NEW! Governor Succeeds in Uniting Public Employee Unions (11-7-2005) A coalition of a dozen unions has formed to oppose the initiatives. The Alliance for a Better California could keep right on going after tomorrow's special election on the governor's "year of reform" measures. "I believe we will stay together to fight for some real reform – education reform, health reform," said Barbara Kerr, president of the California Teachers Association. "I think the governor's unintended consequences brought together a group of people that isn't going to go away." One thing that may help keep the union coalition together after the election is a Schwarzenegger proposal to change state and local government worker pensions, which did not make the ballot this year. Citing soaring costs, the proposal would have switched new hires from a guaranteed monthly pension payment after retirement to having an investment fund whose value could move with the market, similar to a 401(k) plan. Schwarzenegger dropped the plan after opponents contended that death and disability benefits for police and firefighters would be eliminated. But he has said he hopes to place another plan before voters next year.

NEW! Voting Is the Only Way to Thwart the Governor's Plan to Take Over California (11-2-2005) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger insisted we had to have this special election next week. Despite a huge budget deficit, it couldn't wait until next year, which would have saved millions. It had to be now, because his "reforms" were too vital to delay another minute. So the governor got his way, ramming the election down our throats. And now what does he want? He wants most of us to stay home next Tuesday. But thanks to Schwarzenegger and his corporate pals, the political process has degenerated into nonstop fundraising by bitter enemies who then dump millions into TV ads that are designed to simplify and distort the issues while generally lowering the state IQ. And this is where we are two years after a special election in which we elected a governor who promised he'd terminate special-interest fundraising, partisan monkey business and big borrowing, three categories in which he now reigns as undisputed heavyweight champ.

NEW! Arnold's Campaign Dream - Democrats Don't Vote! (11-1-2005) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered next week's special election to take his agenda to "the people," but his campaign strategy relies on relatively few people showing up next Tuesday and large segments of voters staying home. The Republican governor entered the final week of the special election campaign invoking the bipartisan "people's revolt" that swept him to power in the recall campaign two years ago. But his strategy for getting voters to the polls focuses on a small group of loyal Republicans to support the initiatives he has endorsed on the ballot.

Clinton and Edwards Urge NO Vote on Prop 75 (10-25-2005) "The strength of our democracy depends on voters' faith in the fairness of the process, that everyone has a right to participate," Senator Hilary Clinton wrote. "In taking away the rights of public employees, and only public employees, Proposition 75 would weaken our democracy. It would undermine the work and the rights of teachers, firefighters and health care givers." Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, wrote that if the measure passed, California would have a double standard. "It would restrict the political activities of only public employees - not the governor's corporate contributors, not wealthy individuals and not special interests like big oil and drug companies," he wrote.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Gives $250,000 in Attack On Firefighters (10-21-2005) California’s firefighters … paid and volunteer, union and non-union … spoke out today with a one voice: NO on the governor’s special interest agenda. At a news conference near a Sacramento fire station, California State Firefighters’ Association (CSFA) today announced its opposition to Propositions 74, 75, 76 and 77, and formally revoked the endorsement it gave Schwarzenegger weeks before the 2003 recall election. “We respect the office of the governor, but we just can no longer support the man who holds that office today,” said CSFA President Kevin Nida. “Governor Schwarzenegger has broken his promises and lost the confidence of our members.”

CSFA Revokes Schwarzenegger Endorsement, Announces Opposition to Prop. 75 (10-21-2005) California’s firefighters … paid and volunteer, union and non-union … spoke out today with a one voice: NO on the governor’s special interest agenda. At a news conference near a Sacramento fire station, California State Firefighters’ Association (CSFA) today announced its opposition to Propositions 74, 75, 76 and 77, and formally revoked the endorsement it gave Schwarzenegger weeks before the 2003 recall election. “We respect the office of the governor, but we just can no longer support the man who holds that office today,” said CSFA President Kevin Nida. “Governor Schwarzenegger has broken his promises and lost the confidence of our members.”

Governor Dines with Wealthy Special Interests While Workers Protest Outside (10-20-2005) --  Hundreds of boisterous protesters upset by Gov. Schwarzenegger's ballot initiatives targeting teachers' tenure, unions and school funding demonstrated outside the Mission Inn on Wednesday as the governor hobnobbed inside with donors who paid $2,500 or more to attend the private dinner. Schwarzenegger met with donors for photos, cocktails and dinner during the fundraiser. Contributors paid as much as $25,000 for two tickets to the private reception and dinner at the head table, including a photo with the governor. A $5,000 contribution bought two tickets to the dinner.

