Nuñez, Gov. Tune Up for Special Election Fight (Arnold)

(Is it too late to have a special recall election?)

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnold18may18,1,4739306.story?coll=la-headlines-california

Nuñez, Gov. Tune Up for Special Election Fight
Assembly speaker says Schwarzenegger is dishonest for breaking his word. The governor criticizes Democrats for proposing tax hikes.
By Nancy Vogel and Robert Salladay
Times Staff Writers

May 18, 2005

SACRAMENTO — In a further sign of deteriorating relations between lawmakers and the governor — just when they need to come together to agree on a state budget — Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger traded barbs Tuesday over elements of a special election expected this year.

Nuñez called the Schwarzenegger administration dishonest, saying the governor had repeatedly broken his word. Schwarzenegger, meanwhile, criticized lawmakers for proposing new taxes to balance the budget.
Nuñez's comments came a day after Mike Murphy, Schwarzenegger's chief political consultant, gathered reporters to say that the governor was considering backing a proposed initiative that could shrink the political influence of public employee unions.

Nuñez said the Republican governor had privately and repeatedly assured him that he had nothing to do with the "paycheck protection" initiative, which would require that public employee unions get written permission from members each year before spending their dues on political campaigns. The governor's support of such a measure would amount to a declaration of war on Democrats, who hold a majority in the Legislature, and some of their most generous donors.

"We've questioned him all along," Nuñez told reporters in a hastily called news conference. "People that are very close to the governor have been raising money for . And we said, 'Governor, do you have anything to do with this? Do you have any ties to this?' And he totally distanced himself from it, saying he had nothing to do with it.

continued

is wishing he could call the producer for a rewrite on this one.

Arnie's found out that really legislating
is tedious hard work and he doesn't want
to do it...it's easier to raise money to
pay someone else to write up initiatives
and make taxpayers fund a special election
to vote for them.

It's easier for him to travel around making
appearances to fawning crowds who don't know
any better.

No pensions, no health care, no benefits, no nothing if you don't want to work for outsource-level pay.

Yeah, let's vote that into law.