“I have never labeled myself as a politician, so I am not going to run for anything else,” Schwarzenegger told reporters on Tuesday.

Schwarzenegger said he will spend the next year trying to solve problems including a projected multibillion dollar shortfall in next year’s budget.

A Democratic assemblyman who heckled the governor during a recent event in San Francisco actually received two messages: the veto letter itself and a not-so-subtle rebuke creatively hidden within it.

Like a find-the-word puzzle, the second message was visible by stringing together the first letter of each line down the left-hand margin. It consisted of a common four-letter vulgarity followed by the letters “y-o-u.”

“My goodness. What a coincidence,” said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. “I suppose when you do so many vetoes, something like this is bound to happen.”

Schwarzenegger’s veto messages are sent to the lawmakers who authored the bills, and posted on the governor’s Web site. McLear noted that the left-hand margin of past veto messages has spelled out words such as “poet” and “soap.”

The target was San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who had sponsored AB1176. The bill, which passed unanimously in the Assembly and Senate, would have granted the Port of San Francisco expanded financing power to redevelop a former shipyard into a new neighborhood known as Pier 70.

“Kudos to the governor for his creative use of coincidence,” said Ammiano’s spokesman, Quintin Mecke. “You certainly have to have a sense of humor in politics. Unfortunately, this humor came at the cost of the Port of San Francisco.”

Whether coincidence or smackdown, the phrase contained in Schwarzenegger’s Oct. 12 veto message could be seen as retaliation for Ammiano’s behavior during a local Democratic Party fundraiser earlier this month in San Francisco.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, had been invited to the event by former San Francisco mayor and Assembly speaker Willie Brown, a Democrat.

His appearance at the Fairmont Hotel caught many of the attendees by surprise and came after a summer of contentious budget negotiations that forced lawmakers to cut billions of dollars from core state services, including education and health care programs.

On a video clip of the governor’s appearance, Ammiano can be heard shouting “you lie” and other derogatory phrases as other attendees booed and heckled Schwarzenegger’s brief speech.

After the governor left, Ammiano took the stage and gave a rambling diatribe in which he criticized Schwarzenegger for a wide variety of perceived offenses. In part, the freshman lawmaker was upset that Schwarzenegger had vetoed bills in 2005 and 2007 that would have legalized gay marriage.

The governor has said the issue should be decided by voters or the state Supreme Court. Schwarzenegger also opposed Proposition 8, the initiative voters passed in November to ban same-sex marriage.

Of the eight Ammiano bills sent to the governor’s desk this year, Schwarzenegger vetoed six – five of them after the Oct. 7 heckling incident.

Mecke, Ammiano’s spokesman, said the lawmaker wants to move on.

“We will call it even and start with a clean slate with the governor from here on out,” he said.

Earlier this month, he threatened a mass veto if legislative leaders didn’t agree to a comprehensive water deal, then backed down at the last minute and signed two-thirds of the 707 bills before him – similar to his annual record on legislation. After twice rejecting bills to honor slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, he signed a bill giving him a statewide day of recognition without explanation.

He mocked lawmakers over the summer for wasting time debating bills about cows’ tails, honey labeling and a blueberry commission, then approved all three.

Those are among recent examples of Schwarzenegger’s erratic style that have both puzzled and angered lawmakers and policy advocates in the capital. The Republican governor has said he likes to remain flexible, while others say he is just untrustworthy.

His recent flip-flops prompted Assembly Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, a fellow Republican from San Luis Obispo, to warn his caucus that Schwarzenegger isn’t always good to his word. He cited the governor’s “shocking reversal of position” on a number of bills.

The governor’s flair for drama helped propel him to international stardom, first as a bodybuilder and later as a Hollywood action star. In politics, that style has sometimes been misused by Schwarzenegger or misread by those he is trying to influence, leaving lawmakers and interest groups wondering whether he is telling them what he believes or merely saying what he thinks is convenient.

The questions about Schwarzenegger’s reliability come at a time when he has called lawmakers into special sessions on water policy, education reform and an overhaul of California’s tax system – issues fraught with partisan differences that will require cooperation to solve.

Schwarzenegger has defended his reversals by saying there is nothing wrong with him changing his mind, telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos last year that “flip-flopping is getting a bad rap.”

This week, he said he was not bothered if others get upset during negotiations, what matters in the end is whether he and lawmakers reach a deal.

