Arnold
highlights plans
By
Tiffany Lenaeus
Daily Forty-Niner
Arnold
Schwarzenegger will be sworn in as the 38th
governor for the state of California today.
Schwarzenegger is the first governor to
be elected following a recall campaign in
the state.
"I
would say that right now my biggest expectation
may be for him to rectify the supermarket
issue," said Heather Jefferis, psychology
major.
In
the weeks following the recall election,
Schwarzenegger has been busy assembling
a new cabinet, ordering an audit of the
state books and figuring out a way to get
California out of debt without breaking
his promise of not increasing taxes.
Schwarzenegger
has made 11 appointments of senior cabinet
officials and two of them are not members
of the Republican Party. He has named Bonnie
Reiss, a Democrat who has worked with many
environmental agencies, as his senior adviser.
"Bonnie
has been a friend and a trusted advisor
to me for nearly a quarter of a century,"
said Schwarzenegger of the appointment in
a press release. Reiss also has ties in
Hollywood through her environmental work
and as an entertainment lawyer according
to California Public Policy Foundation.
Schwarzenegger
appointed former Los Angeles Mayor Richard
Riordan as his education secretary. Riordan
had been considering running in the recall
campaign against Gray Davis but decided
not to run in order to support Schwarzenegger.
The appointment of Riordan has been met
with disappointment from the teacher's union.
They feel that the seat is a waste because
there is a superintendent of public education.
"This
looks more like business as usual in appointing
an old friend, rather than going forward
and trying to save money," said Barbara
E. Kerr, union president in an interview
with the Los Angeles Times.
The
other appointment in Schwarzenegger's cabinet
which is causing a lot of discussion is
his finance director, Donna Arduin. Arduin
had been asked by Schwarzenegger to conduct
an audit of the California treasury soon
after he had been elected. Arduin was the
former budget director in Florida under
Jeb Bush, brother of the president. Arduin
has been known for her tough budget cuts
on social and environmental programs according
to Reuters.
"I
think it's a great thing that his cabinet
is diverse. The more opinions there are
the more possibility for conversations and
discussions," said George Schano, recreation
and leisure services major. "If everyone
stays on the same page, a lot of good can
come out of it, but if people butt heads
that may not be so good."
Schwarzenegger
aids told the Los Angeles Times that they
have come up with a possible solution for
the state's budget deficit. The governor
is considering a loan of up to $20 billion
to cover the deficit. It also seems likely
that Schwarzenegger will propose a spending
cap to help keep future budgets in balance.
According to the Los Angeles Times it seems
likely that Schwarzenegger will put both
of these ideas on the ballot for a vote
in March. In order to do this he needs approval
from the legislature by Dec. 5. Some of
Schwarzenegger's aides have said that this
seems to be the only way to solve the deficit
problem without Schwarzenegger breaking
his promise not to raise taxes and to abolish
the car tax.
"I
voted for him and I would say that if he
can get $20 billion to help California I
think that's a good thing," Schano
said. "But basically it seems like
you're covering one hole while digging another."
Schwarzenegger
has already had conflict with Attorney General
Bill Lockyer because of allegations that
Schwarzenegger groped over a dozen women
during a 30-year period. According to the
Los Angeles Times, Lockyer told Schwarzenegger
that he needed to address the allegations
because "they are not going to go away."
Schwarzenegger is hiring a private firm
to investigate the allegations.
"I
voted for him and I would say that if he
can get $20 billion to help California I
think that's a good thing,"
–George Schano, recreation and leisure
services major
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