Governor Schwarzenegger participates in Fresno City Hall

Good morning to all of you and welcome, members of the audience, dignitaries, Silicon officials and especially to the Governor. It is a great honor to have him here with us today. My name is Sayra Vasquez, news anchor for KFTV Channel 21 Univision, Fresno and I will be your host here at today's town hall meeting with the Governor. (Applause) (Spanish Translation)Before we get started, though, I'd like to ask some members of the Gubernatorial Forum to please come up to the podium. (Spanish Translation) And we're going to start with Ms. Sarah Reyes, co-chair for the San Joaquin Valley Gubernatorial Forum. (Applause) That wasn't me, I didn't do it either. (Spanish Translation) Ms. Reyes?Good morning. (Applause) Bienvenidos. Welcome. Na jhong (inaudible), lachon (inaudible). Those are just some of the languages that are spoken here in the San Joaquin Valley, the place that we call home. We are so excited to be a part of this town hall today. I'd like to recognize the members of the San Joaquin Valley Gubernatorial Committee and if they would just stand and wave, that would be great. So if they could stand? They're all being shy. Jim? I’m going to start calling names. Thank you. Wave. (Applause)The purpose of the committee is to put together forums like this, as well as have governor candidates come to the Central Valley and answer our questions and deal with our important issues. I'd also like to recognize the electeds that are in the audience today, if they would stand and wave. Any elected officials, please stand and wave. Thank you. (Applause)In addition to that, there are very important people that are not new to the Central Valley because, as a result of Governor Schwarzenegger's time in office, they have been here time and time again and they have worked closely with many of our organizations, our governments and our people. And I'm pleased to introduce one of our first dignitaries. He's a former colleague, he's a good friend. He's somebody that I didn't always agree with. I like his wife better than I like him some days. And he didn't have gray hair when we got together in 1998 in the legislature but I notice I have less and you have more. (Laughter) I don't know what that's all about. Please help me in welcoming the Lieutenant Governor of the state of California, Abel Maldonado. (Applause) He's a good guy, believe it or not and I don’t say that about a lot of people, you know that about me.I'd also like to recognize Secretary Victoria Bradshaw, who is the California Labor and Workforce Agency. Please stand. (Applause) Secretary Bonnie Reiss, Secretary of Education. (Applause) Joe Ayala, Director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development. (Applause) Paula Landis, who is the Chief, Division of Integrated Regional Water Management, Department of Water Resources. (Applause) One question. How do you put that on a business card? OK, it's a big business card.We are excited here today because what we have is an opportunity for you, the community, to ask questions directly to the Governor. What had happened as a result of the committee's work is we sent out invitations to people to submit questions. We got many questions in. We have a questions committee that got together. We provided those questions to them. No names were attached, no information about who asked the questions. They were basically just the questions. The committee got together and reviewed the questions and selected those questions and then notified the people who had submitted those questions. So we appreciate those who submitted questions. We look forward to all of the information and the issues that will be brought today.I also just want to say that a lot has been written about the San Joaquin Valley. We can go about through the reports about the poverty issues, about the unemployment rate and our water issues. But the one thing nobody ever writes about is our people, because it is our people who have the heart and the soul of the San Joaquin Valley. We get through anything and we do it together.And so we are excited to have the Governor today see our people and hear directly from our people, because they can write a lot but they can't take our soul and our heart away from us. So we welcome you and we thank you for being here today. (Applause)And it is my pleasure to introduce and turn the podium over to our co-chair, the president of the Fresno City Council, Councilman Larry Westerlund. (Applause)Well, good morning and thank you again for being here and thank you, Sarah. As co-chair of the San Joaquin Valley Gubernatorial Forum I too want to extend a tremendous thank you to Governor Schwarzenegger for offering to come here to Fresno to conduct today's town hall meeting. We've been very honored over the last seven years for Governor Schwarzenegger's leadership of the state and his steadfast support, interest and concern for the San Joaquin Valley, long seen as the flyover country between the Bay Area and Southern California and a punch line for many late-night talk show hosts. Fresno is the fifth largest city in the state and the San Joaquin Valley is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.It has been the focus of the Governor's since he even took office and we're grateful for that. It's the focus and the attention of Governor Schwarzenegger for the Valley that is actually the genesis of the San Joaquin Valley Gubernatorial Forum, whose mission is to get in front of gubernatorial candidates and to stay in front of those candidates and the eventual next governor, so that we do not lose the momentum, energy and resources that Governor Schwarzenegger has given to the Valley. We cannot allow ourselves to again be the flyover region and the afterthought in the state and in Sacramento.As Sarah already did, I want to extend my personal thank you to all the members of the San Joaquin Gubernatorial Forum. I appreciate all the hard work that has been brought together to put this event on. Thank you very much.I must, however, single out two individuals. Without them we would not be here today but their faith and drive and work to get this done -- first I must thank my beautiful wife Dora. She was the one, as we sat around on a Sunday afternoon at home and thought that the forum was a great idea and that we should call Maria Gutierrez. As president of the Fresno Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she loves this valley, she loves this state and loves this country. So thank you, sweetheart. (Applause) And second, I must extend a huge thank you to Maria Gutierrez and Univision. Maria moved to the valley some 11 years ago from Southern California to take over as manager of the Univision station here in Fresno. And in all my years, born and raised in Fresno, I don’t think I've ever run across anybody who is as strong a supporter of the valley