Results tagged “schwarzenegger”

The fine folks over at SFBG did a little sleuthing over Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent vetoing of Assemblymember Tom Ammiano's AB 1176, a simple bill that involved the Port of San Francisco and some sort of financing issues. Basic stuff, really. According to SFBG Editor Tim Redmond, "It’s the kind of bill that legislators offer on behalf of their cities all the time," the kind of bill that is routinely passed.

Although he uses fresh fruit to fashion smiley faces in his oatmeal, Gov. Schwarzenegger approval rating has, not-so inexplicably, dropped to its lowest point ever. According to CBS 5/AP, "a Field Poll released Tuesday finds the Republican governor with his lowest approval rating ever. Just 27 percent of voters approve of his performance, while 65 percent disapprove."

This is our last chance to make the Harvey Milk Day bill law. Now that the Assembly has approved Mark Leno's bill to make Harvey Milk Day a state holiday, it will be on the Governor’s desk by next week. The far (and often effective) right, however, wants you to know that homosexuals indoctrinate children, and that Milk was a raging pedophile -- both of which are lies.

From the weekend answering machine of Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, after helping deliver the finalized state budget:

California State Parks director Ruth Coleman said that the agency faces a total of about $39 million in cuts after the new budget, which directly states a $14.2 million cut, was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today. Additionally, $2.4 million was siphoned from a cigarette tax fund because less people are smoking. Furloughs and salary cuts round out the large number (Note: a full budget fact sheet is embedded below).

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finally signed California's budget today, making additional cuts to fill a $1.1 billion gap left by legislators in their approved package. An additional $6.2 million was cut from state parks after an $8 million cut was proposed last week. That makes a total of $14.2 million, a number the Schwarzenegger's office predicts "will result in the closure of probably more than 100 parks."

The cruel, cruel Governator is expected today to use his line-item veto power to make further cuts to social programs--particularly those serving the poor--as he signs off on the State of California's latest budget. To highlight his cruelty, local news stations have concentrated on possible cuts to in-home care for people with cerebral palsy, and to insurance for poor families with cute little children like Jacob in the video above. As KCBS reports, even these cuts are not expected to improve the state's shitty credit rating (currently a BBB while most states have AAA or AA), because the budget is "filled with accounting tricks" too.

Oversized wristwatch connoisseur, former Hollywood thespian, and Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has some news: "@Schwarzenegger: Budget passed. Thanks to the legislature for the hard work last night and today. Plan to sign next week." But wait, there's more! "@Schwarzenegger: I will be going live @ www.gov.ca.gov in a few minutes to discuss the budget. Tune in!"

So. The MSM has been atwitter this morning about the above video, which shows Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger holding a Crocodile Dundee-esque knife (in his unusually youthful hands) before launching into a diatribe about the state budget. (Get it?) His point, aside form the clever cutting signifier, is that he wants to hear more of your ideas on how to save the state of California from financial ruin. (Hint: you can't). Or whatever.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and your legislative leaders came to a tentative agreement this evening to (finally!) "balance California's $26 billion deficit by cutting broadly across state government, shifting costs into the future and capturing funds from cities and counties." According to goes on to explain, "includes spending cuts to programs ranging from schools to welfare-to-work to prisons. It takes money from local governments, including borrowing $2 billion that the state will repay starting in 2013 and taking gas taxes that normally go toward local road projects." By the numbers: 6 billion in cuts to education, 3 billion slashed to higher education, and 1.2 billion pruned from prisons. (Cuts to prison funding, however, will not mean that prisoners would get released early.) Some things that were spared? Cal Grants and most state parks. Please standby for fallout.

It seems the National Park Service doesn't want to take control of state parks, but will take six of them, including the nearby Angel Island, if Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal to close 80%, or 220, of them goes through under a Federal land transfer agreement. If the parks do close, they will stay open through at least labor day. "It's important to note that nobody is proposing to close these parks permanently. This is a temporary suspension until budget times are better," a State Parks spokesman told the . "We have no intention of giving them away or selling them. There's an interest in finding a way to preserve and protect them. It could be temporary federal control. We would hope they can come back to state parks." A proposal to pay for state parks via an annual $15 fee on vehicle registrations will be vetoed by Schwarzenegger if it hits his desk. Last month, LAist exposed a letter--currently making the media rounds--from the National Park Service to the Governor alerting him to the legal consequences.

In this clip from Russia Today, an English-language news program based in Moscow, the suave and accented anchorman speaks with an American correspondent about the fiscal crisis in California and the "meaningless pieces of paper" the state is now issuing to vendors in lieu of cash. Is it just us, or does this dude have a certain smirky, bemused attitude toward the idea that this state with the 8th largest economy in the world is bankrupt?

Not sure how much this budget-by-ballot blitz just cost us, but with 17% of precincts reporting, five of the six ballot measures in today's special election appear to have failed, with 60%+ of voters saying NO to propositions 1A through E.

John Myers at KQED's California Report did a report about this very unspecial Special Election we're having today, in which some TBD tiny percentage of the state's population is going to arrive at polling stations and probably vote down the Governator's budget balancing ballot measures. Whether or not any of the ballot proposals are valid, it appears people are tired enough of special elections, and tired enough of everyone losing all their money that "No, no, no, no, no," is the most natural response. Regardless, no one knows what the hell they're voting on anyway.

