Obama's words of support for Schwarzenegger's May ballot initiatives - lead by a budget spending cap - came en the second of a two-day listening tour in California, one in which the President offered millions of new dollars in federal funding to ease California's housing crisis and unveiled a $2.4 billion program to encourage hybrid vehicle development.
Obama, addressing a question from a member of the audience regarding cutbacks in education funding, stopped short of a formal endorsement of the governor's six ballot measures - but told the audience at the Miguel Contreras Learning Center that he discussed the issues with the governor.
"That's why it's so important for everybody to get engaged in the various initiatives that are going to be coming up, to make sure - that what you just articulated, to invest in our kids...is reflected in the state budget," he said.
He warned that in the current economic situation, voters who want better schools, better roads and better infrastructure should know that "you can't have something for nothing.....you can't ask local elected officials to balance the budget" and cut taxes and increase roads. "Somebody's got to pay for it," he said.
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Thursday, March 19, 2009
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