“People sometimes get upset if you sign a certain bill that they don’t like – you know, the Harvey Milk bill or something like that. You know, he (Blakeslee) sees it and says, ‘Oh my God, this is outrageous.’ So you know, that’s his problem,” Schwarzenegger told reporters. But, he said, “We want everyone to work together to make sure that we have the water infrastructure, because … it will be a historic accomplishment.”

Questions about whether Schwarzenegger was a reliable negotiating partner arose shortly after he took office in 2003, when he lost the trust of a key political constituency, education lobbyists. They charged him with reneging on a promise made behind closed doors to repay billions of dollars he wanted to borrow from schools to balance the state budget.

Schwarzenegger denied making the promise, but the disagreement was resolved only after education groups filed a lawsuit. Now he has icy relations with the California Teachers Association, whose input will be crucial to his special session on education reform.

More recently, Schwarzenegger has upset the largest state employee union with what its leaders claim is a similar backpedal.

The Service Employees International Union Local 1000 said it spent nine months negotiating a contract for its 95,000 employees with the Schwarzenegger administration, only to see the governor pressure Republican lawmakers not to approve it.

“He has set in place the notion that you can negotiate with the governor of California and it really doesn’t mean anything,” said Yvonne Walker, president of the local.

Adam Mendelsohn, a political adviser and former communications director for Schwarzenegger, called the governor “absolutely trustworthy.”

He characterized Schwarzenegger’s actions as attempts to cajole lawmakers into agreeing on issues of statewide significance. Resorting to threats only shows the governor’s frustration with legislative gridlock and lawmakers’ inability to compromise, Mendelsohn said.

“One of his greatest frustrations is that he doesn’t understand why it’s so difficult to meet in the middle to address these issues,” Mendelsohn said.

Schwarzenegger also infuriated city and county leaders earlier this year by opting to borrow about $2 billion in tax revenue from local governments, requiring the suspension of a law he had championed to prevent such raids. Local governments responded by suing the state to get the money back.

In September, Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill to honor Vietnam veterans with a day of remembrance, saying lawmakers should have other priorities. When lawmakers rushed through an identical bill weeks later, Schwarzenegger not only signed it but held a photo-friendly ceremony at a Marine Corps base in Southern California to promote his action.

Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California, said Schwarzenegger’s recent mass veto threat may have done the governor more harm than good.

“Empty threats are worse than useless,” Pitney said. “They undermine credibility and make it harder to influence legislators.”

(Sacramento) Today Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law two historic LGBT rights bills – recognizing the contributions of slain civil rights leader Harvey Milk and a bill that underscores that same-sex couples married before the passage of Proposition 8 are entitled to full recognition as married spouses in California, regardless of whether they married in California or out of state.

Both bills were sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) and were introduced by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The bills were the top priority of EQCA, the state’s leading LGBT rights organization and were targeted by right wing anti-gay groups who worked to defeat the bills first in the legislature and then by urging the Governor to veto the measures.

“We are grateful to the Governor for signing these critical and groundbreaking measures into law and rising above partisan politics to improve the lives of LGBT Californians,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors.
The Harvey Milk Day bill marks the first time in the nation’s history that a state will officially recognize and celebrate the contributions of an openly LGBT person with an annual “day of special significance.”

“Californians will now learn about Harvey’s amazing contributions to the advancement of civil rights for decades to come,” Kors said. “He is a role model to millions, and this legislation will help ensure his legacy lives on forever.”

The Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act, also signed today, holds that same-sex couples married before the passage of Proposition 8 must be recognized as married spouses in California, regardless of whether they married in California or in another state or nation. In addition, the new statute also confirms that same-sex couples married outside of California after November 5, 2008, must be given all of the rights, protections and responsibilities of married spouses under California law, with the sole exception of the designation of “marriage.”

“We are grateful that the Governor has signed this critical bill, which provides much needed protections for same-sex couples who have legally married out of state, or will in the future, and who deserve to be treated like any other married couple,” Kors said. “This bill will allow same-sex couples to get married in other states and countries and ensure they are treated equally under the law when they return to California. Ultimately, however, restoring the freedom to marry is the only way to ensure that all Californians receive the dignity and respect that comes with marriage.”

“When California offered marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2008, spouses who were already married in another state or country were prohibited from re-marrying in California,” said Senator Leno. “Now those couples and their families are in limbo because their rights and protections under law are not clear. This new law will ensure that same-sex couples are protected by existing California law that recognizes all marriages equally, regardless of where they are performed.”

