Yesterday’s announcement from the California Chamber of Commerce that their Board of Directors voted to place their organization in opposition to Proposition 93, the naked power grab being orchestrated by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to extend his own political career, is a major setback for the measure. But I can’t say that the Chamber’s position was unexpected — Nunez has to have been expecting it — because, frankly, he caused it.
You see, the leadership of the California Chamber was involved in an intense period of negotiations with legislative leaders to broker a compromise where some form of term-limits reform would be coupled with redistricting reform. Nunez abruptly ended these negotiations, turning his back not only on the Chamber, but also on the Governor and fellow legislative leaders, and filed his own ballot initiative. The Nunez measure, now Proposition 93, of course has no redistricting reform in it at all. And it also is written around what we call "the big lie" — because the measure purports to reduce legislative tenure when in reality, it will mean a huge increase in the average time in office served by legislators. It also has a grotesque "loop hole" that allows many current legislators to serve well beyond even the new terms in the measure.
I wrote extensively on the political landscape for the Chamber and Proposition 93 two weeks ago.
It would have been shocking for the Chamber to do anything but oppose this power grab by Nunez, if not only policy grounds, than for political reasons. It’s pretty simple. If the Chamber, as a major political player, were to let someone like Nunez play them for chumps, walk away from negotiations, run his own inferior measure, and then the Chamber did not oppose it — the political respect/cache/reputation of the Chamber would have suffered greatly. Clearly the Chamber leadership realized this.
Making it clear that the Chamber’s position was due to the unwillingness of Nunez to negotiate a fair deal, CalChamber President and CEO Alan Zaremberg had this to say:
"It is unfortunate that the February ballot does not offer voters the opportunity to consider redistricting reform that would provide for fair elections in conjunction with Proposition 93. The CalChamber Board of Directors believes that term limits reform without redistricting reform is not the comprehensive political reform California needs."This announcement from the Chamber is an important first step. But the value of a Chamber taking a position is that this is a group with a reputation of putting action behind words. So over the next seven weeks, we’ll all be watching to see if the Chamber engages with its considerable financial potential, adding their resources to the millions infused into the No on 93 campaign by State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and U.S. Term Limits.
Speaking of Steve Poizner, I heard that both he and former Governor Wilson spent quite a bit of time "counseling" Chamber Board Members before they cast their vote to oppose 93. They must feel very good about the results!
The Chamber released their official position on the same day that two revealing articles in the Capitol Weekly and the Los Angeles Times have exposed what appears to be a terrible "shake down" taking place where Nunez has been performing "cashectomies" on interests with matters before the legislature (such as in the big health care package) — with a lot of them writing very big checks to the Yes on 93 Committee
Now there is only one more shoe to drop… Governor Schwarzenegger…
Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines, and Chamber President Zaremberg were not the only ones "dissed" by Speaker Fabian Nunez when he abandoned negotiations for a conjoined term-limits reform/redistricting package deal, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was probably the highest profile negotiator who was left in the lurch.
Ackerman and Villines are now formally opposed to the Nunez power-grab "big lie" initiative. And, of course, now the Chamber of Commerce has officially opposed the measure.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has made it clear since he first campaigned for Governor that he opposes weakening our state’s legislative term limits. In fact, on his campaign website, he still has his 2003 statement:
September 5th, 2003
SCHWARZENEGGER STATEMENT ON TERM LIMITS
Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement today regarding term limits:
“My campaign for Governor is based on the concept that California’s state government belongs to the people, not the career politicians. As we are now seeing with the state’s budget crisis and anti-business policies, it is too easy for the politicians to become disconnected from the people they are supposed to represent.
“That is why I believe in citizen-legislators and yes, even citizen-governors. It is also why I am such a strong believer in term limits. The voters of California share these beliefs and have not only voted for term limits but re-confirmed their support just last year by defeating Proposition 45.
“My campaign is about putting the people’s interests first and special interests last. I believe a change in the current term limits law would further entrench the special interests, and that is why I support our current term limits law.”
Schwarzenegger was among others who was willing to "give" some on term limits in return for a conjoined redistricting package. Well, because Nunez, acting like a 4 year old, did his own thing, there is no redistricting measure on the ballot in February, and the only the carefully crafted Fabian Nunez Career Extending Term Limits Loosening Initiative.
Obviously, with many issues to negotiate with Nunez (who is immaturely making every issue in the Capitol "all about his Prop. 93"), the Governor has had some reason to hold off announcing his formal opposition to 93. But time for holding off the inevitable is now passed.
Like Ackerman, Villines and Zaremberg, the Governor needs to keep his pledge to oppose what is now Proposition 93 because, frankly, Nunez broke his side of the bargain. The Governor announcing his opposition now would be a great Christmas present to the people of California.
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