Governor Tests Campaign Message in North State Trip
REDDING, Calif. (AP) - Although the November special election is still months away, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was in campaign mode at events in the northern end of the state, trumpeting his accomplishments and raising money.
Meanwhile, the man he replaced, former Gov. Gray Davis, gave a qualified endorsement Thursday to one of the initiatives Schwarzenegger hopes voters will approve. But Davis came out against two other proposals supported by the governor.
Davis, in an interview with a Sacramento radio station, said he supported an attempt by Schwarzenegger to take away the Legislature's power to draw legislative and congressional districts and turn that duty over to a panel of retired judges.
"I believe it's a mistake to have the Legislature and governor draw the district lines," Davis told station KTKZ. "It's basically a conflict of interest."
But Davis said he opposed the measure's requirement that the ex-judges attempt to redraw the districts in time for the 2006 elections instead of waiting for the next census in 2010.
Davis also issued a statement saying he opposed the two other Schwarzenegger proposals, which would place new restrictions on state spending and extend the probation period for new teachers.
Davis said the spending restrictions would undercut state funding for schools and transportation and the other initiative wouldn't help schools keep good teachers.
Only the spending and teacher measures are currently on the Nov. 8 ballot. The redistricting proposal was removed last week by a Sacramento judge who said supporters violated the state constitution by using two versions of the initiative in the qualifying process. That decision is being appealed.
Schwarzenegger said Thursday that even if the courts uphold the ruling, the election should go forward because he believes his budget cap measure is still critical.
Schwarzenegger was joined by elected officials from the Redding area Thursday morning for an event that focused on the state's repayment of a loan owned to cities and counties and the governor's decision not to take $1.3 billion away from transportation projects - both done without raising taxes.
"This is what the campaign is all about," said Schwarzenegger at a news conference at the Redding City Hall. "Let's make the state live within its means."
About 50 demonstrators opposed to the governor's spending cap greeted Schwarzenegger later in the day in Chico, where he attended the dedication of a hydrogen fuel cell that helps power the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
One protester, Betty Credit, a 52-year-old teacher from Paradise, complained that Schwarzenegger labels nurses, teachers and firefighters special interests "when (we) are the backbone of this state."
In addition to the public events, Schwarzenegger also had fundraisers in Redding and Yuba City.
Despite the governor's recent drop in the polls and the controversy surrounding a multimillion dollar consulting contract, Schwarzenegger's fundraising has continued at a brisk pace.
Last week, the governor's primary ballot measure committee, the California Recovery Team, reported donations of more than $1.1 million and reported another $750,000 in contributions earlier this week.
The event in Redding included the governor turning over ceremonial checks to city and county leaders that represented their share of a $1.3 billion payment the state is making this year to repay local government for a loan to the state.
Redding will receive $1.4 million and Shasta County gets $3.5 million.
The governor said the repayment came only at his insistence during budget negotiations last month. He also said that last year he supported a ballot measure that prevents the Legislature from taking tax money from cities and counties.
"Every time the big spenders in Sacramento get into trouble what do they do? They raise taxes and steal money from local government," the governor said.
Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, said Republican lawmakers, not Schwarzenegger, proposed repaying the local government loan.