A milestone came and went on Feb. 24, marking 100 days since former California Gov. Gray Davis was officially terminated and replaced by none other than the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Right off the bat, Schwarzenegger vowed to bring something new to California politics — action. And just like in his movies, action is what he has delivered thus far.
Within minutes of being sworn in — yes, literally — Schwarzenegger marched right into the Capitol building in Sacramento and signed Executive Order No. 1, repealing Davis’ wildly unpopular car tax increase. The increase would have unfairly raised California’s automobile tax three-fold, and Schwarzenegger rightly overturned it.
He also challenged other aspects of lunacy left over from the Davis era. Weeks later, Schwarzenegger managed to convince the California legislature to repeal a law passed just a few months earlier that would have given state driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
The Senate voted in favor of the repeal, 33-0, as did the Assembly, by a vote of 64-9.
Schwarzenegger still wasn’t done cleaning up Davis’ mess, however.
His biggest challenge is to restore the California economy. For a state economy that rivals that of many nations, California’s economic troubles are no laughing matter. But unlike the tax-and-spend policy favored by some, Schwarzenegger went to Sacramento with a real solution in mind.
His solution: Restrain out-of-control spending in order to avoid raising taxes. At first, Schwarzenegger had a tough time convincing Democrats in Sacramento to tighten the purse strings. After all, it’s hard to stop a politician from spending someone else’s hard-earned cash to buy future support.
But after blocking attempts by some Republican legislators in early December to make actual cuts, California Democrats finally acquiesced to a compromise, one which called for real spending restrictions.
Schwarzenegger’s deal-brokering had worked, and he was happy.
“Today, I’m a happy governor,” he said after signing the spending bill that passed 35-5 in the Senate. “I’m very happy because both parties came together.”
To some, however, like California Treasurer Phil Angelides, Schwarzenegger’s success in bringing both parties together to restrict spending was no feat.
“This governor, in his first 100 days, has taken the cheap way out,” Angelides said on Schwarzenegger’s 100-day anniversary. “I think there’s a missed opportunity. This was a chance to really ask Californians to sacrifice.”
Aside from the blatant partisan rhetoric seen here — one would be hard-pressed to argue with a straight face that Californians secretly want taxes increased — Californians simply don’t agree with Angelides’ claim that Schwarzenegger has failed voters. Indeed, in a recent field poll, Schwarzenegger’s disapproval rating sits at a meager 26 percent.
While a major reason why so few Californians disapprove of Schwarzenegger thus far has to do with what he has accomplished, some of it has to do with who he has pushed forth his agenda with — both Republicans and Democrats.
“The Republicans and Democrats have worked together,” he said on his 100-day anniversary. “It’s one of the great accomplishments that I’m very proud of — to bring the parties together.”
In his first 100 days, Schwarzenegger’s brilliance as a politician should not be overlooked. He has handled himself admirably and worked hard to gain the respect of many on both sides of the aisle. He’s also worked quickly: Schwarzenegger’s two bills — Proposition 57 and Proposition 58 — passed with overwhelming support in the March 2 vote.
The Proposition 57 bond initiative will allow California to refinance budget deficits with lower rates while Proposition 58 restrains the legislature by requiring a yearly balanced budget.
“Never again will government be allowed to spend money it doesn’t have,” Schwarzenegger said while touting his bill in his State of the State address earlier this year.
Although borrowing to pay off debts is hardly the best option available, Schwarzenegger’s hands were tied by California Democrats who refused to go along with real cuts. But all is not lost. Proposition 58 compliments Proposition 57 quite nicely by requiring that spending in any given year cannot exceed revenue. While this leaves much to be desired by those wishing to see true cuts, it’s a good first step in reining in legislators whose check-writing pens flow ink freely.
The passage of both propositions, Schwarzenegger said, was a huge victory for the state.
“Tonight California won a huge victory; not only for fiscal responsibility, but for bipartisanship,” he said.
And if the governor’s next 100 days are as successful as his last, Californians will enjoy the victory brought by Schwarzenegger as the house cleaning continues.
