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Is the Governor of California Going Crazy?? What do you think?
-----What Arnie wants to do-----
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to pay thousands of state employees the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour until lawmakers reach a deal on California's overdue state budget.
Spokesman Aaron McLear said the Republican governor is contemplating signing an executive order next week that would pay about 200,000 state workers the federal minimum wage, which is $1.45 an hour less than California's minimum wage.
Employees would receive their full salary retroactively once a budget is signed.
"Because the Legislature has failed to produce a budget over a month past their deadline and because we don't have a rainy day fund, the governor is looking at a number of options to make sure the state does not run out of cash," McLear said.
-----THE OTHER SIDE-----
State Controller John Chiang, whose office pays state employees, criticized Schwarzenegger's threat as a political ploy that could end up costing the state even more in litigation fees.
"Forcing public servants to involuntarily loan the state cash by foregoing their hard-earned paychecks puts an untenable burden on our teachers, health care workers and those who provide critical public services," Chiang said in a statement.
"Cutting workers' salaries will do nothing meaningful to improve our cash position or help us make our priority payments."
-----MY TAKE-----
What do you guys think?
Personally, I work for my local government, and if something like this happened to me, I don't know how I would make ends meet. -----What Arnie wants to do----- ... more -
Governor plans to slash state workers' pay
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans next week to slash the pay of more than 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum of $6.55 per hour to help ease the state's budget crisis, according to a draft executive order obtained by The Chronicle on Wednesday.
The governor also will order an end to overtime pay for all but critical services, a freeze on state hiring and the immediate layoff of nearly 22,000 temporary, seasonal and student workers.
"As a result of the late state budget, there is a real and substantial risk that the state will have insufficient cash to pay for state expenditures," the executive order states.
Schwarzenegger's staff would neither confirm nor deny that the governor plans to issue the executive order, but sources said he could take action as early as Monday. The state, facing a projected $17.2 billion budget deficit for the fiscal year that began July 1, has not approved a budget.
"The governor is looking at a number of different options to ensure that the state does not run out of cash," said Aaron McLear, a spokesman for the governor.
But administration officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said that about 200,000 of the state's 245,000 workers, both hourly and salaried, will see their pay trimmed back to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour, saving the state up to $1.2 billion a month. Dropping the temporary and short-time workers will save an additional $28.5 million each month.
While the layoffs could be made immediately, the pay cuts might not be completed until mid- or late August.
The proposed pay cut for hourly employees would take their wages well below the state minimum wage of $8 an hour. But a 2003 California Supreme Court decision allows the state to chop workers' pay to the federal minimum when a state budget has not been enacted.
"While we've had late budgets in the past, the critical difference this year is cash," an administration official said. "We have not had a situation in recent years that's the same as the cash-starved situation that we may face in September if we don't have a budget in place."
While California needs to have about $2.5 billion in cash on hand at any given moment to cover the state's ongoing expenses, the Golden State is projected to have just $1.8 billion at the end of September, the official said.
But the governor's plan could face an immediate challenge from Democratic state Controller John Chiang, who will continue to pay state workers their full salaries, even in the face of Schwarzenegger's executive order, said Hallye Jordan, a spokeswoman for the controller. The governor will have to take Chiang to court if he wants to stop him, she said.
"The controller hasn't seen any executive order, but he would urge the governor to rethink his proposal," she said. "This hasn't been addressed by the courts and if it's ruled illegal, it could cost the state a tremendous amount in damages."
Chiang said the state has enough cash to make all payments, including the regular payroll, through September.
"Cutting workers' salaries will do nothing meaningful to improve our cash position," he said in a statement. The executive order is "nothing more than a poorly devised strategy to put pressure on the Legislature to enact a budget."
The state has been without a budget for nearly a month.
Although Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature remain at odds over how to close the state's anticipated budget deficit, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, has called for a vote Tuesday on the Democrats' budget proposal.
**article continues, click link to read Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans next week to slash the pay of more than 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum of $6.55 per hou... more -
Terminator 4: Salvation
Today a teaser trailer was released for the new Terminator film starring Christian Bale.
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Schwarzenegger blasts Bush on global warming
"Governor Arnold Schwarzeneger spoke out against President Bush this morning attacking his administration for its failure to counter global warming emissions.
"This administration did not believe in global warming," Schwarzenegger told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview that will air Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"They just didn't believe in it or they didn't believe that they should do anything about it, since China is not doing anything about it and since India is not willing to do the same thing, so why should we do the same thing?" Schwarzenegger said.