and as strong a voice for the valley as Maria Gutierrez. (Applause) And she's in the back making things happen, so Maria, I hope you're listening to this. And without her dedication and Univision's steadfast commitment to the valley and their viewers and listeners, that we would not be here today. So thank you, Maria and thank you, Univision.So now I would like to turn the podium over to another ardent supporter and a super leader for the valley and Fresno, Mayor Ashley Swearengin. (Applause)Thank you, Council President Westerlund. Good morning, San Joaquin Valley. How many of you are happy to be here this morning? (Applause) How many of you are happy to be residents of the San Joaquin Valley? (Applause) How many of you would say that in the San Joaquin Valley it's our time and it's about time? (Applause)Well, I want to add my thanks to Maria Gutierrez and the Westerlunds and all of the folks who made today possible. This is really a significant event for Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley.And it is my distinct pleasure and honor to introduce the Governor of the state of California. You know, I've heard a lot from the Governor over the last seven years as he has capably led our state. And from the very beginning a centerpiece of his administration has been a focus on the middle of California, the San Joaquin Valley. I've heard the Governor say on many occasions -- and I won't try to do the Arnold accent -- I've heard him say on many occasions, "When I went to Sacramento everybody was talking about Northern California and Southern California and I kept saying, 'There's a middle.'" Well, thank God the Governor of California knows that there is a middle when it comes to the state of California. (Applause)The Governor has been about far more than just talk and recognition of the issues in the San Joaquin Valley. He has been about action. He demonstrated that action in June of 2005 when he signed an executive order creating the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Now, some of you may be familiar with this very unique public-private partnership. People across the country, when they learn of the efforts that have gone on through the partnership, they can't believe what's happened. We've got the federal government, the state government, as represented by eight Cabinet secretaries from the Governor's Cabinet and his administration, private sector leaders from the valley, local elected officials and a host of agencies and nonprofits all working together to implement a 10-year plan to improve the San Joaquin Valley. I dare say that it is the most innovative approach to community and economic development and regional transformation that exists anywhere in the country and people are envious of the structure that the Governor put into place.In addition to signing this executive order and directing his Cabinet and the people of the valley to work together to create this action plan, after five years the partnership has accomplished many significant things, thanks to the Governor's leadership, things like:$5 million put into the partnership to get this partnership going,$1 billion dollars dedicated for Highway 99, the only earmark in the State Transportation Infrastructure bonds,$250 million dedicated to air quality mitigation funding in the Goods Movement Emissions Reduction Program passed by the California Air Resources Board with the Governor's help,$5 million dedicated to the development of a UC Merced medical school,Opening six telemedicine sites in rural parts of the San Joaquin Valley through the Valley Telehealth Partnership,Launching the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization and creating a national partnership between that local group and the national 25x'25 Initiative,Founding the San Joaquin Valley Housing Trust to help jurisdictions achieve their housing goals,Connecting valley legislators and social services workers and people across the valley in a comprehensive, proactive effort to address methamphetamine prevention, education, treatment and long-term recovery efforts,Through the partnership we've also seen the creation of CareersInTheValley.com, a one-of-a-kind, one-stop website that links employers and jobseekers and vocational training programs throughout the valley,And he's helped valley education leaders deal more effectively with students who are learning English through a creative partnership for English language learners,And then, of course, all of us have been involved in the creation of the Blueprint, a vision for our valley, a vision that ties together land use, housing, transportation, our plans for jobs, all throughout the San Joaquin Valley in a comprehensive and unique way,And then finally but certainly not least, getting all eight counties to work together in agreement on an integrated regional water management plan and a framework for managing our water needs in the San Joaquin Valley that is our lifeblood.So that is just a small list of the things that have been done thanks to the Governor's focus on the valley and the work of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.Will you join me now in welcoming to the stage the Honorable Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger? (Applause)Now, I have a significant item that I would like to present to the Governor of California. Many of you who know me and city hall, I don't give out keys to the city very often. In fact, our keys to the city are under lock and key. So only two people have received a key to the city in my administration thus far.And I'm so pleased and delighted to award a key to the city of Fresno to the governor of our state, the first governor in the history of California to acknowledge and work with and lead efforts to improve the lives of the people in the San Joaquin Valley. So I would like to, on behalf of the people of Fresno, Mr. Governor, present you with this key. (Applause)Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mayor Swearengin, for your wonderful introduction and telling the people here of all the things that we have accomplished so I don’t have to go through the list of things. (Laughter)But I want to say thank you to her for her great leadership and being a great partner. I always said that I worked so well together with Mayor Autry but it was wonderful, the great transition that we have seen here to Mayor Swearengin and for us to work together and she has been a terrific partner. Let's give her a big hand also for the great work that she is doing. (Applause)I just want to say thank you to a few people that have been here, besides all of you that have come here early in the morning to participate in this town hall meeting. So I want to thank all of you but also to Lt. Governor Maldonado, who is sitting here in the front row. Thank you very much for being here today. (Applause) I like your tie, it looks very good. All