Hogue: “What do you think about the current status of 77? Obviously, there has been a mishap and Attorney General Bill Lockyer has asked and the court has simply pulled it from the ballot. Do you think that court and the appeal that’s now hitting the courtroom should be reconsidered and should be placed on the ballot coming up in November?”
Davis: “I’d like to see it on the ballot in November, but worst case it should be on the ballot in June. People should have the opportunity to decide whether or not they want the legislature and the governor to continue to craft reapportionment plans or take it out of their hands and put in the hands of what I believe would be less partial decision makers, retired judges.”
Hogue: “To the public employee unions, a constant theme on my show here, the combination of gerrymandered districts or how we do draw the lines in California and how much money is coming from the public employee unions. Do you have any concerns about what I call the web-of-control or the money machine and how out of control it is and continues to be, Governor?”
Davis: “Obviously money is a big force in politics. I think it always will be no matter what laws are put on the books. I signed laws that put limits on how much people could give to constitutional races, races below Governor and on the Governor itself and I also signed legislation requiring that any contribution over $5,000 be made public in 24 hours, so I think disclosure is the key, but whatever rules we apply to the election to say the legislature and the Governor that will not prohibit major donors, be they corporate concerns or union concerns from having independent expenditures, that’s protected by the first amendment.
Hogue: “What about the initiative that’s on the ballot here that’s pretty much in slang called “Paycheck Protection? Are you supportive of this initiative?”
Davis: “No I’m not because I think that today; members of unions which represent only 13% of the population in America have the opportunity to say they don’t want to have a portion of their fees go for political purposes. It’s called an agency fee and they can’t indicate that annually first when they sign up and annually when they renew their commitment to pay dues. It’d be like saying no executive in a corporation can give money without 75% approval of their shareholders. So, I don’t think we should put those restraints on corporate contributions and I don’t think we should put them on union contributions.”
Hogue: “The Governor, Governor Schwarzenegger, has faced a lot of opposition over the past few months. A lot of it has been innuendo, and we’ve called it on this show on 1380 KTKZ the strategy of the big lie. Do you believe in knowing Governor Schwarzenegger, Governor Davis, that he is targeting nurses, he is targeting policemen and women and firefighters or is he moreover talking about his concerns surrounding the unions?”
