NeoCon Watch Project of ActionLA Coalition March 1, 2005 URL: _http://www.ActionLA.org_ (http://www.ActionLA.org) Schwarzenegger to Hold Special Election By TOM CHORNEAU .c The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday he will go over legislators' heads and take his case straight to the voters with a special election later this year on overhauling pensions, teacher pay and the way political districts are drawn. He said he and supporters will start gathering signatures to place the measures on the ballot. No date has been set for the special election, but it would probably be held in the fall. Schwarzenegger has been threatening such a move for months. It would pit the popular Republican governor against some of the state's most powerful political forces - including the majority Democratic Party and the teachers union. During a news conference, Schwarzenegger endorsed three specific initiatives. They would privatize the state's public-employee pension funds, which manage more than $300 billion in investments; give authority for drawing legislative and congressional districts to a panel of retired judges; and tie teacher pay to merit rather than seniority. ``The problems are too big to ignore and too dangerous,'' Schwarzenegger said. While Schwarzenegger also wants to create a constitutional requirement that would impose across-the-board spending cuts when revenue falls short, on Tuesday he did not endorse any of the proposed initiatives that are being developed. In January, he called on the Democratic-controlled Legislature to place the four measures on the ballot before March 1 or face him at the polls. The deadline has passed with no agreement. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata said Tuesday they are willing to work with Schwarzenegger on the proposals. The problem, they said, was that the administration kept making changes to the plans. Margita Thompson, Schwarzenegger's press secretary, said the changes were minor. Schwarzenegger, who was brought to power in a 2003 recall, has called the upcoming election a ``great battle'' and vowed to raise $50 million to pass his agenda. 03/01/05 15:28 EST ================================================================= ActionLA Action for World Liberation Everyday! Tel: (213)403-0131 URL: http://www.ActionLA.org e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please Donate to ActionLA! Send check pay to: ActionLA/SEE 1013 Mission St. #6 South Pasadena CA 91030 (All donations are tax deductible) Please join our ActionLA Listserv go to: http://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/actionla or send e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please join our new Asian American Labor Activism Alert! Listserv, send-e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.' http://us.click.yahoo.com/mGEjbB/5WnJAA/E2hLAA/7gSolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
