I am hearing that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is reconsidering his appointment of Santa Ana Clowncilman Carlos “Space Commander” Bustamante to the State Fair Employment & Housing Commission (FEHC), in light of Bustamante’s sexist remarks following the appointment of Sandra Hutchens as our new Orange County Sheriff.
I personally contacted both the Governor and the FEHC after those remarks and asked that Bustamante not be appointed to this Commission. I also sent notes to all the legislators involved in approving the appointment. I also posted about it here at the Orange Juice and asked our readers to contact the Governor. It looks like our readers have had an affect on the Governor.
Think about it. This Commission “promotes and enforces the civil rights of the people of California to be free from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and to be free from hate violence and threats of violence, pursuant to the Fair Employment and Housing Act.” How is Bustamante supposed to serve on this Commission when he routinely makes sexist comments in public arenas?
Please take the time to contact the Governor today and ask him to please not appoint Bustmante to this important Commission. Surely he can do better! And you can call the FEHC and complain about Bustamante. Find their contact information here.
It makes no sense for Governor Schwarzenegger to appoint Bustamante to any Commission involved in civil rights. After all, it was not that long ago that Schwarzenegger himself was being scrutinized for his own sexist behavior. Why would he want to revisit that mess by entangling himself with the Space Commander?
To not appoint Busty would be hypocritical of the Governor. It would be seen as an attempt by Arnold to assuage his own guilt.
Now is the time to stand up and be heard on this appointment. This most likely will come up after the budget is passed. The focus should be on the Governor, the Senate Rules Committee (they oversee the appointment), the Womens Caucus, and local legislators from Orange County. This appointment is on the ropes and can go either way. The push has to come from you folks and using the LA Times article as evidence. Note full well that they know about the times article. Bustamante is going to try to minimize this situation because of the longer term potential negative impact on his political career. If this appointment is pulled, as it should be for all the obvious reasons, his career is dead both at the local level and state level. Local Reps know it. This guy is damaged goods. The push has to come from you folks taking back your Government. The push must be bi-partisan in content and substance. Bustamante’s behavior is unacceptable to both parties. And the Reps know it here in sacramento. You have to push and push hard against it. Failure to do so ensures the continuity of his behavior (the ‘other’ relationships are widely known) and his political career. It is up to you.
Just sent to Arnold:
Please reconsider and do NOT appoint Carlos Bustamante to the FEHC. Bustamante’s recent sexist and crude comments re. Orange County’s new Sheriff indicate he has not the maturity, class and intelligence for such a position. Bustamante’s been a long time disappointment to Orange County and Santa Ana. Send him a message that such conduct is unacceptable and that he needs to act like a grown-up.