With enemies like this

OC Register

Under specious attacks from special interests, the governor forges ahead with special election

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should be buoyed by the nastiness of his opponents' attacks, as they criticize his decision to call a special election in November to enact his reform agenda. Three Schwarzenegger-backed measures will be on the ballot, plus some others promoted by independent groups.

In published reports, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, talking about the reform package, said: "I know the governor is not a right-wing nut, but he's certainly starting to act like one."

Apparently, it's right wing and nutty to a) take the power to carve out legislative districts away from legislators, who create safe seats for themselves, and hand it to a panel of retired judges charged with drawing fair districts; b) extend the time it takes a teacher to earn tenure, so that bad teachers can more easily be removed from the classroom; and c) limit runaway state spending by requiring that budgets do not spend more than the average revenues of the past three years.

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, attacked the governor's special election plan because it takes matters out of the hands of legislators, according to the Oakland Tribune. This is true, but let's be realistic. Democrats have not produced a responsible budget in recent memory, and they clearly would like to stop initiatives that bypass their chosen solution to every problem: more taxing, borrowing and spending.

"Never before, to our knowledge, has a sitting governor invoked his constitutional authority to call a special election when the only purpose of the election is the enactment of his own ballot measures," complained left-wing "consumer" activist Harvey Rosenfeld, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Mr. Rosenfeld, of course, has been more than happy to use the initiative process to promote his own anti-business measures, such as his 1988 initiative that capped car insurance rates.

The ultimate question is whether the reforms are significant enough to justify a special election. Although disappointed that the governor did not push harder for tougher budget reform, and that he dropped a measure that would have reformed public-employee pensions, we do believe that the remaining reforms are important to the state.

The governor won a rare recall election on a reform platform. The Democratic-dominated Legislature has resisted reforms, and it's time to get them before the public. The California Constitution allows this process, just as it allows the public to elect spendthrift legislators. There's nothing improper about a special election such as this one.

Another crucial reform matter likely to be on the ballot is called Paycheck Protection, which would require public-sector unions to gain the consent of their members before spending union dues on political matters. This long-overdue reform could reduce one of the strongest catalysts for taxing and spending.

As the governor said, "Without reforms we are destined to relive the past all over again."

On to November.