Action day in California draws more than 20,000

 
By George Sheridan

The May 25th Action Day for a Better California was the largest political event in California in more than a generation. More than 20,000 participants rallied at the State Capitol, including thousands of local teachers and state employees, plus nurses, firefighters, students and school employees who arrived from all over Northern California on 250 buses.

One of my favorite posters at the Action Day for a Better California was a picture of the Tar Baby. In this West African story, adapted by slaves in the American South, the bully traps himself by continually punching a seemingly helpless victim. Every time Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lashes out at us, he contributes to his own defeat.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s attack on public schools has not won him support with the general public. Most voters, like most teachers, were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on a whole range of issues if he had not so blatantly attacked a true bedrock principle — the minimum funding guarantee for public education. His attack on school funding continues to drive down his overall popularity, according to the latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

What difference do the newest poll numbers make? None — unless they help persuade the millionaires who are bankrolling the Governor’s initiatives that the fight may be too difficult. The poll comes as Schwarzenegger considers a mid-June deadline for calling a special election, which would cost between $70 million and $80 million.

Many voters believe that the special election is unnecessary because the Governor’s initiatives could be put on the ballot at the next regular election in June 2006 at no additional cost. The poll found that 62 percent of voters think waiting until 2006 makes sense, with 33 percent favoring a special election this year. Only 42 percent of likely voters approved of Governor Schwarzenegger’s performance on the budget and taxes, and his approval rating was only 33 percent on education..

Californians differ sharply with the governor’s ideas for spending the new revenue the state has received since January. Nearly eight in 10 — 76 percent — said the money should go toward increasing spending on kindergarten through 12th grade education. Schwarzenegger has refused to alter the course he plotted in January - permanently reducing per-pupil spending, already the lowest of any major state.

On his website, Schwarzenegger styles himself “The People’s Governor.” But the people are learning that Governor Schwarzenegger not only is trying to end pensions, de-fund public schools and break our unions, he’s not the kind of individual you want to spend any personal time with.

The Sacramento Bee recently reported one example of the petty and mean-spirited way in which Governor Schwarzenegger acts toward those who displease him. The Governor and Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas found themselves in the same restaurant one evening. Schwarzenegger barely looked up as Blanas approached his table but finally acknowledged the sheriff by

saying —loudly across a crowded patio of diners: “Hey, Chubby. How ya doing, Chubby? You look good, Chubby.”

Blanas retreated to his table, where he was eating with District Attorney Jan Scully. When they left the restaurant at the same time, Schwarzenegger greeted Scully warmly. He told Blanas to give him a call. Teachers do not accept this kind of bullying behavior from 13- or 14-year-olds. The public doesn’t like it either. A Los Angeles Times columnist recently summed it up in these words, “Arnold Schwarzenegger is way too vitriolic to be governor.”

Before and after the last election, there were numerous reports of Schwarzenegger groping female employees and women who were dependent on him in some way. My son’s teacher had a recent experience with the Governor which she said “Creeped her out.” She was part of a demonstration outside a convention center where he was to speak to the Chamber of Commerce. When his vehicle arrived, she and others held up signs. He looked directly at her and said, “I love you,” three times. She didn’t know whether to be sick to her stomach, angry that he thought she could be so easily diverted, or amazed that he was stupid enough to think that she would care about his “love.”

The Governor’s attacks have resulted in a new unity in organized labor. By far the largest and most powerful union in California is the California Teachers Association, affiliated with the National Education Association. CTA had already reached out in support of the Food and Commercial Workers, AFL-CIO, during their bitter strike against supermarkets in Southern California. Now CTA is forming strong coalitions with the California Nurses Association, the International Association of Firefighters, the Service Employees International Union and others.

The Governor’s big business backers had counted on his star appeal to sell their right-wing agenda. If they conclude it’s not working and decide not to pour more of their money into a losing cause, he will not call the special election. But his chief political consultant is itching for a fight. And Schwarzenegger’s allies have qualified a ballot initiative to restrict the use of union dues for political purposes. So November may bring an election in which more than one hundred million dollars will be spent without a single legislative, Congressional or statewide office at stake.

CTA has arranged to borrow up to $54 million to pay for media, direct mail, etc. To repay the loans, CTA leadership has recommended a sixty dollar per member special assessment for each of the next three years. The Governor’s “Coalition for Education Reform” is sending direct mail to teachers, urging them to join his “pro-student education reform agenda” and to force CTA leadership to abandon what they call a “multimillion dollar tax on teachers.” This sort of bare-knuckle tactic is further evidence that the Governor doesn’t merely disagree with us about policy; he is out to smash our union and will attempt all the tactics used by the most recalcitrant employers, including interference in the internal affairs of the union.