Schwarzenegger's Budget Plan: Create More Working Poor

The latest as we slog through the dog days of the budget summer, from the SacBee:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to sign an executive order next week that will reduce pay for more than 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour to preserve cash in the midst of a month-long budget standoff, according to a draft copy of the order obtained by The Bee.

Administration officials said the governor expects to take the action Monday.

"The administration is looking into many different options to preserve cash to ensure we have enough to cover our costs," Schwarzenegger communications director Matt David said.

Really, that's disgusting. Balancing the budget on the backs of the working poor is intolerable. I recognize that Republicans have no intention of doing anything but cutting services to deal with this problem. But this goes even further - cutting salaries in the midst of a budget crisis, along with putrid economic indicators and rising prices everywhere. Because of the total failure of leadership, we get failed solutions, like raiding local government and transportation funds, to put a band-aid on a persistent structural deficit. And now this. It doesn't stop with cutting salaries, either:

The order would require state agencies to stop authorizing overtime for most employees.

The governor also plans to issue a hard hiring freeze except for state jobs "directly related to the preservation and protection of human life and safety." He also will suspend work for all retired annuitants, permanent intermittent employees, seasonal employees, temporary help workers, student assistants and some contractors.

What's so sick here is that Schwarzenegger would only create a pool of about 200,000 workers who would require additional government assistance, assistance that the state cannot currently afford. This is Shock Doctrine stuff. And it's totally unacceptable.

The lawsuits should begin tomorrow. This is a breach of trust. And if you think Arnold's poll numbers were bad before, wait until you see them after this stunt. 200,000 workers have a lot of friends and family. What a scumbag.

UPDATE: Speaker Bass weighs in, via email:

"I don't think the Governor should put public servants in the crossfire of this budget battle. But his action speaks to the need for all us -- including the Governor -- to negotiate a balanced, responsible budget that protects our schools and the safety net before we run out of cash."

The proposal on closing parks was just a game, but now we're talking about people's livelihoods. Playing around like this is unacceptable.

...OK, so the Speaker just revised her press release by changing "should" to "would," signaling that she thinks he's bluffing. Why they would re-send a press release for that is kind of absurd, as the implication was already made. I really hope this isn't the result of some talking-to from Arnold's office, or that this is all one elaborate kabuki, because 200,000 soon-to-be minimum wage employees are not amused.