March 2, 2005

Million Dollar Fundraisers Have Special Interests Riding Shotgun with Governor

Political watchdog TheRestofUs.org applauded Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent decision to take his agenda directly to the people. As long as he finances his ballot drive with illegally high donations to his Citizens to Save California committee however, said the group, democracy in California and the Governor’s promises of reform will both suffer.

“As long as the Governor is using these million dollar fundraisers for Citizens to Save California to finance his agenda, it will be special interests riding shotgun in Reform1,” said Ned Wigglesworth, analyst for TheRestofUs.org. “And it will be special interests flying co-pilot as he jets around the country dashing for big cash at glitzy hotels and the private homes of the nation’s elites.”

In 2003, Schwarzenegger was the first gubernatorial candidate in California ever to be endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Allan Zaremberg, a board member of Citizens to Save California, said of the Chamber’s decision: “His agenda was really our agenda. Issue for issue.” Schwarzenegger signed all ten of the Chamber-backed bills in 2004.

“In this Year of Reform, as the Governor has proclaimed, Californians deserve a true reformer, not a sham,” said Derek Cressman, director of TheRestofUs.org. “Whatever his agenda, as long as Arnold uses big money for funding and hollow lawyer arguments to justify the big money, it will be the Year of the Rat in California, not Year of Reform.”

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TheRestofUs.org is a nonpartisan political watchdog dedicated to alerting citizens to the problems of big money in politics.