Israel Visit, Workers’ Comp Top Gov.’s Agenda

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spent Friday in Los Angeles, discussing his upcoming trip to Jerusalem and his plans for changing the state’s workers’ compensation system.

The governor began the morning in a private meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom to discuss his trip to Jerusalem for the groundbreaking of the new Simon Wiesenthal Center for Human Dignity, Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, in May.

After the meeting, the governor traveled to a Torrance machinery plant for a discussion about workers’ compensation problems. The company, ACE Clearwater Enterprises, forms and welds military and civilian aircraft parts. In the past two years, its workers’ compensation rates increased by 147%, officials said.

After touring the ACE facility, Schwarzenegger spoke to about 100 employees and workers’ compensation reform supporters.

Flanked by representatives of the California Chamber of Commerce, the state Senate and the Assembly, Schwarzenegger called on the Legislature to find ways to cut costs in the workers’ compensation system by March 31, the last day of the legislative session before a brief break. If the Legislature doesn’t act, Schwarzenegger said, he will take the issue to the voters.

Across the state, teams are gathering signatures from voters for a ballot initiative aimed at changing the workers’ compensation system by placing limits on permanent disability benefits and medical treatments.

To place the initiative on the November ballot, the governor needs 1 million signatures by April 16.