Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Hundreds of Protesters Go After Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

SACRAMENTO—Hundreds of protesters in two cities accused Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of breaking a promise to protect injured workers when he pushed through sweeping changes in the workers’ compensation system a year ago. “The governor has turned around and devastated the workers’ comp system,” Mark Hayes, president of a group called Voters Injured at Work, told a group of about 300 rallying on the Capitol lawn Tuesday.

“The governor broke his promise to us.” In Los Angeles, about 500 protesters marched outside the state office building, chanting “down with Arnold” after Attorney General Bill Lockyer complained that the Schwarzenegger-backed legislation had taken away benefits that help people and their families. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said he’ll demand that the Republican governor agree to reverse cutbacks in benefits for disabled workers as the price for a state budget agreement this summer.

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