Nurses, Bus Drivers and Clerks Protest Gov’s Fundraising

Nurses, bus drivers and clerks are shedding public light on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s drive to continue raising tens of millions of dollars for his reelection effort in Nov. 2008.

In Beverly Hills on March 20, labor groups held their first major protest of the year to zero in on the governor’s fundraising campaign. About 200 nurses, bus drivers and clerks marched outside a private Schwarzenegger reception and dinner for donors, who paid up to $100,000 for seats near the governor and his guest speaker, U.S. Sen. John McCain.

“Money in, favors out, that’s what Arnold’s all about,” they chanted.

Before the dinner, police evicted several dozen nurses from the hotel lobby as they shouted, “Shame on Arnold!” and “Stop the Corruption!”

The protest brought back images of similar events that helped defeat the governor’s initiatives in the Special Election of November 2005.

Nurses and other workers held Schwarzenegger accountable for his broken campaign promise to turn down special interest money.

“He said he wasn’t going to take special-interest money, and then this fundraiser flies in the face of everything he said he would be,” said Robin Swanson, a spokeswoman for the Alliance for a Better California, the coalition formed last year to fight the governor’s initiatives.

A former top Schwarzenegger advisor has told business leaders that the governor is trying to raise $120 million for the November election, much of it from the state Republican Party. Schwarzenegger, however, says he aims to raise $75 million.

Schwarzenegger had planned for the week of March 19 to fundraise in Pebble Beach and Dana Point, then the following week in Palm Desert, San Diego and Riverside.

3-23