GOVERNOR JOKES ABOUT BILLS RANGE OF MEASURES CALLED FODDER FOR COMICS.Byline: Steve Geissinger Sacramento Bureau After calling them ``girlie men "Girlie men" is a pejorative term, notably used by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to characterize opponents in the state legislature of California over the state budget. ,'' ``stooges'' and ``losers,'' Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] has redoubled re·dou·ble v. re·dou·bled, re·dou·bling, re·dou·bles v.tr. 1. To double. 2. To repeat. 3. Games To double the doubling bid of (an opponent) in bridge. v. his attack on lawmakers in his daily government-reform campaign by saying they're pitching funny, trivial bills, legislators complained Monday. The moderate Republican governor has scorned bills by everyone from liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats, British political party Liberal Democrats, British political party created in 1988 by the merger of the Liberal party with the Social Democratic party; the party was initially called the Social and Liberal Democratic party. to conservative GOP legislators, representing districts from Los Angeles - including the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , West Los Angeles
The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as the Bay Area or The Bay . Schwarzenegger says lawmakers should instead have been adopting his reform agenda on politics, pensions, education and spending in deficit-ridden California so he wouldn't have to be taking the crisis to voters. The governor is criticizing lawmakers' measures that address a wide range of topics, from cosmetic surgery cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes, such as the improvement of the appearance of the face by removing wrinkles or reshaping the nose. on dogs to parking of ice cream trucks, and from renaming the Angels baseball team to condoms in prisons. Schwarzenegger says he's just having a little fun - an explanation that falls flat for lawmakers. The practice ``gets you headlines,'' Schwarzenegger told reporters at campaign events in recent days. It's not ``offending'' or ``belittling'' to legislators, he said. The governor said he had ``respect for all those guys,'' even if they ``have a different opinion.'' But Barbara O'Connor of the Center for the Study of Politics in Sacramento said he's playing a dangerous game. ``In order to continue to be perceived as the outside reformer, the governor must maintain the mantra that he is the man of the people and the Legislature ignores them,'' said O'Connor. ``But picking fights is dangerous and not likely to help the governor's rhetorical cause. You can't do both.'' On Monday, Democrats from Los Angeles and San Francisco called a Capitol news conference to respond and criticize the governor for his prolific fund-raising. The campaign for a special election ``might be perceived as a negotiating tactic,'' said Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas, D-Los Angeles. ``We interpret it as an intimidation tactic.'' ``We urge him to take the budget as seriously as he took body-building,'' said Ridley-Thomas. Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, criticized the governor's call for a special election that the Secretary of State's Office estimates could cost taxpayers up to $60 million. ``This is a subversion of the democratic and initiative processes,'' Leno said. But Schwarzenegger is saying lawmakers have been trying to kill his reforms that would avert state bankruptcy and instead ``are providing comedians with great new material.'' He cited a bill by Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi, a Lodi Lodi, city, Italy Lodi (lô`dē), city (1991 pop. 42,250), Lombardy, N Italy, on the Adda River, near Milan. It is an important dairy and light industrial center. Republican whose Central Valley district touches on the fringes of the northeast Bay Area. The bill would prevent ice cream trucks from double parking. ``We must take every necessary step to ensure children are safe,'' Nakanishi said. The governor also cited a bill by Assembly members Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, and Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, that would allow distribution of condoms in state prisons. Koretz said the lack of such a practice ``results in unnecessary inmate infections and fuels HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. transmission outside of prison.'' Staff Writer David M. Drucker contributed to this report. Steve Geissinger, (916) 447-9302 sgeissinger(at)angnewspapers.com |
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