Governor Arnold’s Special Measures
October 20, 2005
I listened to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on the radio. He was talking about four bills that he is putting before the people of California.
Prop 74 is about increasing the period of tenure (permanent employment status) for teachers from two years to five. This is designed to serve students with better teachers rather than to give easy job assurance to teachers who are not doing a good job.
Prop 75 will require unions to get approval from their members before using their union dues to support a political candidate or make a political contribution.
Prop 76 will limit state spending to the money that the state actually has.
Prop 77 is about giving the power to delineate voting districts to judges instead of politicians.
The governor says he is bringing these issues to the public because of the failure of elected representatives to pass them. He says that elected politicians are supposed to serve the public, but they have become self-serving. So he is bypassing the politicians and bringing the issues directly to the people. He believes that this approach will help to bring the politicians back in line; otherwise they are not likely to be re-elected.