decked out. (Laughter) It's amazing, when you become Lt. Governor you have to have a totally different dress code, huh? (Laughter) He had to go out and buy new cowboy boots and stuff like that. (Laughter) But anyway, he can wear some of mine, I have plenty. I have 40 pairs.But anyway, also Bonnie Reiss, Secretary of Education, right here in the front. Let's give her a big hand also. (Applause) Then Secretary Vickie Bradshaw right here, thank you very much for being here. (Applause) Then Joel Ayala, our Director of the Office of Economic Development, thank you also for being here today. (Applause) And Sarah Reyes and Larry Westerlund from the San Joaquin Valley Gubernatorial Forum, who you just heard before and then, of course, Sayra Vasquez, who is, of course, our MC today and is going to do all the translating and everything else, so let's give her also a big hand for the great job that she is doing. (Applause)First of all, let me just say thank you to Univision for organizing this town hall meeting. The way this came about was totally coincidentally, as most good things happen. I was in a restaurant in Sacramento and I saw the whole gang of Univision, all the executives from various different stations, sitting there. And I went by and said hello and I thanked them for the great job they're doing with communicating to so many millions of people around the United States. And that one thing led to the other and I said, "What are you guys up to?"And they said, "Well, we are organizing. And by the way, we want to introduce you to our San Joaquin Valley Gubernatorial Forum leader," and introduced me to Larry. And they said, "OK, what we are trying to do is have the gubernatorial candidates come to Fresno and to the San Joaquin Valley and have debates and talk about their vision." They said, "It has been very difficult."So I said, "Forget about that. Just invite me, I'll come and I will be there and we'll have a town meeting with me so I can tell you about my vision." (Laughter, applause)So this is how this whole thing happened. And they set it up exactly the way they promised. They said they were going to pack the house, exactly which happened and I'm here today. And the simple reason why I suggested that was because I'm a big believer in the San Joaquin Valley. I was the first governor that in a debate, the first budget debate when they talked about Northern California versus Southern California, I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Guys, don't you understand the geography of California? You guys have been around longer than I have." I said, "There's a Southern California, there is a Central Valley and there's a Northern California." I said, "That's how it's split up." (Applause)That, I think, comes from my bodybuilding background, you see? (Laughter) There was not just an upper body or a lower body but you also had to have a six-pack in the middle, see what I'm saying? (Laughter) So, you know, from sports and bodybuilding you learn a lot of things.Anyway, so I kept insisting there's a Central Valley and there's a central part of California and we've got to pay attention to that. And they all looked at me kind of in a strange way. The bottom line is, since I've come into office I've come here more than 70 times to the San Joaquin Valley. (Applause) And we have formed partnerships, as you have heard.I think this valley is extremely important to California. It's a big, big and important part, the agriculture business. If you think, most people don’t know about the San Joaquin Valley, that it has 25 million square miles. They don’t know that. They don't know that it has 62 cities. They don’t know that it has eight counties. They don’t know that you're producing 12 percent of the agriculture in the United States. They don’t know the kind of problems and challenges that you're facing here with unemployment and the problems that you face, that the average per capita income is 33 percent lower than the average in the United States. They don’t know the kind of challenges you face educationally and with gangs and so on and so forth.So those are the kind of things that we wanted to do as the administration, is put the spotlight on the Central Valley and say this place needs attention and needs help. And this is what we have been doing since we have come into office with the partnerships and everything and coming here and putting the spotlight on this. And there's much more that needs to be done, of course.And we know that you're going through some very difficult times now, which the whole state is but more even so in the Central Valley. So we're going to talk more about that. There will be all kinds of questions. And people said to me on the way up here to the stage, they said, "Wow, this is going to be incredible. These people are going to grill you." (Laughter) "Aren't you worried about that?"And I said, "No, I get that every night when I go home to Maria Shriver." (Laughter) So I said, "I'm not worried about it at all. I know how to handle those kind of things." So anyway, I'm looking forward to it.And, of course, we are now signing here the proclamation that extends our partnership, to make sure that it goes on into the next administration. And may I remind you, before I sign this, I want to challenge our gubernatorial candidates to come here to the Central Valley and to have the debates and to accept the invitations that you're sending them to debate and to show them their vision for the future of the Central Valley. Come here, because this is an important place.Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause)So we've been joined on the stage by members of the Partnership Board of Directors. The Partnership Board represents people from throughout the region, all eight counties, public sector, private sector, local electeds as well as the Governor's administration. Governor, we're so grateful for your extension of the Partnership. (Applause)Thank you, Governor. This is another testament to your commitment to the San Joaquin Valley. And I must say, the bar has been set very high for California's next governor. So thank you so much, Governor. And now let's prepare for the town hall forum. (Applause)Thank you. We are getting ready but in the meantime -- they're going to set up the stage before we get started with the town hall meeting. And just a quick note; the Governor has been to the Central Valley so many times that most of you have probably lost count, right? Well, so we had to call his office to find out and they said that the Governor has been, just in the city of Fresno, more than 70 times since he took office and for that we thank the Governor. (Applause) (Spanish Translation)And I think we are almost ready. In the meantime, I'm going to explain to you a little bit how the town hall meeting is going to work. The questions will be asked in English and I will be -- before, Governor