Silence Our Voices? You Need A Reality Check (10-16-2005) 

Conservative Sacramento Bee Newspaper Urges NO ON PROP 75 (10-14-2005) -- Union dues measure is politics at its worst. One morning recently, the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal peered down from the heights, surveyed the California special election ballot, espied Proposition 75 and proclaimed, "There is no more important election this year." The editorial board of that publication is not known for its devotion to California's public interest. So when it pays such attention to affairs here, voters are entitled to wonder, "What's that all about?" The answer is simple: Proposition 75, which appears on the November special election ballot, is the latest expression of a national drive by conservatives to diminish the power of unions.

Kerry Joins Fight Against Prop. 75 as Democrats Try to Boost Turnout (10-14-2005)-- Three days after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger campaigned for his special election agenda alongside U.S. Sen. John McCain, union leaders Thursday imported fellow Sen. John Kerry to help with their fight against Schwarzenegger's most popular initiative. Joined by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at a news conference outside a downtown firehouse, Kerry said Schwarzenegger's Proposition 75 to curb union political spending was part of a national effort to give Republicans and corporations an unfair edge in governing.

Schwarzenegger May Face Other Side of Recall Challenge (10-09-2005) -- Until recently, Dr. Kenneth Matsumura's most notable achievement was inventing an artificial liver that makes use of live rabbit cells suspended in solution. He says he also has a patent on a wristwatch that sounds an alarm before the wearer has a heart attack. But on Friday, Dr. Matsumura showed up at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office in Sacramento and delivered a formal notice of a recall against the governor. Now Dr. Matsumura, a 60-year-old physician from Berkeley, is being depicted as the Terminator's terminator among Mr. Schwarzenegger's partisan detractors. DEAN E. MURPHY in the New York Times

Firefighters Ordered to Appear With Schwarzenegger 10/06/2005 "The governor has created enemies in firehouses from Eureka to Escondido. He has trashed unions and waved his pompoms for Proposition 75, which would require public employee union members to sign off on political uses for their monthly dues. So how did Schwarzenegger find 20 firefighters eager to pose with him? He didn't, says Pat McOsker, President of United Firefighters of Los Angeles, who went to the command center to check on the condition of colleagues who had been on the job for three days with little sleep. He says the men and women flanking the governor were acting under duress.

Prop 75:A Bare Knuckle Battle for Power 10/04/2005 "The fight over Proposition 75, which would require members of California public employee unions to give permission before their dues are spent for political purposes, is a bare knuckle battle for power.  (Prop 226) an earlier version appeared on the ballot in 1998. Advocates on both sides that year spent nearly $25 million in the battle over Proposition 226, which would have restricted all labor unions from spending member dues on political causes. The earlier attempt was rejected by voters by 53 percent to 47 percent. It didn't matter in 1998 and seemingly doesn't now that union workers can already decline to have their dues spent on issues other than collective bargaining, but this is an ideological battle. "It's a very deliberate attack against the voice of working people," said Art Pulaski, the executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation.

Schwarzenegger and Bush: Two Peas in a Pod 10/03/2005 "Proposition 75 is part of a partisan national plan to weaken the ability of working people to participate in our democracy, while large corporations remain free to supply the governor's war chest with campaign cash. As prominent right-wing ideologue Grover Norquist said, the initiative is "central to the conservative movement, to the Republican Party, to building the base of the Republican Party" and is intended to "crush labor unions as a political entity."

Actor/Political Activist Rob Reiner Endorses NO ON 75  (10-01-2005)- Reiner, in the forum sponsored by the union-based Alliance for a Better California at the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco, said that defeating Proposition 75 is fundamental to preserving a democracy in which "working people's voices need to be heard. If democracy is to work properly, we must not, we dare not, have any voice suppressed," he said. "(Proposition) 75 is designed to take people's voices out of the debate. That just doesn't fly in a democracy."

Legislative Panel Reveals Prop 75 Hypocrisy  (09-28-2005)- "Asked whether he would want the provisions of Prop. 75 applied to his own organization...Uhler (right wing anti-tax crusader and Prop 75 creator) acknowledged that he would not want his organization to be subject to the initiative. He also said he did not believe publicly traded corporations should have to obtain the permission of shareholders before expending company capital on political contributions. (Committee Chair, Senator Richard) Alarcon asked, "Mr. Uhler, are you trying to take control of the government?"

