State School Chief Phones In ‘Debate’ With Reluctant Governor

It started off innocuously, like this:

“Bill, you’re on talk radio, KABC. I’m Michael Jackson. Hello.”

“Hello. Gov. Deukmejian?” the call-in listener began, addressing the show’s guest.

“Yes sir,” the unsuspecting governor replied, his voice crisp and upbeat.

“I’m Bill Honig.”

“Oh,” responded the startled talk show host, as the governor’s face came alive, his expression turning to a mixture of disgust and disappointment, but also resignation.

For the next 12 minutes, as a Los Angeles commute-hour radio audience of about 300,000 listened in, Gov. George Deukmejian and state Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig heatedly engaged in their first one-on-one public debate since they began feuding over school funding nearly five months ago.

‘Fraternity-Style Politics’

Before it was over, Deukmejian accused Honig of practicing “fraternity-type politics” by sneaking onto the popular radio show, trying to “break the law” by ignoring a spending limit approved by voters in 1979 and angling toward a 1990 race for governor.

In turn, Honig charged that Deukmejian was “irresponsible” for refusing to meet privately or debate openly with him, “blowing the future” of California’s schoolchildren and setting himself up to run for President someday by proposing a tax rebate designed to “curry favor with conservatives.”

Finally, Jackson said quietly to the governor, seated to his left in the broadcast studio: “OK, let him have the last word.”

“I’m not going to let him have the last word,” Deukmejian erupted, as Honig continued his nonstop denunciation of the governor. “Why should I? If he would stop talking long enough and listen, but that’s his problem.”

Honig did get in the last word, however, and also managed to come away with the most air time in the exchange.

The crux of the dispute between the governor and the schools chief revolves around how much tax money should be rebated to residents and how much should be pumped into the education of children between kindergarten and the 12th grade. However, the battle seems to take different twists and turns with every passing week. It began in January with Honig calling Deukmejian’s proposed state budget a disaster for education and the governor characterizing the schools superintendent as an incompetent whiner.

The latest skirmish was triggered when Deukmejian announced last week that the state treasury was starting to overflow with $2.7 billion in unexpected revenues and proposed giving $700 million back to the taxpayers. Later, it was revealed that the governor was leaning toward an income tax rebate that could average $50 for individuals and $100 for married couples. The rebate is legally required, the governor argued, because the state is taking in more than it can spend under the 1979 spending limit.

Deukmejian also proposed giving an additional $217 million to K-12 schools, but Honig said that was not nearly enough. And he hotly disputed the governor’s interpretation of how much additional money legally could be given to schools without cracking the spending limit, contending that the figure actually is around $1 billion. “That’s just absolutely wrong,” the governor responded on “The Michael Jackson Show.”

Deukmejian had already taken calls from three listeners--two critical of his education policies, one supportive--when “Bill” phoned.

“I’ve been listening to what you’ve been saying and I know you’ve refused to meet with me and I’m going to talk to you on the air,” Honig told the governor, proceeding to deny Deukmejian’s on-the-air charges that he had been spreading “inaccuracies” and “falsehoods.”

“I expected that Bill Honig would call,” Deukmejian responded at the first opportunity. “I expected that he would follow fraternity-type politics and try to get in on this program.”

Honig Identified Himself

Jackson later informed the audience that although he had been unaware who “Bill” was, the superintendent did correctly identify himself when he called the radio station, “so it wasn’t intended to be sneaky.”

“I don’t think it’s going to benefit anybody by us engaging in some kind of a discussion here,” Deukmejian said, but they did anyway.

Honig said, “If we don’t settle on what the schools need out there and give them adequate funds, we’re going to blow the chance for our future in this state. . . . It’s more than personality and it’s more than individual accusations--it’s the future of California we’re debating.”

Jackson asked Honig about a Deukmejian accusation that the schools chief had his own political agenda.

“I’ll tell the governor on air right now, I’m not running for governor,” Honig shot back. “And the question is, who has the agenda? The governor’s chief of staff left (his state job) to set up a committee to explore national recognition. Who’s making a rebate of $50 which is peanuts to try (to) curry favor with conservatives in the nation. Who’s talked about running for President? . . . If anybody’s got a political agenda, it’s the governor--for higher office.”

Honig was referring to Deukmejian’s earlier consideration, but ultimate rejection, of a 1988 favorite son presidential candidacy and to Chief of Staff Steven A. Merksamer’s resignation to practice law and head up a citizens group to support the governor’s national and state political activities.

“The governor,” Honig continued, “has such a low regard for the citizens of this state, he thinks they’re going to buy the immediate gratification of a $50 checkoff on their tax return and sacrifice the future of California. . . . This $50 to each individual, which is a night on the town, a dinner or a six-pack a month, or whatever, and sacrifice the potential for school reform. . . . That’s just a bad policy.”

Deukmejian said, “We have been pouring money into the K through 12 schools . . . and he is misleading the public and I have absolutely no interest or desire in debating with or talking to somebody (like that).”

The governor at one point summed up a crucial part of his argument this way: “Well, Mr. Honig . . . you want to circumvent the (spending limit) law. I don’t.”

And the unofficial debate pretty much ended that way.

Deukmejian: You want to break the law. You want to break the law.

Honig: I do not want to break the law.

Deukmejian: You want to break the law, and I don’t. And I won’t.

Honig: I don’t want to break the law. You are mischaracterizing.

Jackson: Gentlemen! . . . Thank you very much, indeed, for your call, sir.