and I'm going to ask you to wait to answer the question until I translate it. I wish I could translate on the spot but no, it's been translated, so I have it right here with me. So I'm going to go ahead and read the question in Spanish and then you'll have the chance to answer. So thank you. And then we'll have somebody who -- the people that are here that only speak Spanish, they will have headphones and they will be translating simultaneously your answer.And I think we are ready to roll. Ladies and gentlemen, Univision would like to welcome you all to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Town Hall in the San Joaquin Valley. (Spanish Translation) Governor, would you like to make a few introductory remarks before we get started? I know you spoke a little bit but we are rolling now, so this is actually going to be for the town hall.First of all, let me just say thank you very much for having me here. It gives us a good opportunity to talk about the important issues that we are facing as a state, as a country and the world. I mean, it's very clear that the whole world is going through an economic crisis. I think that the whole world has 20, 30 percent less worth and I think that a lot of countries have to adjust to that reality at this point.As you can see, in Europe they make major cuts in programs because they have less money available. There are protests because those people, they don’t like those kind of cuts but that's reality if you are in European countries, if you are in Asian countries, if you are anywhere in the United States.I think states have to cut back because we have less revenues. The state of California, for instance, has faced last year a $60 billion deficit and this year another $20 billion deficit. So these are very challenging times.And, of course, the important thing is to create jobs for people and to bring the economy back as quickly as possible. Luckily, California doesn't just sit there idly and just watch this whole thing and hope for the best but we are actually out there creating jobs and having passed certain initiatives and laws that will create more jobs, if it is the Green Technology Manufacturing Equipment Exemption on the sales tax or if it is getting the Homebuyer's Tax Credit and so on and so forth.So we want to go and create the jobs as quickly as possible and bring the economy back, so we're very actively involved. And there are other issues that are part of the budget negotiations in Sacramento that would address also further job creation packages and stimulus money so that we can bring our economy back as quickly as possible.So I'm looking forward to other questions.Thank you, Governor. And we are so glad you have joined us here today for this critical conversation on issues like education, unemployment, poverty, jobs, water and other important issues that affect not only our valley but California. And Governor, we want to hear your thoughts. (Spanish Translation)I'd like to start by thanking our partners who helped to make today's event happen. They are the city of Fresno, the Fresno Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Fresno Bee and last but not least, California State University, Fresno. (Spanish Translation) (Applause)The freeze, the decline of the stock market, the rising unemployment, a crisis in the housing market and then the drought. have cast a cloud over us and especially those who are already vulnerable. (Spanish Translation)And it is against this backdrop that we will have this town hall. We asked people to submit questions that were on their minds to possibly be answered by the Governor. Those questions will be asked today. They were selected by a special committee without knowledge of who the persons who sent them were and Ms. Reyes explained that already. Before I turn the microphone over to the invited guests, Governor, I will be asking you the first question. (Spanish Translation)Governor, as your term in office is coming to an end, what is your biggest accomplishment and what is your biggest disappointment? (Spanish Translation)Well, I think it is a little bit too early to do an inventory, since my term is not over yet but I think that I would say that we have accomplished a lot in these last few years and since I've come into office.The thing that I'm most proud of, without going through a list of accomplishments, is that we did political reform. I think one of the most kind of painful things in California was that politicians, Democrats and Republicans, were fighting and fighting and arguing over these last few decades -- and we have seen it again in the last few years -- over issues that they shouldn’t be fighting over. You can't fight over should we have more transportation infrastructure. I mean, there are Democrats and Republicans that are traveling on those roads, so who cares if it is a Democratic issue or a Republican issue? I did not see there ought to be an argument about that issue. (Applause)The same is with health care. I mean, Democrats and Republicans go to doctors, Democrats and Republicans go to hospitals and get operations. We need our children to go to those medical facilities. So it's natural that you want to have health care reform so everyone is insured. I could not see that as a Democratic versus Republican issue.So there are a lot of issues like that, including with the budget and so on, education, environmental issues, economic issues and so on, that I was really frustrated about, seeing that debate and those arguments every day when you sit there. And this is why we created redistricting reform, because we knew that the district lines in the past were drawn by legislators, by politicians who only had one interest and this is the self interest, not the interest of the people. This is why we changed that and the next redistricting will be done -- and luckily it passed finally, after six attempts they passed it. Now ordinary citizens that are smart in this area will be drawing the district lines and that power has been taken away from the politicians. So this is great reform.The same is with open primaries. That will be something, part of my legacy, that we created the open primary process. And Senator Maldonado, who was very, very helpful in this, we were partnering to get it on the ballot in the first place -- and it just won. It was a very, very important victory.So those two things will create really changes so that politicians in the end will become more public servants rather than party servants, which it has been in the past.So then you go on to other areas, like for instance infrastructure. The thing that has plagued this state was that for years and years and years we did not build enough infrastructure for the state in transportation, in housing, if it comes to schools, if it comes to our levees and so on and so forth. So when I came in we finally got an agreement between