The Governor also signed EQCA-sponsored legislation by Assemblymember John A. Pérez to help leverage funding for same-sex domestic violence services and vetoed two bills on the grounds that existing law and policy already provided the protections the bills sought to put into statute: the Equal ID Act, allowing transgender people to obtain new birth certificates and the LGBT Prisoner Safety Act, considering sexual orientation and gender identity to safely house prisoners.

“While we believe it is important to have these protections in statute rather than just as policy or court precedent and are disappointed by the vetoes, the Governor’s reaffirmation of these policies will hopefully help ensure they are enforced,” Kors said.

And you can make the difference.

From an email:

I hope you are well. The heat is still on here in California, as we’re waiting for Governor Schwarzenegger to sign the bills the legislature just passed.

Anti-LGBT organizations like Ron Prentice’s ProtectMarriage.com are trying to convince Governor Schwarzenegger to veto SB 54, the Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act (Leno, D-San Francisco).

SB 54 clarifies that couples married out-of-state pre-Prop 8 are regarded by the state as married. It also clarifies that couples married out-of-state post-Prop 8 get all the rights of marriage without the label of “marriage” (the most we can do because of the California Supreme Court’s ruling).

It’s on the governor’s desk right now, and he could sign or veto it at any moment. We are trying to get the word out now for Californians to call the governor at 916-445-2841 and ask him to support this bill, so these couples can be sure where they stand.

The opposition is claiming we are trying to circumvent the law, undercut the Constitution and disregard the will of the people. They are telling their supporters it is “a direct assault on Proposition 8” and “an absolute and total affront to the seven million Californians who passed Prop 8.”

You may remember that when the CA Supreme Court upheld both Prop 8 and the 18,000 marriages performed here before it passed, they pointedly left open the question about couples married in other states and countries before Nov 5, 2008.

These couples could not get married in CA when it was legal, since you can’t get married again if you’re already married. SB 54 clarifies that these couples are legally married in CA.

And, like I mentioned earlier, the bill clarifies that couples married out of state after Nov 5, 2008 are entitled to all the same CA rights as married couples, just without the designation of “marriage.”

If you live in California, call the governor today. Equality California has a list of all his office numbers.

After you’ve called, check in below!

In the middle of the panic, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has used a line-item veto to cut more than $52 million in HIV programs from the State budget – cuts beyond the agreement with the state legislature.

The California AIDS Clearinghouse had to abruptly shut its doors last week after receiving word that its funding – all of it – had been eliminated.

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center ran the California AIDS Clearinghouse for 15 years, working with hundreds of nonprofit organizations to help provide education, testing, counseling, medical services, and condom distribution.

Perhaps most important in a state where nearly 40 percent of the residents speak a language other than English at home, the California AIDS Clearinghouse specialized in “culturally competent” care.

As I learned when I worked for a nonprofit HMO a couple of years ago, you can’t just put up a health poster and assume everyone will react to it in the same way. In cultures where talking about sex is less acceptable, it’s important to broach the subject carefully, and to make sure that your audience will be receptive.

When I talked with Susan Cohen of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, the sudden disappearance of culturally targeted educational materials was one of her main concerns:

“These are difficult topics to talk about,” she explained, “In some cultures, you can’t just walk in and launch right into the topic – it’s offensive. It requires trained people to talk to audiences in a way that they can hear. The Clearinghouse didn’t function with a one-size-fits-all mentality.”

The Clearinghouse was innovative in its approach to HIV and AIDS education. Its advisory council was carefully made up to mirror the state’s demographics, and, as Cohen pointed out, “No material was made for a community without being test-marketed by people within the community.”

Without the funding, the Clearinghouse’s carefully crafted, phenomenally useful educational materials will simply disappear.

“As they have been, [our educational materials] get into clinics, HIV testing sites – right into the hands of people who need them. That’s not going to happen now,” said Cohen, “When money disappears, people aren’t being taught the life skills to make healthy decisions.”

Cohen also noted that this is a particularly awful time to lose funding, as California is facing “twin epidemics” of HIV and crystal meth use: “We need money to do true prevention.”

The Governor’s cuts are particularly maddening in light of the recent information from the Centers for Disease Control about what happened to teen STD (and pregnancy) rates during the Bush-era emphasis on abstinence-only sex education.

In a nutshell, it turns out that if you take away the funding and the practical information, the STD rates go up. Duh.

HUGE duh!

