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| | Farm Groups Endorse Governor's Reform Agenda By Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press Writer - October 6, 2005FRESNO, Calif. (AP) _ Several of the state's agricultural leaders gathered in a packing shed to endorse Arnold Schwarzenegger's special election agenda, saying he has made good on promises to promote the state's agriculture industry.
"We're here to do all we can to help you," Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League, told the governor as he stood amid boxes overflowing with recently picked grapes.
The governor has been good to the $32 billion industry, keeping promises he made on the campaign trail, farm representatives said. They thanked Schwarzenegger for reforming workers' compensation insurance, promoting California's agricultural products here and abroad, and most recently for signing a bill that renewed the Central Valley Rural Crime Prevention Program.
"He said he would do it, and he did," said Paul Wenger, of the California Farm Bureau Federation, referring to Schwarzenegger's action on workers' compensation insurance.
The governor said farmers are particularly committed to the state's well-being and to its financial health.
"Unlike other businesses, farmers can't just pack up and leave," the governor said. "For them, it's reform or bust."
Schwarzenegger's is endorsing four of the eight initiatives on the Nov. 8 ballot: Proposition 74, which would which would extend the probationary period of public school teachers from two years to five; Proposition 75, which would require unions to get members' permission before dues could be used for political purposes; Proposition 76, which would create a new spending cap for the state and give the governor more authority to make budget cuts; and Proposition 77, which would give a panel of retired judges the authority for drawing legislative and congressional districts.
Recent polls have shown that his agenda is proving a tough sell to Californian voters.
A Public Policy Institute of California study released last week showed none of the propositions had enough support to pass and that 53 percent of voters believed the election was a bad idea.
On Wednesday, Schwarzenegger dismissed the polls, saying he doesn't pay attention to them. The campaign, he said, is "moving along great."
"What's important is what happens on the day of the election," the governor said. |