Democrats and Republicans to go and to start rebuilding the state of California, altogether $60 billion in public money. There will be matching funds, which will go up to $150 billion altogether so we finally go and rebuild California.Including just last year a deal was reached in water infrastructure, which is so important to the Central Valley where Democrats and Republicans, after four decades, came together and made a commitment and said, "OK, let's go and fix the Delta. Let's go and create a delivery system, a water delivery system. Let's create more water storage. Let's go and clean our groundwater that is polluted and is killing people in California. They made a commitment also in measuring the groundwater so we know how much we are using and on and on and on and dealing with the challenges of drought and the interference of federal government officials and so on and so forth.So there was great, great work that has been done and I'm very proud of that. But like I said, I don't want to go and pull out my laundry list of things and go through this whole list of things.The other thing is veterans. I mean, to me that's another area that was totally neglected. Here we are celebrating, you know, our 234th anniversary of America being independent. The only way we are this free country and the greatest country in the world is because of our military, because of these great men and women. (Applause)And it is so important that we think about what happens to those men and women after they serve this country, when they come back. When veterans come back they are many times neglected. We have thousands and thousands of homeless veterans lying in the streets every night. We have people that are suffering from posttraumatic stress syndrome that come back from the battlefield. In "Hurt Locker," in that movie, you saw what kind of suffering that goes on and the kind of enormous problems that veterans face when they come back and we don’t do much about it.So this is why this state has passed initiatives and we have done things to help those so that now there is a website set up that veterans can go on the website and get all the different hundreds of services that are available that they didn't know. And there will be a veteran calling each veteran at least two times in six months, to check up on them. Do you need anything? Do you need medical care? Do you need psychological kind of care or some treatments? Do you need physical therapy? What do you need?There are people that I visited in Iraq, that are our men and women, just last November. One told me that on his first tour he lost his job. He's from the National Guard here in California. His second tour he lost his home. On his third tour he lost his wife and his family. Now, imagine, when someone comes back like that, he needs all the attention and all the help that you can give that person.Those are the kind of things that this administration stands for. We are fighting for our veterans. That's why we created Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans and all of those kind of things, Helmet to Hardhat so they can get jobs in plumbing and in carpentry and all of those things. We give money; we passed legislation which was, of course, the Senator was very helpful to pass legislation so that we have money for their education when they want to go back to community college or to college. Those are the kind of things we want to do and those are the kind of things I want to be known for. (Applause)Thank you, Governor. Now our first run of questions from the residents is on education, which is crucial to our region's viability in California. From K-12 schools to the public universities, education is the building block for success. And the first question on education will be asked by Irina Populom. (Phonetic) (Spanish Translation) Irina? (Applause)My name is Irina Populom and I just graduated from Edison High School in Fresno. My question to you, Governor, is what do you think should be done to decrease the number of high school dropouts, to keep more students in school?I’m going to go ahead and translate the question. (Spanish Translation)First of all, let me just say to you that education is extremely important. And I think that you just have mentioned it earlier. It is one of the most important things for us in this state and I think it should be for the whole country. The number one and most important thing is that we have equal education access and equal education in the whole United States and in the whole state of California, which has been a huge challenge when I came into office when the ACLU sued the state of California that we are not providing equal education in all the schools.Then when I came into office I settled that lawsuit and got an extra $1 billion to fix up our schools so that those schools that are minority schools or in areas that are poorer areas can get the same textbooks, the same homework material, the same quality teachers and fixing up the schools so that the bathrooms have running water and they don't have the ceilings cave in and so on and so forth. So these are the kind of things that were important. So we settled the lawsuit so there's equal now of treatment in that area. There's much more work that, of course, needs to be done.The second most important thing is that we have enough money for education and that it is accountable, that education is accountable. If it teachers, school principals and all of the folks out there have to be accountable so that we get the best for our money.This is why in this budget this year we have the same amount of money for education, kindergarten through 12th grade, as we had last year. Even though we have a $20 billion deficit, we're giving the same amount of money to kindergarten through 12th grade.The second is that in higher education, our universities will get this year from the general fund $1.2 billion more and with the fee increases, $2.2 billion more, even though we have a $20 billion deficit.So education is extremely important. Now, the challenge that you're addressing is the dropout. I think that we have to do everything that we can to help our students early on, from kindergarten on, so they get the proper education and the language skills, because we have a lot of people here where English is a second language. I know when I came over here as an immigrant of how tough it is when you don't speak the language. That's why I enrolled immediately in community college in Santa Monica and then at UCLA and I educated myself, because I know that speaking the language -- and now I've been here for more than 40 years and I still don't speak it perfectly. (Laughter)But, I mean, it is so important that we help them, because kids get frustrated. When you talk to the dropouts they always say, "Look, I couldn't keep up with the material. I cannot even speak the language. No one is helping