Sad news, California state employees. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked his administration to "send 5,000 layoff notices to state workers Friday," according to an unnamed source close to Arnold's budget plan. The workers, according to (which is one publication we will truly be sad to see go if things are going the way they are in the print world), "will be among the 20,000 state workers who received layoff warnings earlier this year." Said 5,000 employees will have to have their desks cleaned out by the end of June. Also, for even more depressing news, be sure to check out live coverage of today's California budget crisis. (Pst, better get on the "California, the Weed Dealer State" thing right-quick, governor.)

What with the swine flu breaking out in Sacramento, Marin County, and "the possibility that a California man may have died from the disease" (which, actually, wasn't the case) California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency today. According to Sacto Bee, "Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to work together in their responses, allowed some departments to enter into contracts for services and materials and waived some certification requirements at public health labs to expand California's ability to test for the virus." ABC News goes on to report that the U.S. should expect more people in different states to be affected by the swine flu outbreak.

"In the face of a $42 billion budget shortfall, and still no budget, measures are needed to preserve the State’s cash." And with that begins the official layoff letter sent out to 200,000 state workers on Tuesday, notifying them that they "face layoff, demotion in lieu of layoff, or transfer." Arnold made good on his promise to send word out of impending terminations if a budget agreement wasn't reached on Tuesday. It wasn't; he did.

Budget or not, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is all set to send layoff notices (warnings) to 20,000 state workers. According to the Sacramento Bee, "those with the least seniority among the approximately 100,000 state workers employed at General Fund units," will get the notice come tomorrow morning. "In the absence of a budget, the governor has the responsibility to realize savings any way he can," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear, defending Arnold's menacing, mass layoff plan. While he hasn't said exactly how many notices will actually result in layoffs (we going to go ahead and guess most of them), 2,000 layoffs would "save an estimated $150 million, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office."

Today the "powerful and well-heeled" correctional officers' union today set their lasers on Schwarzenegger for a recall. Lance Corcoran, spokespeson of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, says the reason for the recall is, ahem, "In the history of bad governors, this is the worst governor we've ever had." He went on to say "This is a man who is a poser. That's what he did, that's how he made his living, posing." Wow. God help the next person who pisses off Corcoran. Because: Ouch.

Dennis Herrera blasted the oddly-titled Campaign for California Families today for their latest, useless court of appeal tactic to get the gays to stop all of this damn marriage nonsense. The CCF, it seems, filed with the California Court of Appeal another benign motion to stay the California Supreme Court's May 15 decision to let the queers wed.

The Sapphic set will be the first to get legally married (and, believe us, the first to get legal divorce after divorce after divorce) in San Francisco. Longtime queer activists Del Martin (87) and Phyllis Lyon (84), who were first wed in San Francisco in 2004, will re-enact their ceremony as soon as gay marriage becomes legal in California at 5 p.m. on June 16.

The 10 attorneys general who has asked the California Supreme Court for a delay in their decision to let the gay marry until after November has been denied. CBS 5 announces that "the California Supreme Court has denied a request to stay its decision legalizing gay marriage."

it seems like every other hour there's a new same-sex marriage angle on the local news. Today, we have two big homosexual wedded bliss items that Gay Town is eating up. (Oh wait, our mistake -- THIS is Gay town.) First, a fresh new poll now finds that a small majority of Californians now believe same-sex couples should be able to marry.

It seems every queer we've ever come across in our lifetime has clogged your Editor's inbox this weekend with the following urgent request to call Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. It seems we need to vocalize our support (again) for same-sex marriage. Why? Because the National Back of the Bus Organization have been calling the Gov in droves to voice their hysterical Elizabeth Hasselbeckness over the ruling. And we need you to tell him otherwise (and because you don't want to piss off any brittle, fussy gay mafia members). Check it:

It looks like Mayor Gavin Newsom will take a stab at running for Governor of California in 2010. In addition to the gaggle of Democratic hopefuls looking to succeed Gov. Schwarzenegger after his reign comes to an end -- which include former governor Jerry Brown, former state controller Steve Westley, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, just to name a few -- San Francisco's very own mayor wants the title as well.

535 San Francisco Unified School District teachers will receive layoff notices this morning due to state cuts in education funding. Today's pink slip handouts stem from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget '09, which will see San Francisco schools losing around $40 million. According to CBS 5, Mayor Newsom is doing what he can, even if it's a Band-Aid solution to a longterm problem.

Politically-correct, conservative KSFO talk show host Melanie Morgan annonced yesterday that her contract would not be renewed due to financial issues over at KSFO's corporate parent, Citadel Broadcasting Corp. Co-host of the Lee Rodgers & Melanie Morgan Show, Morgan is somewhat (in)famous for jump starting the Gov. Gray Davis recall, which has since left us with Gov. Schwarzenegger; and calling for the rape, murder, hair-pulling, and vivisection of editor Bill Keller. (Okay, not really, what she actually said was that if Bill Keller should be tried for treason, he should face the ultimate penalty, which is death. So..there you go.)

State Senator Leland Yee introduced a bill in the State Legislature this morning that, if passed, would see traffic fines double for violations occurring along the deadly strip of San Francisco road known as 19th Avenue. (Shudder.)

California's First Lady makes yet another visit to S.F

Making her move at juuust the right time, Jackie Speier is a shoo-in to fill Tom Lantos' seat by April 8 if she gathers a majority of votes in a special, pre-primary election. But first, according to the Merc: