California Politics: The Protests Begin

One of Gov. Schwarzenegger's journalistic admirers, Daniel Weintraub, describes how a planned protest rally by advocates for the developmentally disabled Wednesday will provide the new governor more of his crash course on the painful realities of balancing the California budget. (Arnold's first round of cuts hit close to home Sacramento Bee 12/02/03)

Weintraub points out that Scharzenegger's mother-in-law Eunice kennedy Shriver founded the Special Olympics. Maria Shriver and her brother are on the board. The governor himself is the official "global ambassador" for the group.

<< Schwarzenegger is trying to freeze total general fund spending at this year's level even as built-in cost pressures are projected to push it up from $77 billion to at least $90 billion. Those pressures include higher caseloads in entitlement programs, guaranteed cost-of-living increases and increased enrollments in the schools. They also include his pledge to make local governments whole for the $4 billion they will lose annually due to his rollback of the car tax.

<< In his first stab at this task, the governor has proposed about $3.8 billion in spending cuts over this year and next. Of that, at least $260 million would be cut from the programs for the developmentally disabled. [my emphasis] >>

Notice that so far, he's come up with $3.8 billion in proposed cuts. That doesn't even pay for the $4.0 billion in reduced car license fees he decreed on his first day in office.

<< Schwarzenegger would eliminate respite care, camping, social and recreational activities, and music, art and equestrian programs. And in a more dramatic gesture, he has suggested suspending the state law that makes services for the developmentally disabled an entitlement available to anyone who qualifies. Instead, the program enrollments would be capped on Jan. 1, and new applicants would go on a waiting list. >>

Actually making the cuts in spending will be much more challenging than cutting the license fees. Or raising money from the Chamber of Commerce. Or holding a car-sales rally for one of his big contributors.