"We don't wait for other countries to do the same thing. That's what makes America number one... And I think we have a good opportunity to do the same thing, also, with fighting global warming," he said.
Schwarzenegger's comments came in reaction to the Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision not to take further action against global warming during the remainder of Bush's presidency. "Well, to be honest with you, if they would have done something this year, I would have thought it was bogus anyway," he said. When asked why, the California Governor said, "because you don't change global warming and you don't really have an effect by doing something six months before you leave office."
Schwarzenegger argued that any action taken by the administration at this point would not have been sincere.
"I think that the way they have done it is much better...This administration did not believe that [carbon dioxide] and greenhouse gases is a pollutant. They fought this in court and then finally the Supreme Court had to tell them, 'Yes, it is a pollutant,'" he said.
He also highlighted the strides taken by California to counter global warming.
"I'm very happy that California is in the forefront," he said. "We are very aggressive. We have made a commitment to roll back our greenhouse gas emissions to the 1990 level ... We didn't wait for Washington. I just felt that the administration and the federal government have been terrific partners in a lot of things for us and we have worked together very well, but environmental issues was not one of them."
From ABC News Mary Bruce "Governor Arnold Schwarzeneger spoke out against President Bush this morning attacking his administration for its failure to counter g... more -
Cali On Fire
The fires in Northern California continue to burn, leaving many officials and citizens searching for answers. Hear Gov. Schwarzenegger's and Secretary Kempthorne's take on the situation in this pod. The fires in Northern California continue to burn, leaving many officials and citizens searching for answers. Hear Gov. Schwarzenegger... more
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Lightning Fires in CA
Lightning has been the catalyst for 800 or more fires have torched Northern Californias wildlife.
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Mr. FX 1946-2008
Stan Winston's work as a visual effects supervisor, make-up artist and film director won him four Academy Awards. He will be remembered most for his work in Jurassic Park, Aliens, and the Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He died at his home in Malibu at the age of 62. Stan Winston's work as a visual effects supervisor, make-up artist and film director won him four Academy Awards. He will be remembere... more
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California drought: Schwarzenegger signs executive order to redirect water
ACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought after two years of below-average rainfall, low snowmelt runoff and a court-ordered restriction on water transfers.
Schwarzenegger warned that residents and water managers must immediately cut their water use or face the possibility of rationing next year if there is another dry winter.
"We must recognize the severity of the crisis that we face," the Republican governor said Wednesday at a news conference.
He signed an executive order directing the state's response to unusually dry conditions that are damaging crops, harming water quality and causing extreme fire danger across California. Many communities already require water conservation or rationing.
The statewide drought declaration is the first since 1991, when Gov. Pete Wilson acted in the fifth year of a drought that lasted into 1992. ACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought after two years of below-average rainfall, low snowmel... more -
Chrisrtian Bale to star in 3 Terminators
The producers would not reveal whether Arnold would reprise his role as the Terminator.
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Baghdad: bodybuilders worship Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bodybuilding buffs in Baghdad worship at a temple to the Terminator -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- in a country where the term survival of the fittest can take on extra resonance.
Inside the Arnold fitness center in central Baghdad dozens of men pump iron, run on treadmills and work out on benches, rowing and weight machines.
The gym's Iraqi owner is even said to have received a personal letter from the California governor himself, the former Mr. Universe best known for his Terminator films.
Every inch of wall within the gymnasium is plastered with posters of Arnold to inspire Iraqi men on to greater things.
No guns are allowed inside, but there are lockers available for those who want to store their automatic weapons before entering the gym.
Modern exercise equipment started coming in only after the invasion which also ended the sanctions era when imported goods were scarce. Bodybuilding buffs in Baghdad worship at a temple to the Terminator -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- in a country where... more -
U.S. - gay marriage opponents to fight California ruling
SAN FRANCISCO - Even as same-sex couples across California begin making plans to tie the knot, opponents are redoubling their efforts to make sure wedding bells never ring for gay couples in the nation's most populous state.
A conservative group said it would ask California's Supreme Court to postpone putting its decision legalizing gay marriage into effect until after the fall election. That's when voters will likely have a chance to weigh in on a proposed amendment to California's constitution that would bar same-sex couples from getting married.
If the court does not grant the request, gay marriages could begin in California in as little as 30 days, the time it typically takes for the justices' opinions to become final.
"We're obviously very disappointed in the decision," said Glen Lavy, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, which is pushing for the stay. "The remedy is a constitutional amendment."
