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Schwarzenegger Gets Boxes of Petitions Against His Threat of Reducing State Worker Pay Below California’s Minimum Wage

By Kyle Samia
Reporter
California Progress Report

Armed with a petition signed by 28,016 Californians opposed to the Governor’s Executive Order to reduce state employee wages to the federal minimum wage of $6.55, Richard D. Jacobs, along with Assemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento), wanted to give the Governor some “light reading” yesterday before his bedtime. Jacobs represents The Courage Campaign, an independent political organization with over 100,000 online members that are committed to a progressive agenda for California. “The way the executive order fits into our progressive agenda is that it’s regressive,” said Jacobs. “It’s rare to get this many signatures in such a short amount of time, and it shows that Californians are outraged.”

Jacobs commented that the Courage Campaign did the math of what it costs the Governor to stay at the Hyatt Hotel when he’s in town. Jacobs said it costs $293 a night, and over four years the grand total is close to $400,000. If someone on a $6.55 an hour income were to stay just one night in the Hyatt, it would cost on average 45 hours worth of work. Of course, this is before social security and state/federal taxes are taken out. “It’s an interesting double standard the Governor has,” said Jacobs. Jacobs is critical of the Governor, as he said that Schwarzenegger ran on a platform promising no more fiscal problems and that he wouldn’t be a politician. “But he lied, and he’s been lying,” said Jacobs. “He’s taking over 200,000 people and putting the burden of his own failures on them.”

At around 1:45pm, Jacobs and Jones walked from the corner of 12th and K to the Hyatt Hotel. They chatted along the way about the budget, the weight of the boxes containing the signatures, and the relatively nice weather. They walked through the self-opening glass doors of the Hyatt, and bee-lined to the Concierge Desk. Greeted by confused faces, and the stern faces of hotel security, Jacobs and Jones tried to drop off the signatures. The two men were quickly turned away by hotel security and redirected to the Governor’s Office. For Jones, this was the first time he’s ever been rejected by a hotel.

As Jacobs commented that, “Maybe at a union hotel we would have been able to leave these here,” he and Jones left the Hyatt and headed to the Capitol to go knock on Schwarzenegger’s marble-framed door. “We’re just trying to present [to the Governor] the signatures of ordinary Californians who object to his plans to reduce the wages,” said Jones, carrying one of Jacobs’ smaller boxes of signatures. “We shouldn’t hold State workers hostage like this,” he said. Commenting on the four-week late budget, Jones said that he is “very disappointed” in the Republicans (“as should all Californians,” he qualified) for refusing to participate in solving the budget problem. He said that the Democrats have presented a “carefully crafted budget with tax cuts and revenue increases so it’s not just balanced on the poor and middle class but also on the wealthy and the rich corporations.”

Jacobs and Jones approached the North Steps security entrance to the Capitol (and yes, even Assemblymen and women have to empty their pockets for the metal detectors), and Jacobs’ hands started slipping from the weight of the boxes. Jones stopped with Jacobs, and the two of them each grabbed a side of the box and walked in together. They came up to the California Highway Patrolmen guarding the Governor’s Office, and Jacobs politely asked to drop the petition off on the Governor’s desk. Jacobs and Jones were told that a member of the Governor’s office would come out to accept the boxes, and while they waited Jacobs and Jones spoke about all the types of employees that would be severely impacted by the Executive Order.

After ten minutes of idling outside the Governor’s door, the Governor’s Press Secretary himself, Aaron McLear, greeted Jacobs and Jones. McLear nodded his head with each of Jacobs and Jones’ talking points: the yacht tax that provides a $26 million tax-loophole for Californians that own yachts, the math of what it costs someone on a $6.55 an hour income to stay one night at the Hyatt, and the opposition represented by the 28,016 signatures. He said he would get the petition to the Governor, and upon leaving Jones reminded McLear to lift with his knees. “Don’t worry, I’ve been working out; I think I can handle this,” McLear said.

McLear carried the boxes himself around the corner and a few doors down to the mailroom. Before entering the mailroom, he said, “I’ll make sure the Governor gets these.” When asked if the Governor will sign the Executive Order this Thursday, since the Governor announced today his intent to sign the Executive Order then instead of on Monday, McLear said, “The Governor hasn’t committed to a specific date, but this Thursday is the start of the next pay period and he will exert his state power to make sure the state has money.” When asked, again, if the Governor is committed to signing the Executive Order, McLear said, “We’re still looking at all the options,” and then said that on Thursday the Governor “will make sure the state has money to pay its bills.”

Did this outpouring of opposition from Californians have an effect? We will see.

Kyle Samia is a student at the University of California at San Diego who writes for the California Progress Report as part of an academic internship program with the University of California at Sacramento journalism program this summer.

Posted on July 29, 2008

Comments

The Republicans are behaving like Gangsters. Thugs and hoodlums take people hostage and make threats to hurt people, not responsible leaders. Once again the Republicans have demonstrated that their party never matured beyond the stage of angry ideological insurgency to the level of responsibility and pragmatism required by statemen who take the job of governance seriously.

Posted by: Tom Joad 57 at July 29, 2008 07:50 AM

"responsibility and pragmatism" is all in the eye of the beholder, if you went to the districts that these Republicans represent they would be seen as responsible and pragmatic. Their constituents are the ones who will be asked to bear the cost of increased taxes and government programs, trust me the majority of their constituents are rooting them on! You can call them names all you want but those who cast ballots to elect them expect them to live up to the promises they made.

Posted by: sean at July 29, 2008 10:16 AM

How is it responsible and pragmatic to stop payment to thousands of clinics and hospitals that depend on Medi-Cal payments to provide health care to millions of Californians? How is it responsible and pragmatic is it for Republicans to demand that the entire $15.5 bil deficit be closed through spending cuts, but not offer any proposal identifying any potential cuts? How responsible is it to demand massive spending cuts that will cause unemployment and hardship as the state slides into a deep recession, making the economic downturn even worse? How responsible is it for the Republicans to disrespect and destroy the morale of the state work-force we depend on to keep state agencies running with their thuggish threats?

Threatening to close down government didn't work very well for Newt Gingrich in 1995 and I doubt it will work very well for California Republicans in 2008. During periods of economic uncertainty an anxious citizenry demands more government services and assistance, not less.

Posted by: Tom Joad 57 at July 29, 2008 04:17 PM

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