Supporters of Prop 75 Distort the Truth  (09-26-2005)- "Although there are individual teachers, firefighters and police officers who no doubt support Proposition 75, the labor organizations that represent the employees as a group - and are targeted by Proposition 75 - are vehemently opposed to the measure and are spending millions of dollars to defeat it. Public employees who disagree with the political stances of their unions already have the right to opt out of the unions and have the share of their dues money earmarked for politics returned to them by the labor organizations, according to the state Department of Personnel Administration. More than 20 percent of state workers exercise the option, according to the DPA."

Republican State Senator McClintock Calls Teachers Union Reps "Intimidating Thugs."  (09-23-2005)- "It's an example of the intimidation and thuggery that our public school teachers are working under every day of the week, and as a parent and as a Californian, I have had enough of it," state Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks..

September 22, 2005

ADVISORY: CPF PHONE BANKS START THURSDAY - CONTACTS TO TARGET SPECIAL ELECTION VIEWS AS PART OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS EFFORT

No On Prop 75 and 76 info packets were arriving at firefighter's homes all over California yesterday. If you haven’t received it yet, look for it, it will be arriving soon. Please read the info and watch the DVD. You will see how united California firefighters are in stopping the Governor and his anti-labor, anti-public employee, anti-firefighter agenda.

Beginning Thursday morning (September 21), California firefighters will be getting phone calls from CPF asking their views about the upcoming election -- specifically Proposition 75, the Paycheck Deception Initiative.

If you want more information about the campaign, please refer to the CPF web site -- www.cpf.org -- or the official campaign web site -- www.betterca.com. Also, don’t hesitate to call me and I’ll do my best to help you find what you need.

If you have a bad experience with the CPF rep contacting you, please contact me at once, or contact CPF directly, so that they can address the problem quickly. Please be sure to provide your name and the phone number on which you received the call. That will help CPF to trace the problem.

Contact CPF via email at info@cpf.org, or call our office (916) 921-9111.

Schwarzenegger Says "YES" on Prop 75 - Governor Backs Prop. 75 09/16/2005

September 17, 2005

CPF President Lou Paulson Responds to Schwarzenegger's Support for Paycheck Deception - Following is the statement released over the weekend by CPF President Lou Paulson and the NO on Prop. 75 campaign in response to Governor Schwarzenegger endorsing Prop. 75, the Paycheck Deception Initiative, on Saturday at the state Republican Convention in Anaheim.

Sacramento - Lou Paulson, President of the California Professional Firefighters, released the following statement today in response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s endorsement of Proposition 75 at today’s Republican Convention.

“It has never been a secret the Governor is heavily involved in this sneaky initiative. It’s about time he came out of the backroom and told Californians the truth about it.

However, he continues to deceive voters about the intent of Prop. 75, and its hidden agenda.

We, the firefighters, teachers, nurses, police have worked to protect our communities, schools, and health care from the governor and his bad ideas. Prop. 75 was designed and financed by the Governor’s political team and corporate special interests to silence our voices and make it easier for him and his big business pals to harm education, health care and public safety.

It’s no surprise Governor Schwarzenegger is behind this targeted attack on teachers, nurses, firefighters and police.

We are confident, this November, California voters will reject the Governor’s bad ideas and they will reject his attack against trusted voices protecting our communities, our schools and health care.”

GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER'S FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER PROPOSITION 75

Schwarzenegger’s Top Lieutenant, Joel Fox (President - Small Business Action Committee), Ensured Prop 75 Made the Ballot. “A political group closely allied with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is helping promote a ballot measure that would require state employee union members to give permission before their dues can be used for political contributions. … Citizens to Save California, a coalition of business and anti-tax groups formed to promote Schwarzenegger's agenda, will gather signatures to help put the union-dues measure on the ballot, said Joel Fox, a co-chairman of the coalition and a former Schwarzenegger campaign adviser. [Orange County Register, 3/4/05]

Fox Urged Lewis Uhler to Write, Sponsor Prop. 75. “Uhler said he got involved earlier this year at the suggestion of Joel Fox, who has acted as a consultant to Schwarzenegger. ‘Joel urged that I consider this, this year,’ Uhler said. ‘We talked, and I asked him about the range of things that you think are important, and what the governor is going to run with. One thing led to another, and we finally concluded that this is something that makes sense.’” [Sacramento Bee, 8/15/05]

