Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is almost certain to call a special
fall election sometime in the next two weeks. The reason, he told
listeners to a radio talk show the other day, is
”
to give power back to the people
– that’s why we have to have special elections.
”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is almost certain to call a special fall election sometime in the next two weeks. The reason, he told listeners to a radio talk show the other day, is “to give power back to the people – that’s why we have to have special elections.”
But none of the three initiatives he pushed this spring to qualify for that election has any chance of becoming effective any sooner with a fall vote than if considered at the next regularly scheduled election in June.
So why spend $70 million in state and county tax funds for an election whose effects won’t arrive any sooner than if there were no special election? Couldn’t the governor just as surely give “power back to the people” a few months later?
Schwarzenegger’s real reason lies less in the power politics some folks say he’s playing than in California’s campaign finance rules and the fact that he will himself likely be on next June’s ballot seeking the Republican nomination for governor.
If Schwarzenegger and his initiatives were on the same ballot, any money spent putting his words and picture in radio, television and newspaper ads for the propositions would count as contributions to his own campaign.
That’s how the state Fair Political Practices Commission interprets Proposition 34, the year-2000 law limiting what candidates for governor and other state offices can accept from any one donor.
The rule is not in place just to thwart the governor. Rather, it’s the direct result of the 2003 recall election campaign of current Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who plastered his face and rhetoric all over TV commercials against the failed Proposition 54, which sought to prevent the state from collecting racial, ethnic and religious information about citizens for any reason.
Bustamante paid a large fine for his attempt to circumvent the contribution limit by appearing in ads that did not promote him directly, but still pushed his candidacy.
Schwarzenegger made an issue of Bustamante’s tactic during that campaign and knows he’d be open to major criticism – plus fines – if he tried anything similar. Meanwhile, a springtime court decision allows him to collect unlimited amounts for political committees under his control as long as they don’t directly plump for reelecting him.
So the governor won’t be saying “vote for me” in his ads this fall. Rather, it will be “vote for my agenda.”
Part of that agenda, though, is a supposed attempt to make sure the state brings spending under control and balances its budget each year without any borrowing. Yet he’s willing to spend $70 million when there’s no necessity at all, other than his personal ambitions.
The governor says he’s determined to raise at least $50 million to push his causes in the special election that will cost his constituents $70 million.
He’s been to New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas and many California points gathering that money with a sense of urgency. At most of his events, donors of $20,000 or more bought at least some private face time with him.
Meanwhile, it’s plain the three Schwarzenegger initiatives have no chance of being implemented any sooner through passage in November than in June.
His measure to freeze state spending at current levels whenever legislators and the governor can’t agree on a budget by the June 30 deadline could take effect on June 30, 2006, whether it passed in November or the first week of June 2006.
His plan to make teachers work a few years longer before they get tenure can’t take effect until September 2006, whether it’s voted on in November or June.
Even the secretary of state he appointed, Bruce McPherson, says there’s no way Schwarzenegger’s plan to take the Legislature out of the process of redrawing district lines for their own seats and for Congress can’t be implemented before 2008, or maybe not until 2010.
All this means there’s only one point to all the fundraising Schwarzenegger’s been doing and to his likely call for a special election: the aggrandizement of Arnold.
And if that means spending $70 million of the people’s tax money in order to allow him to spend $50 million promoting himself, Schwarzenegger is plainly willing and ready to do it.
