Governor Schwarzenegger sent a message to every one of his appointees this week by effectively firing the chair and vice-chair of the California State Parks and Recreation Commission. Bobby Shriver, chairman of the Commission, is a Santa Monica City Councilman and the Governor's brother-in-law. Clint Eastwood, vice-chair of the Commission, is Clint friggin' Eastwood. Earlier in the week, both men learned they would not be asked back to their chairs, despite both having submitted requests to be re-appointed.
Schwarzenegger must be feeling lucky. Either that or butt-hurt.
Shriver and Eastwood both actively oppose the Foothill-South (241) toll road extension, a project proposed by Irvine's Transportation Corridor Agencies which would bisect the inland portion of San Onofre State Beach. Eastwood released a video criticizing the project in the build-up to last month's Coastal Commission hearing on the project, and Shriver testified at that hearing in opposition to the project. The Coastal Commission overwhelmingly vetoed the road, despite Governor Schwarzenegger's support for the project.
Despite his canning, Shriver is surprisingly chipper. If anything, he sounds proud. "I guess they felt Clint and I were being effective," Shriver told the Weekly. "Earlier in the year he reappointed commissioners [Paul Witt and Caryl Hart] who had opposed the toll road; there's also precedent for people serving more than two terms." As far as potential for reappointment is concerned, "it depends on the person."
At the end of the day it's all just politics, something Shriver has known for most of his life. Just business, nothing personal. "I've known Arnold since before he met my sister," said Shriver. "He's an old buddy." But still Shriver and Eastwood, an actor-turned-politician like the Governor, stand by their vote, "and we would do it again," asserted Shriver. He joked how the pair might go on tour together - "Clint and I have decided we're going to go on the lecture circuit and conduct our own hearings as independent citizens. We'd go all over Orange County, speaking to parks groups about why [the 241] is a bad idea."
The 241 is more than just a bad idea; "That project represents everything bad about our society, without any redeeming value whatsoever," said Joel Reynolds, counsel for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The fact that Schwarzenegger supports it means that he is no green governor."
"It's outrageous what Schwarzenegger has done," Reynolds told the Weekly. He described both Eastwood and Shriver's work as outstanding - "They were appointed to protect our parks, and that's exactly what they've done. The fact that Governor Schwarzenegger has a different opinion about the Foothill-South [241] Toll Road should be irrelevant when commissioners are performing with integrity, with dedication, and with a commitment to their mandate."
Clint Eastwood told the San Francisco Chronicle he didn't know why he was not reappointed, but he had a suspicion or two:
"When you appoint people to the commission, you appoint people who have a soft spot for the parks, so I would think 99 out of 100 would vote against putting a highway through a state park," Eastwood said. "But maybe they are going to look for that guy."
Eastwood's suggestion, that Schwarzenegger is simply replacing those commissioners capable of independent thought with mindless yes-men, is clearly ridiculous. There's no reason the Governor wouldn't be just as interested in replacing them with yes-women.
The writing is on the wall, in letters thirty feet tall: either toe the Governor's line, rebel ineptly, or say goodbye to your public service opportunities. "Shriver and Eastwood have done their jobs with courage and dedication, and deserve not to be fired but re-hired," said Reynolds. "This is a warning shot from Governor Schwarzenegger to all his appointees. 'Do what I say, no matter how stupid and destructive that may be.' It's simply not an effective approach to leadership."
March 20, 2008 20:18
Schwarzenegger was promoted as a conservative Republican capable of leading public opinion. He proved to be electable but uttery incapable of leading public opinion. So he decided to turn left and follow public opinion. And in doing so, proved to be just another smarmy pol.
Now he's proven he's also a terrible imitation Democrat, lousy on public service, lousy on the environment. At this stage he's proven even smarmier than Gray Davis.
Since he's clearly just a smarmy sell-out, why should we be surprised that he fears independent thinkers? Eastwood and Shriver may respect Schwarzy 'cause they know him personally, but the public is losing respect for him by the hour.
"Bad ideas are not uncommon," says Eastwood. But in OC it takes uncommon courage to point them out. Kudos to Shriver for showing up in Del Mar.
March 23, 2008 16:44
You all would be kissing AHHHHrnolds butt if his policy decision was more to your liking. But it ain't, so you ain't. It's all politics. Don't worry, be happy! The Good Gov will be doing something soon that you will agree with, so just pucker up and wait, you'll be kissing ass soon enough.
March 24, 2008 09:03
That would be rich... A left-wing extremist councilman from Santa Monica touring OC telling folks that traffic really isn't that bad. I'd love to be in that audience.
March 30, 2008 01:03
"A left-wing extremist councilman from Santa Monica touring OC telling folks that traffic really isn't that bad."
Wow, get a clue! You obviously have no understanding of this issue whatsoever. Newsflash: Nobody, including Shriver, is claiming that traffic isn't bad. Traffic here in SoCal is indeed bad...in fact, it SUCKS! But what most people with even a little bit of common sense have realized is that it's that toll roads are bad...especially toll roads through state parks! Why? Because toll roads do little (if anything) to alleviate traffic. All they do is encourage more development which, in turn, creates MORE traffic. Besides, nobody in their right mind wants pay the outrageously over-priced tolls. That's why the majority of OC remains stuck on gridlocked freeways while the mostly empty toll roads keep on NOT relieving traffic (not to mention losing money hand over fist)! We need to fix the real problems: I-5 and OC's sorry excuse for a mass transit system.
So although the OC developers and fat cats are all sporting boners for the ludicrous idea of trading in our precious state park land for yet more (sub)urban sprawl along an un-needed, under-used toll road, Shriver instead has foresight; It's the same foresight that "right-wing extremist" Governor Reagan had back in '71 when he set this land [San Onofre state park] aside to be protected and preserved for future generations.
See? Even Ronnie knew the score! Fast-forward back to present, and we have Gov. Schwarzenegger, the 'Green Governor' (Yeah, right! "Green" Governor, my ass!), canning two State Parks Commissioners for...well, doing what State Park Commissioners are SUPPOSED to do: Acting in the best interest of state parks! Then the Governator turns around and expects us to believe that Eastwood and Shriver's opposition to the TCA's Bulldozer Fantasy for San Onofre has nothing to do with his decision? Ha, ha! Sure...