Sunday, November 23, 2003

California Politics: Still More Schwarzenegger Shorts

This is an important article about the new Governor's plan to use initiatives extensively:

Schwarzenegger to play to the public - He'll continue his campaign strategies to push programs San Francisco Chronicle 11/22/03

Jamie Court looks askance at the influence of special interests in Gov. S's appointments and actions during the first week:

The Governor's Wayward Broom Los Angeles Times 11/23/03

<< Among the scores of new rules that were frozen [by Gov. S] for six months — in order to be vetted for their effect on business — were regulations to limit pesticides, to create drinking water standards for arsenic and to publicly disclose on the Internet doctors' medical negligence settlements. >>

He goes on to discuss the likely orientation of several Schwarzenegger appointments when it comes to balancing public and private-business interests: food and agriculture secretary A.G. Kawamura, former chairman of the Western Growers Association and opponent of environmental and farm-labor protections; Gov S's chief of stafff Patricia Clarey, most recently an HMO lobbyist; her deputy Cassandra Pye, formerly responsible for the Chamber of Commerce's political action committee; Richard Costigan, the head liaison with the legislature, a former Chamber of Commerce lobbyist.

A Latina professor doesn't see Gov. S as sympathetic to Latino concerns:

Ban licenses for illegals, woo bigots, lose Latino vote by Adela de la Torre Sacramento Bee 11/23/03

She notes that his promise to repeal drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants is popular. But it risks massively alienating Latino voters the same way Gov. Pete Wilson did with the anti-immigrant Proposition 187 in 1994, with potential far-reaching consequences for Gov. S's goals.

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