With a stroke of a pen Thursday, the Republican-dominated court swept away decades of tradition and said there was no legally justifiable reason why the state should withhold the institution of marriage because of a couple's sexual orientation.
The 4-3 opinion written by Chief Justice Ronald George said domestic partnerships that provide many of the rights and benefits of matrimony are not enough.
"In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," George wrote for the majority in ringing language that delighted gay rights activists.
Gay marriage opponents, meanwhile, derided the ruling as an example of judicial overreaching in which the opinions of a few justices trumped the will of Californians.
The last time the state's voters were asked to express their views on same-sex marriage at the ballot box was in 2000, the year after the Legislature enacted the first of a series of laws awarding spousal rights to domestic partners.
Proposition 22, which strengthened the state's 1978 one-man, one-woman marriage law with the words "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," passed with 61 percent of the vote.
The Supreme Court's ruling Thursday struck down both statutes.
Still, backers of a proposed November ballot measure that would allow Californians to vote on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage said the court's decision would ultimately help their cause.
"(The ruling) is not the way a democracy is supposed to handle these sorts of heartfelt, divisive issues," said Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage, one of the groups helping to underwrite the gay marriage ban campaign. "I do think it will activate and energize Californians. I'm more confident than ever that we will be able to pass this amendment come November."
To date, 26 states have approved constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage.
In the past few years, courts in New York, Maryland and Washington state have refused to allow gay marriage, and New Jersey's highest court gave the state lawmakers the option of establishing civil unions as an alternative.
SAN FRANCISCO - Even as same-sex couples across California begin making plans to tie the knot, opponents are redoubling their efforts ... more -
The woman who can't forget ANYTHING
Speaking publicly for the first time about her ability, the 42-year-old likened her daily life to a split-screen television - on one side is what she is doing in the present, on the other, the memories which keep flooding back.
Credit // The Daily Mail Speaking publicly for the first time about her ability, the 42-year-old likened her daily life to a split-screen television - on one s... more -
Governor says his medical records were accessed, too - Los Angeles Times
The Governater, as well as a hand full of other celebrities medical records have be compromised. Arnold thinks that celebrities medical records should be more secure; although true it leads me to believe that he has something to hide.
Wait, oh yeah, we already knew he did massive amounts of steroids.
There is also the possibility that he doesn't want every one to know that he is actually here to either save or kill John Conner. The Governater, as well as a hand full of other celebrities medical records have be compromised. Arnold thinks that celebrities medic... more -
Arnie is a hero again; just not in the movies
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was startled Wednesday when a 12-year-old boy fainted during an outdoor news conference at the boy's school in Sacramento.
Theo Scott-Femenella was standing near Schwarzenegger as someone else was at the podium when Scott-Femenella suddenly looked skyward and fell slowly backwards.
Schwarzenegger noticed and rushed to his aid, helping the sixth-grader off the stage, to his father. He later remarked to Schwarzenegger, "Darn that global warming!" California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was startled Wednesday when a 12-year-old boy fainted during an outdoor news conference at the b... more -
Why McCain should be allowed to be president
John McCain was born in Panama. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Austria. Article II of the Constitution clearly states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President." (emphasis added) John McCain was born in Panama. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Austria. Article II of the Constitution clearly states, "No Person e... more
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California Creates Cabinet Post to Manage Volunteers
Mr. Schwarzenegger is creating a cabinet-level office for volunteer management, which his administration says is the first such state cabinet position in the country. He is scheduled to announce the move on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Mr. Schwarzenegger is creating a cabinet-level office for volunteer management, which his administration says is the first such state ... more
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Controversial Ad for California's Proposition 95
This television commercial for Proposition 95 might swing voter opinion. To which side, we're not sure. © 2007 Noisivision, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This television commercial for Proposition 95 might swing voter opinion. To which side, we're not sure. © 2007 Noisivision, Inc. Al... more
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Maria Shriver Endorses Barack Obama
This is going to make for uncomfortable dinner conversation at the governor's masion in Sacramento.
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Gov. Schwarzenegger to endorse McCain
I think we should start keeping a tally of who is endorsing who.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse John McCain on Thursday, giving a boost to the Republican presidential front-runner six days before California's high-prize primary.
The two will appear at a news conference after touring a Los Angeles-based solar energy company and the governor will make his endorsement official, his senior aides confirmed."
I think we should start keeping a tally of who is endorsing who. ... more
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Arnold Schwarzenegger