It’s common sense backed up by hard data, and yet for some reason our Governor thinks that short-term budget cuts won’t lead to a massive – and surely expensive – health crisis within a few years.

Cohen underscored that point: “I think it’s critical for your readers to know that we’ve made so much progress in the past decade and the thought of turning the clock back is horrifying.”

Does Schwarzenegger not know how to connect the dots, or does he just figure he’ll be out in time and the massive suffering will be someone else’s problem?

Cohen emphasized that we shouldn’t give up the fight yet. Lawsuits have already been filed against the Governor’s blue-pencil cuts, and Californians can still contact their state legislators to demand they override the cuts.

Cohen also pointed out that funding is crucial right now – social services all over the state have been cut, so if you have deep pockets and a warm heart, now is the time to donate.

And it probably can’t hurt to give the Governor a piece of your mind, either.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver unveiled the list of 2009 inductees on Tuesday. They said the latest 13 “embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history.”

The others are entertainer Carol Burnett, “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, footballer John Madden, former Intel chief executive Andrew Grove, former Gov. Hiram Johnson, decathlete and philanthropist Rafer Johnson, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, philanthropist and peace activist Joan Kroc, artist Fritz Scholder, author Danielle Steel, bodybuilder and Schwarzenegger mentor Joe Weider and Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager.

Schwarzenegger last year vetoed a bill that would designate a day each year to honor Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. He was assassinated in 1978.

A nearly identical bill by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, has passed the Senate and is expected to be taken up in the Assembly in the next few weeks. It would designate Milk’s birthday, May 22, as a “day of special significance,” but not an official holiday.

“This honor, as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to Harvey by President Obama, should only underscore to the governor the need for Harvey Milk Day in California,” Leno said in a statement Tuesday.

Francisco Castillo, a spokesman for the governor, said Schwarzenegger would not take a position on Leno’s bill before it reaches his desk.

The nominees will be inducted in a Dec. 1 ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento. Shriver started the program to honor artists, sports figures and others who’ve helped shape the state.

May 22 is Milk’s birth date. He would have been 80 this year.

It would then need House approval before going to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). The governor vetoed a similar bill last year saying that while he respected the measure’s intent, he thought Milk’s “contributions should continue to be recognized at the local level.”

Both bills were filed by openly gay state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who said when he submitted the current bill that he hoped positive publicity over the movie “Milk” would encourage Schwarzenegger to support the legislation this time.

It would create a  statewide “day of special significance” recognizing Milk’s life and his contributions but would not be a holiday, meaning there would be no cost to the state

Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 and shot to death a year later by former supervisor Dan White.

White was convicted of manslaughter, and served a little more than three years in prison before committing suicide.

In the years since his death, Milk has become one of the most recognizable martyrs of the gay rights movement.

Appearing at a news conference with the bill’s author, state Sen. Mark Leno, and several of Milk’s contemporaries who were featured in the movie “Milk,” Penn said he did not want to insult the intelligence of a fellow actor by expecting Schwarzenegger to veto the measure again.

“I would never assume such ignorance as for him to not have revised his (position),” Penn said, staring into a bank of TV cameras at a cafe that shares the name of Milk’s favorite opera, “Tosca.” “I have too much respect for him to be able to do that.”

Leno’s bill would require Schwarzenegger, who starred in the “Terminator” movies and other blockbusters, to establish May 22 of each year as a “day of significance.” Unlike an official holiday, Harvey Milk Day would not give state workers the day off, but schools would be encouraged to conduct lessons on the late San Francisco supervisor’s life and legacy.

Milk was an outspoken gay rights advocate at a time when coming out carried substantial personal and professional risks. He was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by another city supervisor in 1978.

After last year’s measure passed both houses of the Legislature, conservative groups lobbied Schwarzenegger to veto it, saying they objected to having gay issues taught in schools.

In his September veto message, the governor said that while he respected the bill’s intent, he thought Milk’s “contributions should continue to be recognized at the local level by those who were most impacted by his contributions.”

Spokeswoman Rachel Cameron said Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the revived legislation and would not until it reaches his desk. Leno estimated that would happen by the end of August.

Penn said that based on the biographical research he did to portray Milk, he thought the late leader’s story of self-acceptance and sacrifice carried valuable lessons.

“I trust that Gov. Schwarzenegger is an increasingly reasonable man and that he understands that passing on prejudices … that surround this issue and so many others is poisonous to future generations,” Penn said.