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Transcript of gubernatorial recall debate HUFFINGTON: Let us just brace now, because the last thing the state needs is Governor Schwarzenegger. And in fact, it's very important that the people of California know now who you really are, because you've been saying so many things and they're contradicting a few weeks later. First of all, the day you decided to run you said you would never take any special interest money. MODERATOR: We're talking about local government. Excuse me, I believe you're off the subject. SCHWARZENEGGER: When you waited an hour-and-half to do a photo op with me? Was that the day? HUFFINGTON: No, it was the day you were on the Jay Leno show. But you know it's very important. We want to know who you are. And if the public is to find out who you are. We're actually exposing inconsistencies. MODERATOR: We're trying to find out who you are, Governor Schwarzen... Pardon me, I'm getting mixed up here. I'm going to have to lower my meds. Governor Huffington, what would you do for local government? HUFFINGTON: What I would do is that I'd actually approach it from the most fundamental problem we're having, which is the fact that Prop. 13 is responsible for the fact that local governments are left with so little money that they have to go begging to the state government to get their money back. And what we need to do, as I have said, is to mend Prop. 13. Not end it, but mend it. And that means, protect its original intent. Which is protect middle class homeowners, protect people on fixed income and seniors. But when it comes to my multimillionaire living in my $1 million homes, why shouldn't they pay their fair share? Even Warren Buffet, that Arnold Schwarzenegger brought to California, said that for (unintelligible) we should do 500 sit ups. Well, I'm telling you, keep talking Warren, and I'm going to make you a big fat Greek dinner. The bottom line is, unless we fix Prop. 13, we're not going to be able... SCHWARZENEGGER: Arianna, you cannot increase... HUFFINGTON: Hold on a second. SCHWARZENEGGER: Excuse me Arianna, you cannot... HUFFINGTON: You know I'm not easily intimidated. Let me finish. SCHWARZENEGGER: Arianna, I'm trying to tell you you can increase property taxes all you want. HUFFINGTON: Let's see who can talk louder in a foreign accent, all right? MODERATOR: Well, all right SCHWARZENEGGER: You can increase all the bills all you want, but you will be having empty buildings out there. There will be no companies left. They will be moving to the next state, so you will have nothing. MODERATOR: All right, I appreciate it, I appreciate it. I'm so grateful that these candidates can engage one another, but we have irreconcilable differences here. And so we're going to go to the Green Party candidate.
CAMEJO: Yeah, I'm trying to be respectful to everybody here and, you know, I'm trying to say, I want to thank Helen for her question because this is a mystery in California. There is a problem here that most people are not aware of. Our county governments are starving for money now. Most of the money they received is already allocated. The county supervisors have almost no power at all, and the fact is about half of the discretionary money was taken away from them and then when we had surpluses in the budget of the state. And instead of giving back the
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