Polls - Schwarzenegger's rating drops sharply - sacbee.com: "Schwarzenegger aides dismissed the results as little more than a temporary slide after months of attacks from public employee labor unions and other critics of his policies.

But while Republican voters are still solidly behind Schwarzenegger, pollster Mark Baldassare said the numbers make it clear Democrats and independent voters don't like him as much as they once did.

'Since January, the governor has been less able to communicate effectively with the people, particularly outside of his party, that he's representing their interests,' Baldassare said. 'People on the other side have been more effective in communicating that he's not.

'Whether it's a temporary drop or a trend, it's too early to say. I think the next few months are going to be crucial.'"

The next months will be crucial, and don't expect any of the Governor's adversaries to back down. In fact, with candidates joining the primary ballot to run against him, the criticism will escalate.

After Reneging on His Promise to Schools, Schwarzenegger's Marks Slip: "'People were giving Schwarzenegger the benefit of the doubt, even though they disagreed with him on education. Now, education is turning out to be a leading indicator of how they feel about his style of leadership.'

There's also certainly a direct correlation between Schwarzenegger's plummeting popularity and the $5 million in TV attack ads run against him by the California Teachers Assn. and its education allies. The spots have pummeled Schwarzenegger for breaking his word to schools. Basically, he borrowed $2 billion from the school kitty to finance other state expenses and now isn't repaying it, as promised.

The governor is proposing an extra $2.9 billion for schools, but that's $2 billion short of what they're owed — based on the deal he cut with them.

'I sat at a table with the governor and his finance people and representatives of the education coalition, and we reached an agreement,' says Carla Nino of Woodland Hills, president of the state PTA. 'I heard him say he'd pay it back this year. I believed him. He was a new governor. You have to give people the benefit of their word. Which is why we're so upset now.

'I have to tell you, we feel like we were suckered.'

PTA members have been dogging Schwarzenegger all over California, protesting his policies. So have teachers, nurses, firefighters and cops, specifically targeting his recently scuttled initiative to end traditional pension plans for new public employees. This also surely has damaged the governor."

The PTAs and Unions aren't alone in their bad feelings for the Governor's work in the field of education:

L.A. Daily News - News: "A majority of adults, 51 percent, said they disapprove of his handling of K-12 education, but the poll also found that 64 percent agree with Schwarzenegger that teachers should be paid according to how well their students perform -- known as merit pay.

Among likely voters, 55 percent support his plan to lengthen the time needed for teachers to achieve the tenured status that makes it difficult to fire them."

Certainly,that'ss is a mixed bag. The question now is can the Governor's initiatives on tenure and merit pay penetrate through all of the other clouds on his governership.

MercuryNews.com | 04/28/2005 | Schools' low marks: "Pessimism about California education is particularly acute in the Bay Area, which has experienced the state takeover of the Oakland Unified School District, declining enrollment and school closings from San Jose to San Francisco in recent years.

Bay Area residents were more likely than adults surveyed in other parts of the state to say that the quality of education in public school is a big problem. Statewide, 82 percent of respondents said the quality of education is at least somewhat of a problem. And when asked if schools have gotten better or worse in the past two years, 37 percent of Bay Area residents said conditions had gotten worse, compared with 31 percent of adults statewide.

``Bay Area residents generally have high incomes, high education levels, and are pretty aware of the disparities between low-income and high-income areas in terms of school performance,'' said Mark Baldassare, the public policy institute statewide survey director. ``They're very pessimistic about the state of the state lately, and they also have very high expectations that they don't feel are being addressed.''"

The popular opinion of the governor is sure to persist and could be driven lower as the pressure is kept on Schwarzenegger by the coalition built to stand up to his so-called "Year of Reforms."

San Bernardino County Sun - News: "Teachers, firefighters, clerical workers and nurses, angered by what they call Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's broken promises, lined the sides of Cherry Avenue to protest Wednesday morning.

The protesters were largely restricted to the road outside California Steel Industries, where Schwarzenegger appeared at an Ask Arnold Town Hall question-and-answer session.

Redlands Professional Firefighters President Dan Crow stood by the side of the road with other firefighters and said he feels betrayed by Schwarzenegger's overhaul of the state pension system.

'I have no reason to trust him,' Crow said.

Crow gestured to the crowd of more than 50 protesters, many of whom were from Fontana and surrounding cities, and said, 'All these people, all public employees are going to be hurt by this.'

Public schoolteachers waved signs imploring Schwarzenegger to uphold the terms of Proposition 98, an initiative guaranteeing a minimum amount of funding each year from the state's general fund.

'I want to send the message that we need to protect funding for our schools,' said John Davis, vice president of the Corona-Norco Teachers Association. 'There was a deal made and he went back on his word.'"

The governor is in trouble, and sinking. The ratcheting up of pressure by California's most loved and respected "special interests" will only serve to drive his numbers closer to their floor. He is still strong within his party, but the drastic drop in his approval among Democrats and independent voters doesn't bode well for 2006.