Results tagged “schwarzenegger”

We're a joke, so it's time to laugh at ourselves, California. Last night the Colbert Report took on Schwarzenegger, making fun of our Governor's adorable breakfast photo on Twitter and his letter to Assemblyman Tom Ammiano that contained a hidden "fuck you."

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently slipped in an embedded and hidden "fuck you" in a veto message to San Francisco Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and now the San Francisco Chronicle is taking a stab back. A hidden message in their in-print editorial today reads "Grow Up Girlie Man." And maybe the state's frat boy squad can get back to work now. (h/t LAObserved)

When Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger saved state parks from closing, it didn't mean he saved them from service cuts. Today, state park officials announced how they would deal with a $14.2 million budget cut: Superintendents for each district (for example, many of L.A.'s nearby parks are in the Angeles District, beaches in the OC and Ventura County are in the Orange Coast and Channel Coast districts, respectively) had to share the sacrifice and find cuts on a park-by-park basis.

Tomorrow, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the bill that will exempt developers of the proposed NFL stadium from some environmental laws, reports James Wagner at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Once the law goes into affect, Ed Roski's Majestic Realty will be able to break ground on the 600-acre project, which has been delayed a year and one half.

TMZ caught pop-singer Brandy yesterday illegally using her cell phone while driving. And then they called it pulling a Shriver, thanks to Califonia's First Lady who last week was caught a number of times breaking the law her hubby signed into law.

After wiping out 100 percent of domestic violence funds in the state budget over the summer, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign a bill tomorrow that will restore funding.

Watch out, Los Angeles. We might be having a Raider Nation soon enough (or hey, maybe even get back the Chargers). In a legislative session yesterday, the state's senate approved a bill that "would grant the 75,000-seat stadium project an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act, the environmental law that governs development," according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

After being caught not once, not twice, but thrice, California's First Lady Maria Shriver apologized today for breaking the cell phone while driving law. Her brief statement:

That's the lowest approval rating of the Legislature from registered voters in the Field Poll's 26-year history. And that's not the only record broken. He may eat adorable breakfasts, but that's not going to save Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's 27 percent rating, the lowest since he entered office (and a number only found back in 1961 with Pat Brown). But still, he isn't the governor with the worst approval rating, that goes to Gray Davis (22%) before he was ousted from office in a recall election that Schwarzenegger won.

Although two major gay rights bills were signed by Governor Schwarzenegger this weekend, two dealing with transgender issues were vetoed. One would have aided transgender people to revise their birth certificates and the other would have provided protections for transgender people in prison.

Among the various laws signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday was one strengthening an already existing law aimed at paparazzi.

This might top that knife-yielding video of his from the Summer. On Friday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger twitpic'd the above image and said "This is how I start my day."

Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger last night vetoed a bill that would have limited the options of completing the 710 Freeway, which is considered the missing link of the regional freeway system, according to the L.A. Times. If signed, the bill would have stopped any possibility of a surface route, therefore increasing chances of a 4.5-mile tunnel under South Pasadena, connecting to the 134/210 freeway exchange.

Among the hundreds of bills signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last night, two gay rights ones were authored by San Francisco's Senator Mark Leno. One names May 22nd as Harvey Milk Day and the other recognizes same-sex marriages from other states by providing "the same legal protections that would otherwise be available to couples that enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships out-of-state," according to the bill's language. "In short, this measure honors the will of the People in enacting Proposition 8 while providing important protections to those unions legally entered into in other states."

Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation, is calling bullshit on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement that state parks are saved. No details beyond the announcement have been released since last Friday, but Goldstein says read between the lines:

State Parks are not closing after all, but at least six domestic violence shelters around the state have closed due to a small, but devastating budget cut by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger over the summer. That's according to the Domestic Violence Center of the Santa Clarita Valley, which came close to being the seventh such closure.

A surprise announcement from state officials came this afternoon in the form of no state park closures. Wow. A big improvement from the original proposal to close 80 percent of parks last Spring, which eventually was weeded down to 100 park closures in the summer. As state park officials worked on a closure list, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped in with renewed interest this week, offering assistance in the form of experts from the Department of Finance.

Among the many bills approved by the legislature and sent to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk for approval are two state parks bills. They have nothing to do with the possible closures and in fact, they were introduced long before any one would have thought that hundreds would be threatened during the budget process.

With the feds yearning to give away $8 billion in Recovery Act money to states for high-speed train development, California officials today prepared to submit an application asking for more than half of that.

Good news comes today as Governor Arnold Schwarzegger's office announced that that plans to close state parks have changed. Fewer parks will close and plans to release a list of those parks has been dropped. Although the Governor's office is downplaying the shift in direction, the Mercury News juxtaposes it with this point:

Although the legislature last week approved two bills meant to help California obtain 33 percent renewable energy by 2020--a goal provided in legislation from 2006--Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced that he will instead sign an executive order mandating the same goal that will use different methods.

A spokesman for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said today that the list of parks slated for closure will not be released this week as officials continue to work to save more money, therefore keeping more open, according to John Myers of KQED.

As the legislature wrapped up last week, a slew of bills were voted down and voted through to the Governor's desk, many of them dealing with the environment from issues like state parks to air quality and other issues.

State Park officials said today that a closure list will not be released today and will likely come next week. "There is a list and it's being reviewed," explained Sheryl Watson, an Information Officer with California State Parks, over the phone. Amid a mass budget crunch this summer, the legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed the department's budget so much, that it will potentially close around 100 parks.

No one knows which state parks will close this week and that's a pretty scary reality if you're particularly fond of them. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's fat $39 million cut to parks earlier this summer meant that around 100 parks would close. Earlier this summer, state park officials said they needed time to tinker with the budget to see how many could be saved and how they could save even more by raising fees and partnering with local cities, nonprofits and businesses.

Interesting fact, via the Disaster Accountability Blog, about how state budget woes and a court order to lower prison population could affect firefighting: According to a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation press release, “there are 2,245 adult inmates and 53 Division of Juvenile Justice youth deployed to fires statewide, including Los Angeles, Riverside, and 15 other counties,” under the supervision of “187 correctional officers and supervisors.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger already declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles county, among others, and today gave the same designation to San Bernardino County where two fires, the Oak Glen III and the Pendleton, burn. "We are doing everything we can to save life and save property," he said at a press conference in Yucaipa. "The reason why things are running so well is the coordination between state and local firefighters."

If you happen to be in Sacramento tomorrow and Saturday, do the state a favor and give them some money in exchange for some official government crap. Back in July, Governor Schwarzenegger announced that they would be selling government stuff--cars, computers, other crap--to help offset the billion dollar deficit. Then someone on Twitter suggested that he sign some of the items to raise the value and he went, paraphrased, "OMG, such a g00d idea! Keep the ideas coming, Twitter pals!"

Last June, Governor Schwarzenegger sought federal disaster aid as California entered its third drought summer in three years. 43% of the state is listed in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor's results last week. Still, the Obama Administration denied Schwarzenegger's request, which would have given money for food banks, unemployment and other services in Fresno County, according to the Associated Press. Now Schwarzenegger is asking Obama to reconsider his petition. The last time federal money was given to California for a drought was in 1977.

No official list of state parks to close had been published yet, but at least five in the Los Angeles area face the real possibility of closing if partnerships are not formed to save them after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed $39 million from the department's budget. Los Encinos in Encino, Santa Susana Pass in Chatsworth, Rio de Los Angeles in Chinatown, Point Dume in Malibu and Pio Pico in Whittier are all being considered for closure, the LA Times finds.