strike, 25-to-life prison sentences at a rate nearly 13 times the rate of whites. African Americans are 6.5% of the population, but they make up 45% of third strikers.
•Children of color are 20 times more likely to be sentenced to life without parole than white children in California, the worst racial disparities in the country. The California Supreme Court is currently considering the case of a 14 year old boy who is the youngest person in the United States to be sentenced to life without parole for a crime involving no physical injury to the victim.
Other reports echo these findings. Just last week, the Justice Policy Institute released a study of racial disparities in prison sentences for drug offenses in the 198 most populated counties in the nation. Four California counties made it into the top ten for sending the most African Americans to prison for drug offenses: Alameda, Kern, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties. According to the report, Alameda and San Mateo Counties each send 35 times more African Americans than whites to prison for drug offenses, even though research shows almost no racial difference in drug use or sales.
The conclusion is inescapable: One of the most diverse states in the country, California has a two-tiered, separate and unequal educational and criminal justice system. In those institutions where we need justice the most, systemic racial bias is among the worst in the nation.
While the evidence of systemic human rights violations continues to pile up, California lawmakers continue to turn a blind eye. Despite overwhelming public support for limiting the three strikes law to violent felonies, the legislature has failed to act. As a result, judges continue to send people to prison for life for petty theft and other non-violent offenses. And despite overwhelming public support for alternatives to juvenile incarceration and judicial condemnation of the youth prisons, our state government has failed to shut them down.
The three simple criminal justice reforms that did pass the legislature this year—all intended to prevent wrongful convictions and ensure that only the guilty go to prison—were vetoed by the Governor, despite widespread support in newspaper editorials. The California criminal justice system sends more people to prison, in raw numbers and per capita, than almost any other criminal justice system in the world—and the overwhelming majority of these people are African American and Latino.
California officials should be leading the conversation about how we can all work together to steer the state in a more promising direction. To turn this equation around, we need to have the courage to begin a more constructive—and productive—conversation about the relationship between race, justice and opportunity in this state.
Today, in recognition of International Human Rights Day, the American Civil Liberties Union released a comprehensive analysis of the pervasive systemic and structural racism in America. The report, 