me." That's why we created after-school programs so kids can get the help, the tutoring, in the afternoon and to get the homework assistance in the afternoon and to get sports programs and fitness programs, so to give them that extra leg up. This is the important thing.Yesterday, for instance, we did a whole event in Los Angeles about gang violence. Why do you think kids join gangs? After they drop out from school there's no hope for them anymore. They can't get a job, they don’t have the education. They have a lack of love, of parenting, a lack of all of those things. This is why we have, instead of just going out and arresting all those people -- yes, if someone is a criminal and has done horrible things in the gang, of course you have to arrest them and lock them away. But there are so many that are just joining because it's another family for them.So we have to reach out and do intervention and prevention and give them the opportunity to have jobs, give them the opportunity to learn. And this is why I insist on doing the tutoring and helping them with the language. We've got to improve their language skills, because otherwise, no matter if you teach geography or if you teach history or English, whatever you teach, they don’t even understand what you're talking about in the classroom if you don't have the language skills. So we've got to help those that have language problems as quickly as possible and that's something that I've been stressing. Then you have less dropout rate.And there are other states that are doing some interesting things, like offering money. I've had governors that say to me, they say to me, "Why don't you do what we do? We have had a great success rate by offering some money, by saying if you graduate you get this amount of money. That gives kids an extra incentive." We haven't gone in that direction because I think education is the most important thing. But you try to do whatever you can in order to save those kids.I grew up in Austria and I had 24-hours-a-day help -- even though when I was a kid I didn't like it. But now when I think back, it was so important, because my parents were there, the teachers were there, mentors were there, the school principal, the coaches, everyone was there. And my father in the afternoon -- after my mother made us do the homework, my father was there at 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon doing soccer with us. So there was someone there 24 hours a day.A lot of those kids that are dropping out are lacking that kind of parenting and that kind of attention, that kind of love and education and this is what we want to provide for our kids. (Applause)Thank you, Irina, for your question. Now the next question is from Pedro Ramirez. (Spanish Translation) Pedro?Welcome to Fresno, Governor. I’m Pedro Ramirez, president of CSU Fresno Associated Students, Inc. And my question for you is, a few weeks ago the CSU Board of Trustees approved a 5 percent fee increase and last year a 33 percent increase was also approved. In your State of the State Address you stated your commitment to higher education and even proposed a constitutional amendment. Will you increase state resources to our colleges and universities?Well, like I said, we are increasing by $1.2 billion --No, don't apologize, you're absolutely right.I knew this was going to happen because in rehearsal we had Larry, actually and we kept doing it, so I had to interrupt. So I apologize. (Spanish Translation)So it's for us very important, higher education and this is why I said in my State of the State Address that I actually not only proposed an increase in funding for higher education, for universities and for community colleges, by $1.2 billion and also then do the fee increase so they actually have $2.2 billion but to actually have a constitutional change and to do it in such a way where we are forced to spend more money on higher education than on our prisons, because it used to be where we spent 3 percent of our budget on prisons and more than 10 percent on higher education. And now this is reversed. Now we are spending 6.5, 7 percent on higher education and more than 10 percent of our budget on prisons.So it's unfair that we are paying more attention, this state pays more attention to prisons than to higher education and we've got to reverse that, we've got to change our way of thinking about higher education and help the kids. (Applause)Thank you, Governor. Now we'd like to talk about unemployment. There has been chronic unemployment in the San Joaquin Valley even when the economy was good. Now the economy has made the problem even worse. The first question on unemployment will be asked by Yetka Karini. (Phonetic) (Spanish Translation)I believe that the sound guy does that so he can come in with the mic and get a close-up and to get really known all over the state of California. (Laughter) See, what did I tell you? There he is. (Applause)Hello, Governor. My name is Yetka Karini, I'm a student at CSU Fresno and my question to you is, in this struggling economy and with all the job losses recently, what do you think should be done for youth in California who want jobs, aside from the current programs that already exist?I’m sorry. We'll get it at the end, right? (Laughter) (Spanish Translation)We have three other issues that are very important that I've recommended in my State of the State Address. First of all, you're talking about my favorite subject, which is jobs, jobs, jobs. That’s what I said in my State of the State Address, that we've got to focus on that, we've got to focus on bringing the economy back. and the only way the economy will come back is if we create jobs for people that are willing to work.And so there are two things that we have accomplished, which I mentioned earlier. The third thing is to go and to have the job training, to have a tax incentives for job training so that if you have new hires and you train them that you get a tax break, as a company. So that will inspire companies to hire more people and to expand their businesses, so that's number one.Number two is to have tort reform. We have too many restrictions still on businesses and businesses are getting sued too often because the laws were written in a way that leaves them quite open for abuse. So there are great laws that we have in place but they're written and have to be redone so that we have tort reform and really not go after businesses and then chase them out of the state, because a lot of businesses are leaving because of those kind of things.Then we have, of course, also the permitting process. We have right now -- the construction business has taken a major hit in the state of California. So the housing is down and the construction is down and there are so many that are unemployed. More than 30 percent of our employment comes from the construction business. So what we need to do is, we've