Editorial: Schwarzenegger must deliver on promises, serve the people first

Today, Arnold Schwarzenegger will be inaugurated governor of
California. He takes the reins of a state in crisis, and will need
to demonstrate willingness to make compromises and accommodate the
central role of Democrats in California politics.

If Schwarzenegger establishes himself as an honest broker,
California Democrats have a duty to work with him and avoid acting
with political expediency.

Before he does anything else, Schwarzenegger must decide how he
hopes to fill the state’s financial holes. According to The
Los Angeles Times, Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill predicts a
budget shortfall of $14 to $21 billion, depending on whether
Schwarzenegger cuts the car tax. To fill the budget hole,
Schwarzenegger’s team has proposed a $20 billion bond issue,
which would enable the state to avoid cutting services or raising
taxes. According to The Times, Schwarzenegger’s team expects
this bond debt to be a one-time deal ““ estimates for the next
budget year assume tax revenue will rise with current tax
rates.

As Schwarzenegger insists on cutting the car tax and not raising
other taxes, many Democrats are not convinced his plan is workable.
After all, when Davis was in power, Republicans in the state
legislature prevented any tax increases, and Democrats strongly
resisted cuts to state services; these policies forced the state to
go into debt. So insiders and average citizens must ask, what is so
new and different about Schwarzenegger’s plan?

Frankly, not that much. According to The Times,
Schwarzenegger’s financial advisor called the budget problems
“breathtaking,” and her review “offered no
revelations about state spending and fell short of
Schwarzenegger’s campaign pledge to audit state finances …
so they can see where the waste is.” The lack of revelations
stands in contrast to promises made in Schwarzenegger’s Oct.
7 interview on ABC, when he said there were “billions of
dollars” to be found in an audit of governmental waste.

Still, it’s unreasonable to expect Schwarzenegger or his
team to have all the answers right away. But he must not hang on to
pipe dreams of money falling from the sky ““ in all
likelihood, a $20 billion hole will not be filled by auditing a few
record books, cutting the car tax, and hoping for new economic
growth. As governor, Schwarzenegger will have to make tough
decisions about tax increases, service cuts and deficit spending
““ or he will likely find both the public and the politicos to
be unforgiving. If Schwarzenegger is unable to stabilize the
budget, it is projected to balloon out of control. The audit
revealed a shocking fact: Theoretically, the state’s annual
deficit could stand at $62 billion by 2007.

As frightening as that sounds, Schwarzenegger’s decisions
cannot only be about the bottom line. Throughout his campaign,
Schwarzenegger promised to strengthen education programs and fight
for the common person. As he works to balance the budget and reform
the state’s government, he may find that the spirit of his
campaign promises are as important as the specific way he carries
them out. Schwarzenegger’s real job is to make sure the
people of California are happier, safer and better-educated ““
not just to create a balanced budget and a low-tax state. Achieving
real success might mean raising taxes. It might mean borrowing $20
billion. It might mean convincing the federal government to stop
using California as a cash supply to support other states. But no
matter what Schwarzenegger does, he should make sure it is in the
best interests of the people ““ not a party, or even a balance
sheet.

And California’s Democrats must work with Schwarzenegger
to ensure his success. It’s a wild thought ““ to have a
Democratic legislature work to ensure the success of a Republican
governor ““ but that is exactly what is owed to people of
California.

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What should public officials do when their terms come to an
unexpected end? Leaving office today, Gray Davis has indicated he
might seek work in the nonprofit sector, perhaps tackling education
issues. Whatever he does, his situation is not unprecedented.

North Dakota’s Lynn Frazier, the first and only other
governor in United States history to be recalled, ran for the U.S.
Senate ““ and won. (Probably not an option for Davis.)
Arizona’s Fife Symington, who was removed from the
governorship after being convicted of bank fraud, went on to become
a chef. (Davis doesn’t cook much.) And Richard Nixon, the
only president of the United States to resign, went into seclusion
in San Clemente to write an autobiography. (Would anyone want to
read Gray’s memoirs?)

Davis’ mistakes were much less significant than those made
by the three aforementioned politicians, all of whom seriously
abused their power.

Still, millions are happy Davis will never serve in government
again. Davis was an unpopular leader, but as he searches for a new
life and career, he deserves the best wishes of Californians
““ whom he has served in public office for 30 years.

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