By Miriam Raftery

July 30, 2009 (Sacramento)—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently told the New York Times that he felt “perfectly fine” and said that no matter what happens with California’s budget crisis, he would still " sit down in my Jacuzzi tonight” and “lay back with a stogie.”

Now the Governor has wielded his veto power to terminate or drastically reduce funds for programs that help the most vulnerable Californians--including sick children, the disabled, AIDs patients, the poor, and others in need. His actions have triggered a massive backlash of protest reaching from San Diego to the State Capitol, including a potential legislative effort to override the Governor’s vetoes.

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery

February 24, 2009 (San Diego)--State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, who represents East County, has joined 27 other Republicans in signing a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, urging him to call upon the President and the Secretary of the Interior to convene the Endangered Species Committee, which the GOP has dubbed the "God Squad." The letter requests an appeal of water restrictions mandated by a federal court to protect the Delta smelt. But now a new federal study reveals that if Hollingsworth's plan is approved,lifting those restrictions would endanger killer whales as well as fish.