This per Dan Weintraub’s blog. In a meeting just this morning with the Sacramento Bee editorial board, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata blasted Rob Reiner’s use of state funds to promote the theme of his upcoming preschool initiative and trashed the initiative itself, which he had previously endorsed. Perata also all but endorsed efforts first reported here to redirect the money spent on advertising and public relations to actual programs helping early childhood development, although not necessarily the Republican alternative.
It looks like that is one Democratic legislative leader who remains unspun by the movie director/initiative promoter in those private meetings I reported on earlier. Since he is the leader of the Democratic Party in the upper house of the California Legislature, this is very significant.
Does Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez also consider the Reiner affair major, or merely a flap? I have a call in for his comment.
** UPDATE: There has been a development on the Nunez front. A top aide to Speaker Nunez, Steve Maviglio, says that the speaker still supports the Reiner initiative and is supportive of his decision to step away from the First 5 commission on a leave of absence. He has not yet read the bill by Assembly Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy calling for a shift of funding from advertising and public relations to pre-kindergarten instruction. However, he does support the concept of redirecting the First 5 tax money currently going to advertising and public relations into actual programs for the children.
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Dana:As I previous posted re Arnie, the late Sonny Bono as quoted in Tell Newt to Shut Up was right to note things change when you play in the big league of politics.
Feb 28, 2006 - 1:20 pm John:after Arnold, suspicions abound about celebrity politicians and self-promoting initiatives.
Feb 28, 2006 - 1:26 pm Hap Hazard:I am often struck by how often some politicians or would-be politicians allow themselves to believe they are entitled to government funding of their own self-promotion. I think they come to believe that the public is served by knowing more about themselves, so therefore it is justified.
Feb 28, 2006 - 5:08 pm Eric Hogue:State Senator Dave Cox has called for a J-LAC hearing and investigation. With Don Perata’s comments today, “First Five” may be history, as well as Prop 82. This scandal was the tipping point.
Hogue KTKZ Radio / Sacramento
Feb 28, 2006 - 6:52 pm Bill Bradley:I’m going to be talking with committee chair Nicole Parra tomorrow about a JLAC hearing. For everybody else, that is the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.
Feb 28, 2006 - 6:58 pm Ann:It is terrible for Rob Reiner that it is too late for him to withdraw his initiative.
Feb 28, 2006 - 9:54 pm Bill Bradley:You sound sad for him.
Mar 1, 2006 - 9:54 am AthlonGuy:Speaker Núñez’s support for this concept is great news, but it only gets us half way there. The money must get converted from the “actual programs” into *results* - only then will California’s money be spent wisely. This whole note of our compassion being measured by us trying and spending money while the kids get trashed, is getting real old. The idea of these bozos mangling the great preschools already in my area is totally preposterous. Geez, what planet does Reiner live on?
“money currently going to advertising and public relations into actual programs for the children.”
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