got to go and streamline the permitting process for construction projects, not hang them up and hold them up for years and years and years. If we speed up that process we could go to work right away and start working on those various different projects.So those are three things. And I also asked the legislators and the legislative leaders to come up with their own ideas of job creation. But if we pass those three things, which are part of the budget negotiation right now, because they have not been passed by the legislature yet -- I think that will give us an extra push to create jobs as quickly as possible.And I think when it comes to the Central Valley specifically, I think that the Central Valley is hit with a jobless rate much worse than the rest of the state or the rest of the country. And that is also in good economic times, not just in bad economic times. So what the Central Valley has to do eventually is really start thinking about 10, 20 years ahead. Do we really just want to rely on agriculture or do want to go and start diversifying more and relying on other industries?Like for instance, in Stockton there's a great example where they have a company now that is building trucks that are running on battery, electric trucks. A great innovation. Great way of, first of all, cutting down on the pollution, cutting down on greenhouse gases. It's quiet, the truck and it brings jobs. It's one of those green technology kind of wonder companies. And I love them. I visited them and I've seen it firsthand. Those are the kind of things that you have to do, if it's in green technology, if it's in high technology but just diversify in other areas.India is a perfect example of that. India has relied solely just on agriculture for years and years and years and they said OK, we are sick and tired of just doing that and having this huge unemployment. And now they've become this booming industry in high technology and now they are having people from all over the world employing people in India.So that's what the Central Valley -- not that I want the Central Valley turned into India, by no means, that's not what I'm saying. But what I'm saying is, let's diversify here. And this is what I have been pushing. I think that will cut down the unemployment rate, not just to rely on agriculture areas. (Applause)Thank you. The next question on unemployment will be asked by Micky Rivera. (Spanish Translation) Micky?How politically correct. One is from the left, one is from the right, one is from the left, one is from the right. I like that. (Laughter) Congratulations.Good morning, Mr. Governor. My name is Micky Rivera and I own a skin-care center here in Fresno. As a small business owner my question to you is: Are there any further or future plans to help small businesses, 20 or less employees, stay afloat and are struggling to maintain our doors open?OK, let me do the translation. (Spanish Translation)All of the things that I just mentioned earlier address medium sized business, large businesses and small businesses. I mean, the fact of the matter is that we all know that small businesses are the backbone of our economy in California. They've done an extraordinary job.But there are still politicians in Sacramento that do not understand business and they do not understand that if we give you an incentive, a tax incentive, that you can expand your business, that you can create jobs and therefore we create jobs and get the economy going. They still are out, with their thinking, let's punish businesses, let's make it tougher on businesses. Let's raise their taxes. What do you think, how many times I have a budget talk in Sacramento where they say, "Why don't we increase the business tax? Why don't we increase this tax and that tax?"And I said, "Guys, we have done that last year. We can't go double dipping here. We've already asked people to stretch beyond of what we should have done, beyond my ideology and beyond my philosophy, believe me. But we did it. But now let's not go back and start talking about taxes again."And this is why I made it very clear and I drew the line in the sand and I said, "This budget will be done without raising taxes and without going to borrow more money. We've got to live within our means." (Applause)So I think that the ideas and the three things that I still try to get passed is very important to help business, small businesses like yours. Thank you very much for the question. Thank you.The next issue that we would like to discuss in this town hall meeting is poverty, which is intertwined with unemployment and job creation. It has been difficult to break the cycle of poverty and that has become a factor in many of the region's social problems. (Spanish Translation)The first question on poverty will be asked by Norma Rojas from Bakersfield. (Spanish Translation) Norma?Thank you. My name is Norma Rojas, I'm with the Housing Authority of the County of Kern. Governor, my question for you is, the Central Valley has one of the highest concentrations of poverty in the nation, yet continually receives less public and private resources than other wealthier regions of California. How can we alter the distribution of resources to address the compelling needs of valley residents and ensure that we are getting our fair share?I think that, as I said earlier, I think that the Central Valley eventually has to diversify and not just rely on agriculture. I think the second most important thing is that the people of the Central Valley that are in poverty a lot of times don't know the kind of programs that are available.My wife, for instance, started a program, WE Connect and I want to go and give you the website so that everyone knows the website. Let me just see here -- it is WeConnect.net. So people should go on that. And she has found, when she came here over a weekend just a few months ago at the county fair out there an event for three or four days -- and Univision was very helpful in providing her the various different services and to get the message out there to the people -- most people did not know that there were deals available; earned income tax credit -- there are millions and millions of dollars lying around right now that people don't get because they are not going in and applying for it. So she came here and they applied and it was like $200,000 that people were getting just from that one day.There are things, special deals for fuel, when you want to buy fuel for your car. There are special deals for electricity, for electric bills that you can get. There are special food stamp programs that you get. There are all kinds of things that are available, millions and millions of dollars that people are not really using. So it is important to go on that website and to find out all those services and for people to go and get the things that are already available.And then the important thing also is for us as