Building Trades News

The California initiative process isn’t just bent, cracked or crooked, it’s broken. It has become the weapon to use for target practice by anyone or any group, with money, against anyone else or any other group that they don’t happen to like. The initiative process is only useful to those who have the money to hire signature gathers, staff, public relations firms and political consultants. Big Business, anti-worker groups, and their elected goons have been using initiatives for all the wrong reasons time and time again.

The Initiative was placed in the California Constitution to allow the people to overcome crooked, entrenched power in the Legislature or the governor’s office. What it has been turned into is a double-talking, money based propaganda machine.

Look at some of the initiatives that have been put in front of California voters: Prop. 226 in 1998 was instituted by a multi-millionaire to stop working people from being able to pool their money and participate effectively in politics. It was defeated but it cost workers millions of dollars. Prop. 62 in 2004 would have allowed non-party voters to vote in primary elections for any candidate – another attempt to undercut voters’ choice.

Prop. 64 was a big business proposal that took workers’ and other Californians’ rights away to sue companies who violated the law to give themselves an unfair competitive advantage over law abiding companies. This was passed by mis-informed voters after business spent millions in its support. DNA samples’ collection, tribal gaming and exclusive gaming rights, campaign contribution spending and limits, school vouchers undermining public schools, and on and on, more and more of the business and the crazy fringe continue to push these radical initiatives.

Now Schwarzenegger is pushing more radical, anti-worker initiatives funded by the radical neo-cons that currently make up the Republican leadership. Prop. 74 would take away teachers’ rights to a hearing before they could be terminated. Prop. 75 would limit workers’ own organizations’ voice in State politics by making Union chase down every member to ask for their individual approval for the use of any dues money for lobbying on various issues. This flies in the face of the fact that Union members already vote at Executive Board and Union members’ meetings on political donations and which issues and candidates to support.

Big Business was George Dukemajian’s mentor, Pete Wilsons’ master and is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s keeper. This governor, who campaigned on not accepting donations from special interests, has accepted more corporate money than any governor in the history of California. Is this what the people who voted for him expected? I don’t think so!

It is amazing that Schwarzenegger won to begin with. However, it is also amazing how one person could have such a huge effect on the citizens of California one year and the exact opposite effect a year later. It is understandable only when you look at his record in office. Saying one thing and doing another has exposed Schwarzenegger for what he is -- a mouthpiece for big business at the expense of average Californians. The nurses, firefighters, police officers, teachers and millions of others who voted to elect him have now all realized the false front that was put forward by Schwarzenegger during his campaign for election. They have now turned against him.

What’s his reaction? Create a phony need for a “special election” that will take the governor out of the spotlight. Then trump up initiatives that will only affect working families because you don’t want to require anything of business.

We need to fix the initiative process and turning down all of this governor’s proposals will be a good start. Then we need to get rid of Schwarzenegger.

Vote NO on 74, 75, 76 and 77 for a better California!