X-Raying Workers’ Comp

Employers gain, insurers really gain, as for workers...

Comments (0) By Howard Blume Thursday, Apr 22 2004

...continued from page 2

“The governor’s been quite clear about this issue,” said spokesman Sollitto. “He had indicated that he will not accept contributions from special interests, particularly from those groups that he is engaged with in direct negotiations, including the Indian tribes and public-employee unions.” Sollitto added that Schwarzenegger stopped taking money from the insurance industry after the March election, which is when negotiations over workers’ comp began in earnest. He didn’t know if such contributions could now resume. “It’s pretty clear that Californians understand that this governor can’t be bought, and that he has the interests of the people of California at heart.”

Goldberg credited Schwarzenegger for making some compromises, but scorned Schwarzenegger’s selective definition of special interests: “He was going around saying, ‘The people have a ballot measure.’ And ‘The people will take this out of the hands of the nasty, dysfunctional Legislature.’” The threatened initiative “wasn’t the people’s measure,” said Goldberg, “but the Chamber’s measure, and the average working man and woman is not represented by the California Chamber of Commerce.”