The Schwarzenegger State

The United States may be Bush country for another four years, but California is all Arnold’s. This was an “off-year” election with no statewide offices at stake, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took no time off. He campaigned vigorously for and against statewide ballot measures, exceeding the efforts of any other modern governor.

With minor exceptions, he was successful. Most notable was the defeat of Proposition 66, the initiative that would have modified the three-strikes law so that a minor, nonviolent third strike would not send someone to prison for life. It was a reasonable measure that enjoyed strong support in the polls until a few weeks before the election, when Schwarzenegger began appearing in television ads warning that 26,000 dangerous criminals would be set free -- a gross exaggeration. The governor gets major credit for the measure’s defeat.

Schwarzenegger also led the charge against two initiatives written to vastly expand casino gambling in California -- one granting Indian tribes unlimited numbers of casinos and slot machines and another allowing racetracks and card clubs, all in major urban areas, to operate up to 30,000 slot machines. Tribes ran a large, costly advertising campaign for Proposition 70, but the measure was opposed by 76% of the voters.

Schwarzenegger could claim another victory with his public support of a $3-billion bond issue to finance embryonic stem cell research, and also for helping to pass Proposition 64, a business-backed initiative to make it more difficult to bring class-action lawsuits against businesses. His mild support of blanket primary elections was unsuccessful, as was his opposition to a tax on millionaires to pay for mental health programs. But overall, his bold and risky moves on the propositions paid off.

The governor had no success, however, at increasing the number of Republicans in the Legislature. Democrats held on to all the Assembly and Senate seats targeted by the GOP, and Democratic majorities remain as they have been for the last two years, 48 to 32 in the Assembly and 25 to 14 (with one GOP vacancy) in the Senate. Schwarzenegger tried to spin the legislative races by claiming he had helped the GOP avoid losing seats in a presidential election year, but the only expectation this fall had been for Republican gains.

Schwarzenegger often boasts of his ability to work cooperatively with leaders of both parties. Next year’s budget struggle will be a more severe test than his first year in office, following his recall-campaign defeat of Democrat Gray Davis.

With Democrats controlling the Legislature, Schwarzenegger regularly threatens to go over their heads with costly, contentious ballot initiatives when his program is frustrated. Tuesday’s ballot successes might encourage this tactic. He should resist. California is better off every time the governor and lawmakers work out the state’s problems between them.