Just seven years after California voters ushered a man more famous for his movie roles than his politics into the governor’s office, they’re replacing him with a man who left the post more than 27 years ago.
In the eyes of some registered voters, the time has come to have somebody new in place to try and steer the state out of the financial quagmire that bogged down Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term and led to approval ratings that are just as low as Gray Davis whom he ousted from office.
And while some might agree with his policies or his ideas, others that have been greatly impacted say they can’t see past how his decisions have affected their lives.
“As a student I know that the cuts he made to the budget have caused there to be less classes available to take and they’re more expensive than they were when I first started,” said San Joaquin Delta College student and Lathrop City Councilman Omar Ornelas. “From what I remember, when I worked with Kristy (Sayles) she talked a lot about how he was trying to take money from the cities and use that to help cover the shortfalls.
“He was in a position that no politician ever wants to be in, but those decisions affected a lot of people.”
As an employee of the State of California, Dave Byrd says that not only is he not getting the cost-of-living adjustment that was promised to his union four years ago, but he’s also taking a slight pay-cut due to the mandatory furlough days that have become standard fare.
While he knows that Schwarzenegger is only doing what he can with limited options while facing a horrific situation, Byrd believes that the buck has to stop somewhere, and the office in the State Capital that he used on a regular basis, he says, seems like a good enough place.
“I know he didn’t cause everything that’s going on right now, and it was clear that he couldn’t fix everything in just seven years,” Byrd said. “But maybe having somebody different in office can bring a fresh perspective on how to handle the problem.
“I didn’t vote for Jerry Brown, but he’s our governor now so to not support him would be counter-productive – especially if we want to see something happen.”
But there are those, too, who would rather see Schwarzenegger stay in office for another four years than see Jerry Brown take over control of the state.
While Carl Kromrey doesn’t necessarily agree with the way that Schwarzenegger handled facets of the budget crisis or the response to the housing collapse, he feels that changing the guard during such an uncertain time for California is a risky thing to undergo.
“Maybe Jerry Brown comes in and works some magic and everything gets all better,” he said. “But more than likely he’s going to get stuck dealing with the same problems that dogged Schwarzenegger, only he’ll have to be brought up to speed on what’s actually going on.
“I’d rather see the guy who’s experienced with the problems we face at the helm than some guy who had experience at this almost three decades ago.”
In the eyes of some registered voters, the time has come to have somebody new in place to try and steer the state out of the financial quagmire that bogged down Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term and led to approval ratings that are just as low as Gray Davis whom he ousted from office.
And while some might agree with his policies or his ideas, others that have been greatly impacted say they can’t see past how his decisions have affected their lives.
“As a student I know that the cuts he made to the budget have caused there to be less classes available to take and they’re more expensive than they were when I first started,” said San Joaquin Delta College student and Lathrop City Councilman Omar Ornelas. “From what I remember, when I worked with Kristy (Sayles) she talked a lot about how he was trying to take money from the cities and use that to help cover the shortfalls.
“He was in a position that no politician ever wants to be in, but those decisions affected a lot of people.”
As an employee of the State of California, Dave Byrd says that not only is he not getting the cost-of-living adjustment that was promised to his union four years ago, but he’s also taking a slight pay-cut due to the mandatory furlough days that have become standard fare.
While he knows that Schwarzenegger is only doing what he can with limited options while facing a horrific situation, Byrd believes that the buck has to stop somewhere, and the office in the State Capital that he used on a regular basis, he says, seems like a good enough place.
“I know he didn’t cause everything that’s going on right now, and it was clear that he couldn’t fix everything in just seven years,” Byrd said. “But maybe having somebody different in office can bring a fresh perspective on how to handle the problem.
“I didn’t vote for Jerry Brown, but he’s our governor now so to not support him would be counter-productive – especially if we want to see something happen.”
But there are those, too, who would rather see Schwarzenegger stay in office for another four years than see Jerry Brown take over control of the state.
While Carl Kromrey doesn’t necessarily agree with the way that Schwarzenegger handled facets of the budget crisis or the response to the housing collapse, he feels that changing the guard during such an uncertain time for California is a risky thing to undergo.
“Maybe Jerry Brown comes in and works some magic and everything gets all better,” he said. “But more than likely he’s going to get stuck dealing with the same problems that dogged Schwarzenegger, only he’ll have to be brought up to speed on what’s actually going on.
“I’d rather see the guy who’s experienced with the problems we face at the helm than some guy who had experience at this almost three decades ago.”