Fox Involvement Allowed Prop 75 to Pay Petition Gatherers Late. “Joel Fox, who was a paid adviser to Schwarzenegger during the recall, is a central figure in the union dues initiative. … Uhler said Fox's involvement in the effort lent it credibility so the coalition was able to persuade the signature-gathering company to delay payment on nearly $285,000 it is owed until after the measure qualifies. ‘The fact that Joel Fox has been involved in this provides a level of confidence that was satisfactory to these petition gatherers as businessmen,’ Uhler said. ‘It's just that simple.’” [San Francisco Chronicle, 5/3/05]

Fox Funnels Money to Prop. 75 to Pay for Petition Gathering. On April 6, 2005, Small Business Action PAC, which Fox conveniently heads, contributed $200,000 to Prop. 75’s Coalition for Employee Rights. On that very same day, CER paid National Petition Management $200,000. On April 18, SBAC contributed $35,000 and a $50,000 payment was made by CER to National Petition Management. On May 3, SBAC contributed $225,000 and CER made a $240,000 payment to National Petition Management. [California Secretary of State]

Citizens to Save California Helps Raise Money for Prop. 75. Fox said Citizens to Save California will also help identify campaign contributors to the measure. [Orange County Register, 3/4/05]

Schwarzenegger’s Campaign Contributors Financed Prop. 75. The top donors to Prop. 75’s CER are also major donors to Schwarzenegger. They include: Fox’s Small Business Action Committee, the California Republican Party, Ameriquest, New Majority PAC, Robin P. Arkley, John T. Walton, Frank Baxter, and CA Business Properties Assn. Issues PAC. [California Secretary of State]

Schwarzenegger Assigns Top Political Advisor to Plot Prop. 75 Strategy. “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is laying the groundwork to endorse a ballot initiative that would make it harder for unions to use dues for campaign activities, his top political consultant said Monday. ‘… I have been given the assignment to start preparing what kind of campaign we'd run for it,’ said Mike Murphy, Schwarzenegger's top campaign adviser.” [Orange County Register, 5/17/05]

Schwarzenegger Advisor: We Will Create Phenomenon of Anger Towards Unions. “Sipple said one piece of information makes voters particularly angry about unions…suggesting that the campaign would try to rekindle the voter disgust that swept Davis out of office and Schwarzenegger in… that creates a kind of phenomenon of anger. But it takes a long time to get there.... As the campaign goes on, we have to articulate that.’” [Los Angeles Times, 6/5/05]

Schwarzenegger Advisor Signs Prop. 75 Ballot Argument. Milton Friedman is a member of Schwarzenegger’s Council of Economic Advisors. [Los Angeles Times, 9/18/04]

HIS MOTIVE: WEAKENING OPPOSITION TO HIS EXTREME AGENDA

Uhler Designed Prop. 75 to Target Only Public Employees, Cited Their Opposition to Governor. When discussing Prop 75, Uhler said: “This time we're focusing exclusively on public employee unions…“Uhler said the anti-union theme this year is in part a response to what he characterized as the increased political activity of unions. [San Francisco Chronicle, 6/8/05][San Francisco Chronicle, 1/12/05]

Uhler Said Prop. 75 Will Diminish Political Power of Unions, Be a Boon to Business Interests. “‘To the extent that the political activities of unions might be diminished…‘And I think that will be a boon to our control over governmental activities in our state.’” [Sacramento Bee, 3/20/05]

Fox Said Governor’s Committee “Sympathetic” to Prop. 75, “It’s About Who Has the Power.” “Fox said Citizens to Save California has not formally endorsed the measure, which was written by anti-tax activist Lewis Uhler. But there ‘is certainly a linkage in sympathy for what (Uhler) is trying to do,’ said Fox, who encouraged Uhler to file the initiative a month ago. ‘Part of what we're talking about is who has the power here in Sacramento.’” [Orange County Register, 3/4/05]

Murphy: Paycheck Protection Would Be Great for Re-Election. “I'd like to see paycheck protection pass. It would be great for our re-election.” [Sacramento Bee, 5/31/05]

Independent Analysis - Prop 75 is Anti-Union! (09-10-2005)

11/09/05