a state to always work closely with the region here and this is why we form those partnerships. All of this helps. And, of course, there's nothing that is more important than education. The more we educate our kids, the more we pay attention to our schools, especially from the early start on. My father-in-law started something called Head Start. Sargent Shriver is his name, who started Head Start and the Peace Corps, Job Corps, Legal Aid to the Poor. (Applause) Wonderful programs. But he always said that if we don’t give our kids, especially those that are poverty stricken and minority kids specifically, if we don't give them a head start they will never get a chance. That is the important thing. We've got to think about that for the little kids. Not just when you're grown up and look for a job. It starts way down there.Now, there's one person that I just want to call up quickly. Abel, if you want to come up, because you're very passionate about the Central Valley and about this whole area about creating more equality. If you'd just say a few words about that? (Applause) A little faster. All right, there we are.Well, thank you, Governor, for that heads up. (Laughter) No, there's no secret. The Governor has been touting one thing and one thing only for the last year, which is very, very important and that's putting people back to work in California. And I must tell you that it all goes back to jobs, jobs and jobs, as the Governor stated.And as we move forward he's working very, very hard with the legislature -- and he's right, the legislature tries to work. But we're working on reforming the legislature. But our biggest challenge is to make it easier for the young lady that has a small family business to get tax incentives to give people who are in poverty that job that they need. And the Governor's budget, as he talked earlier today -- I never thought he could do this but at the beginning of the year he said higher education fully funded, 13,000 more people over at CSU, 6,000 more people for UC. Community colleges -- I can go on and on and on. So it's been wonderful, Governor, for what you've been doing.And the Central Valley, what could I say -- 70 times here. I wish I could say that about the Central Coast, Governor. (Laughter) But it is his commitment to the folks here. He's worked very, very hard. And all I can say is -- if I may say a few words in Spanish, Governor. (Spanish Translation)And just without further ado, I wouldn't be California's 47th Lt. Governor if it wasn’t for two people and they're here today; Governor Schwarzenegger and Univision. Thank you very, very much. (Applause)(German) No, just kidding. (Laughter)Before we go to the next question I do want to ask people again please not to use cameras with flashes. I would appreciate it. (Spanish Translation) Now to the next question and that will be asked by Marcos Vega. (Spanish Translation) Marcos?Yes. I too, Governor, would like to welcome you to Fresno, California. My name is Marcos Vega and I'm from the kNOw Youth of Fresno, California and I have a question I'd like to address to you. What do you think should be done to improve the condition of the homeless population across California, especially the homeless youth?We're getting the hang of this. (Spanish Translation)I think that you will hear this many times over, that when you have an economic decline then you will see the homeless rate go up, you will see the poverty rate go up, you will see the unemployment rate go up and all kinds of things. You will see the gang violence go up, all of those things, because people don’t have jobs. And this is why it is so important, between education and jobs creation. That's what we have to focus on the most, to help kids stay in school, get a good education, do enough funding, get the best teachers, reform the system so there's more accountability in the education system.And also make sure that our legislators in Sacramento understand that we've got to create jobs and they've got to pass, within this next few days, our ideas of job creation and to make sure that we as the state live within our means. We just did an opening of a veterans' home in West Los Angeles. As I said earlier, there's an enormous amount of veterans that are homeless and that are sleeping on the streets.You mentioned just now the youth. There's a lot of youth that is around and that is sleeping on the streets. We've got to go and cut that down. I mean, you will never eliminate the whole thing -- I don’t think anyone is trying to shoot for that, because there are some people that don't want to go and stay anywhere else but be out there on the streets or in certain camps and so on. And I've visited places like that.But we've got to go and help those that want to go and stay somewhere and want to have a job and want to have education and want to have clothing and want to take a shower every day. We want to go and help them get off the streets and into a home.OK? Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause)If you don't mind, I just want to have Joel come up here for a second, because he's our job creator. He is the head of Economic Development in California. We created that office specifically to help small businesses and to help job creation. If you'd just address a few words of what your challenge is?Because his office was created specifically to unite all of the various different agencies that California has, to bring them together, so if a business wants to expand or a business wants to move or a business wants to hire more people or has any challenges, you call one office and that is this Office of Economic Development. And he will then sort it out with all the other agencies, so you get immediate an immediate response and help. So Joel, if you'd say a few words?Absolutely. Thank you, Governor and thank you to the businesses in Fresno. Thank you for staying in California, because you have made a conscious decision to be here in this state. We understand that sometimes it takes a little more and sometimes it costs a little more.And the Governor's Office of Economic Development is here to help you. We have combined all the resources of economic development and brought them under one roof. We have access to labor, to permitting, to the Cal/EPA, to a number of businesses. Over 100 programs throughout the state, between 28 different departments and entities, all within one roof to help and support you. And that's the Governor's Office of Economic Development, http://www.goed.ca.gov/.Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause)Thank you. Our next topic of interest is actually jobs. Creating jobs has been especially difficult in the economy but some business leaders say California is unfriendly to businesses and that drives jobs out of the state. Immigration is closely related to this issue. Our first question on this issue comes from Gary Serrado.