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CNN Live Saturday
Schwarzenegger Pushes His Agenda
Aired December 13, 2003 - 18:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now with a fiscal recovery now in place, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to use his newfound political clout to press ahead with his reform agenda. Miguel Marquez has more -- Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the important thing to keep in mind there, Carol, is that the fiscal plan we are talking abut is just for this year. And this is the first time in his month now in office that the new governor has had to go before the legislators, go to them for help and get a major piece of legislation passed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ (voice-over): It is a deal to pay California's bills. It is also a major legislative win for its freshman governor.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: Today, I am a happy governor.
MARQUEZ: Among other things, the deal calls for voters to approve selling $15 billion in bonds and promises a balanced budget in the future. The bond covers all but $2 billion of California's current shortfall. Some politicians call the deal a shadow of the plan that was all but dead one week ago.
RAPHE SONENSHEIN, CAL STATE FULLERTON: I don' think he is particularly ideological guy. His plan wasn't working. He made some adjustments. He found a better plan, imposed it on all of his advisers and his allies and it worked very well.
MARQUEZ: Amongst the governor's allies were the Democrats who control the California legislature. And the compromise brought a sharp rebuke from some fellow Republicans and one former rival.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hidden inside it is the power for one generation to pillar and plunder the future to pay for its own appetite.
MARQUEZ: But Keith Richmond, the Republican who worked with Schwarzenegger on the deal says it was the best that they could get and it never would have happened under the previous administration.
KEITH RICHMAN (R) CAL. STATE ASSEMBLY: There has been more listening and more listening and more interaction with the legislature in these three weeks than I think there was in the entire term of Gray Davis. MARQUEZ: With a whole new budget battle looming for next year, even Republican allies were waiting to see whether slashing budgets or raising taxes is the future of California.
RICHMAN: I think that there is certainly people on the Republican side of the isle, my side of the isle that have concerns about what the governor is going to do, equally there is concerns from the Democratic side of the isle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: Now most experts that I talked to seemed to agree on one thing that a deal that was just worked out this week will pale in comparison to the deal that needs to be worked out for the next budget for '04, '05. Mr. Schwarzenegger has to put that one to the legislature on the 5th of January. And a lot of those painful, economic realities that California is facing will come into light - Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much. Miguel Marquez out there in Los Angeles.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 13, 2003 - 18:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now with a fiscal recovery now in place, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to use his newfound political clout to press ahead with his reform agenda. Miguel Marquez has more -- Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the important thing to keep in mind there, Carol, is that the fiscal plan we are talking abut is just for this year. And this is the first time in his month now in office that the new governor has had to go before the legislators, go to them for help and get a major piece of legislation passed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ (voice-over): It is a deal to pay California's bills. It is also a major legislative win for its freshman governor.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: Today, I am a happy governor.
MARQUEZ: Among other things, the deal calls for voters to approve selling $15 billion in bonds and promises a balanced budget in the future. The bond covers all but $2 billion of California's current shortfall. Some politicians call the deal a shadow of the plan that was all but dead one week ago.
RAPHE SONENSHEIN, CAL STATE FULLERTON: I don' think he is particularly ideological guy. His plan wasn't working. He made some adjustments. He found a better plan, imposed it on all of his advisers and his allies and it worked very well.
MARQUEZ: Amongst the governor's allies were the Democrats who control the California legislature. And the compromise brought a sharp rebuke from some fellow Republicans and one former rival.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hidden inside it is the power for one generation to pillar and plunder the future to pay for its own appetite.
MARQUEZ: But Keith Richmond, the Republican who worked with Schwarzenegger on the deal says it was the best that they could get and it never would have happened under the previous administration.
KEITH RICHMAN (R) CAL. STATE ASSEMBLY: There has been more listening and more listening and more interaction with the legislature in these three weeks than I think there was in the entire term of Gray Davis. MARQUEZ: With a whole new budget battle looming for next year, even Republican allies were waiting to see whether slashing budgets or raising taxes is the future of California.
RICHMAN: I think that there is certainly people on the Republican side of the isle, my side of the isle that have concerns about what the governor is going to do, equally there is concerns from the Democratic side of the isle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: Now most experts that I talked to seemed to agree on one thing that a deal that was just worked out this week will pale in comparison to the deal that needs to be worked out for the next budget for '04, '05. Mr. Schwarzenegger has to put that one to the legislature on the 5th of January. And a lot of those painful, economic realities that California is facing will come into light - Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much. Miguel Marquez out there in Los Angeles.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
