Schwarzenegger Gives Harvey Milk His Day

Staff / Truthdig Oct 12, 2009 California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has changed his tune about Harvey Milk Day, signing a bill on Monday to make May 22, Milk's birthday, a day of official commemoration for the slain San Francisco supervisor and gay rights activist. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Schwarzenegger Pumps Up Health Care Reform

Staff / Truthdig Oct 6, 2009 The California governor and rare Hollywood Republican released a statement Tuesday in support of health care reform, in which he praised the president and urged his "colleagues on both sides of the political aisle at the national level to move forward and accomplish these vital goals for the American people." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Schwarzenegger Sells Signed Cars for California

Staff / Truthdig Aug 27, 2009 Here's a, um, creative way to funnel some money into a broke state's coffers: Hold a California-themed garage sale, starring actor-turned-Gubernator Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor has added a personal touch to some bigger-ticket items, such as automobiles, by signing them in an effort to clear out the state's storage sheds and bring in the cash. What's next, a Golden State bake sale? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

California Cuts Budget Deal

Staff / Truthdig Jul 21, 2009 Soon California can stop being the butt of jokes -- although seriously, Alabama, let's not point fingers. Party elders in Sacramento have reached an agreement that should balance the budget with $15.5 billion in cuts that will hurt students, the poor, children and the elderly. Republicans, who make up only about a third of the state Legislature, managed to thwart any new taxes. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

California Sees Red

Staff / Truthdig Jul 16, 2009 Looks like Republicans are going to win out in California's seemingly endless budget battle, despite holding a minority in the state Legislature. The deal lawmakers are inching toward favors Gov. Schwarzenegger's desire to make the poor, the elderly and schoolchildren pay for the state's financial crisis. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Schwarzenegger Won’t Budge as California Nears Collapse

Staff / Truthdig Jul 2, 2009 Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a Democratic proposal to cut $114 billion in spending, saying that "the Legislature must solve the entire [$27 billion] deficit and must not push the problem off to tomorrow" With IOUs now a certainty and the state in financial ruin, a prominent Democrat called the governor's stance "the most irresponsible thing that I've seen in my 15 years of public service" . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

California Attacks Budget Crisis With Make-Believe

Staff / Truthdig Jun 22, 2009 Unable to agree whether to raise taxes or cut spending, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state's lawmakers will instead rely on time travel. Sacramento hopes to "save" somewhere around $10 billion by shifting costs to next year's budget and resorting to other accounting tricks. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Investigating California’s Crisis

Staff / Truthdig Jun 12, 2009 This week on Al Jazeera's "Fault Lines," Avi Lewis investigates the political causes, the human impact and the global economic repercussions of California's budgetary crisis. Check out this great report, which features Truthdig's own Robert Scheer. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Terminator Turns to the Textbooks

Staff / Truthdig Jun 9, 2009 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to do away with textbooks in favor of online ones, because kids today "get their information from the Internet, downloaded onto their iPods, and in Twitter feeds to their cell phones." The question remains what effect will this have on students who may not have access to all that technology, and what the switch may wind up saving -- or costing --the state. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

California Landmarks May Be Put Up for Sale

Staff / Truthdig Jun 6, 2009 Gov. Schwarzenegger's newest proposal to close the Golden State's budgetary gap: selling some of California's biggest landmarks, including the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, the California State Fairgrounds and the San Quentin prison. Because the proposed sales might come during a slumping real estate market, there are questions about whether taxpayers would be getting a good deal. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Moving to Run California ‘More Efficiently’

Staff / Truthdig Jun 4, 2009 On a desperate mission to save California from a $24 billion budget gap, a legislative committee voted to eliminate both the Secretary of Education office, a whopping $2.2 million endeavor, and the Office of Planning and Research ($50 million), while the Waste Management Board, stuffed with ex-lawmakers with six-figure salaries, would see its responsibilities enhanced. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Democrats Aren’t Buying What Schwarzenegger’s Cutting

Staff / Truthdig Jun 3, 2009 As if delivering the tagline of his latest movie, California's governor announced to the state Legislature Tuesday that the "day of reckoning is here." But Democrats are fighting Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to cut funding for schools, the poor and sick children while refusing to raise taxes. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )