An aide in Gov. Schwarzenegger's Los Angeles office was rebuked for sending out campaign material in opposition to a ballot initiative that would reverse AB 32, the state's signature climate change bill. As the LA Times reports, this is seen as crossing an important line: not using government employees or government email in political campaigns.
While there is certainly a legal line separating initiative politics and government in terms of finance, that separation no longer reflects the reality of how government works in California. Ballot initiatives may be campaigns, but they are also a form of government. To propose and pass an initiative is to legislate. A governor who didn't engage in the initiative process -- particularly when it involves defending legislation that he worked to pass and is now in the process of implementing -- simply wouldn't be doing his or her job.
We still need a line to make sure government money isn't used for politics, but perhaps we should move it. A smarter line could separate government (including initiatives) from the candidate campaigns that elect individuals to office. A governor who can't defend the state's laws and regulations at the ballot box (and raise money to do so) is certain to be toothless and ineffective.
