Your eyes on California Government

We’re still pretty new around here, but this morning, after reading this press release from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, we suddenly detected a pattern in his speeches. He likes to talk about jobs. All the time. He hasn’t been able to do much about them, but he loves to talk jobs. “Jobs, jobs, jobs,” is how he puts it when he’s at his most eloquent.

So we fired up the old Nexis database and compiled this little timeline of Schwarzenegger quotes over the last year, bracketed by unemployment data for the state. We did this for you, our loyal readers, instead of going skiing or wandering around the office scarffing down donut holes (though we might have slightly engaged in the latter…)

California unemployment rate, January 2009: 9.3 percent

* Jan. 9, 2009: “It’s about jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. That’s why I’ve been adamant about easing environmental regulations and other red tape in order to get the infrastructure going, to get infrastructure projects moving as quickly as possible.”

* Mar. 16, 2009: “It’s the kind of program President Obama envisioned when he put together the economic stimulus package. It’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs.”

* Mar. 18, 2009: “We are now, of course, in addition, are negotiating water for the Central Valley and for the whole state of California, because our water infrastructure is aging and it was built for 18 million people but not for 38 million. So Democrats and Republicans are negotiating to fix the Delta and to build more above-the-ground and below-the-ground water storage. So infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure, because it’s jobs, jobs, jobs.”

* Sept. 4, 2009: “In these tough times, what we need more than anything is jobs, jobs, jobs. These jobs will be created right here in Fremont. This city is still stinging from the loss of the NUMMI plant.”

* Oct. 30, 2009: “This is a people’s issue. This is a jobs issue. It’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs. That’s what we want to create, and that is the most important thing, is to create those jobs and put people back to work.”

* Nov. 3, 2009: “And I, of course, was one of the first governors that came out and supported the economic stimulus plan because I don’t see it as a political issue. I see it as a people’s issue, I see it as a job issue. It’s about jobs, jobs, jobs…”

* Dec. 21, 2009: “You know, to me, I think jobs, jobs, jobs. That’s the only thing that I can think of, because to me — you know, you can talk about all the details in the world but the people in California need jobs.”

* Jan. 1, 2010: “My Number One priority is jobs, jobs, jobs.”

* Jan. 6, 2010: “The first priority for the coming year, obviously, is to get the economy and to get jobs back. Jobs, jobs, jobs.”

* Jan. 11, 2010: “And every time I get asked — I was asked just in December, a journalist asked me, he said, ‘What’s your New Year’s resolution?’ And I said, ‘Forget my personal New Year’s resolution.’ I said, ‘To me it’s about jobs, jobs, jobs.’ And I said the same thing again in my State of the State Address, it’s about jobs, jobs, jobs. And I say the same thing here today again, because that’s what it is about.”

* Jan. 13, 2010: “Jobs and our economy is absolutely our top priorities this year. I made this clear in December already when someone asked me about what my New Year’s resolution was. I said, Jobs, jobs, jobs. In my State of the State Address I talked again about that, that it’s about bringing the economy back and jobs, jobs, jobs.”

* Jan. 25, 2010: “Our economy will not come back and our revenues will not come back until jobs come back. That the most important thing. As I said, jobs, jobs, jobs.”

Jan. 26, 2010: “In these economic times I think creating jobs is extremely important and this is why in my State of the State Address I made it very clear that it’s about jobs, jobs, jobs.”

Jan. 28, 2010: “State leaders fought hard for this investment because it means jobs, jobs, jobs for Californians. Thanks to our leading high-speed rail plan and the Obama Administration’s investment, we will be able to create jobs, stimulate our economy and be home to the first true high-speed rail system to break ground in the nation.”

 California unemployment rate, January 2010: 12.4 percent

-Anthony Pignataro