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Governor offers a prized meeting Contra Costa Times DEMOCRATS RELISHED every anti-Arnold Schwarzenegger tidbit they could gobble last weekend at the party's annual state convention in Los Angeles. But the juiciest was a revelation that the governor has offered a personal audience with top performers among the paid ranks of signature-gatherers for his initiative petitions. It's a celebrity grand prize in a high-stakes political race to bank enough signatures in time for the governor to place his reforms on the ballot in his threatened special election in November. What's next, Democrats ask? Win a ride in his Hummer? A walk-on part in his next movie? Brunch with his wife, Maria Shriver? Schwarzenegger spokesman Rob Stutzman said the governor is doing it to thank the workers. "Thank them, my ass," responded Democratic political consultant Gale Kaufman. "Believe me, if they didn't need to be doing this, they wouldn't be doing it. This is just another in a long line of the governor's Hollywood gimmicks." Shopper Nancy Foster said a petition worker outside Trader Joe's told her he liked the idea. "He told me that he had a chance to attend a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser dinner with the governor for free, " she recounted. "He also told me that his bosses said that if he wanted to be rich like the Republicans, he could earn $5,600 a week." Look, let's be real about this: Many of California's initiative petition drives are in the hands of hired workers who never see the consequences of their handiwork. A lot of petition workers don't live in California but travel around the country from campaign to campaign. For them, it's a job, not a reform movement. So, why would they compete for face time with the "Governator" in a state where they don't live? They wouldn't. But they might work extra hard for a chance to meet the "Terminator." Let's hope the governor doesn't burn out his Hollywood star or he'll have nothing left to market. FACT-CHECK: Contrary to what some believe, signature-collectors do not have to be registered California voters, confirmed a Secretary of State spokeswoman. Anyone eligible to become a registered voter is qualified, which includes everyone 18 and older without a criminal record who shows up and considers moving here. (And who doesn't?) A NEW KID IN TOWN: The loudest buzz emanated from a too-small room in the convention center where the Progressive Caucus held its debut. More than 350 people unexpectedly packed a room designed for half that number, and rallied for liberal causes such as publicly-funded health care, an end to the Iraq war and access to legal abortions. "We felt we needed a force inside the party to rein in elected officials and party leaders that don't seem to remember what the hell the Democratic Party stands for," said Mal Burnstein of Berkeley, one of seven activists statewide who helped form the group. The huge response triggered a wave that washed over the convention floor Sunday, when caucus members quietly scuttled a conservative delegate's plan to weaken an anti-war resolution. "We had demonstrated our strength. Without it, there might have been a floor fight on that issue," Burnstein said. Why now? Two words, Burnstein replied: Howard Dean. He's the Democratic National Committee chairman and former presidential candidate who brought hundreds of new activists into the party with progressive values. WEDGIE ORDER? Dean may be the progressives' darling but he left a bad impression on the press corps. His spokeswoman popped into the press room Saturday afternoon and told reporters he would speak with them briefly before an appearance that night as the keynote speaker. They politely followed her down the hall and waited outside a door, behind which Dean was holding court. But without explanation, his staff formed what's called a "flying wedge" around Dean -- they surrounded him, in other words -- and the whole pack charged through the stunned reporters and down the escalator. Hey, Dean's people invited the press. We weren't stalking him. Perhaps Dean was confused and thought he had actually won the presidency instead of the consolation prize, which might have actually resulted in reporters lurking outside with outstretched tape recorders. GOOD NEIGHBORS: Maybe the press should have shifted to one of the other conventions sharing space in the massive meeting center: The Millionaire's Mind, a class on how to become rich. No doubt its curriculum included a panel on paid signature-gathering. If the worker at Trader Joe's could actually earn $5,600 a week, he could make a million bucks in less than four years. Where do we sign? |