California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday ousted four CalSTRS board appointees who last week voted down his plan to begin privatizing the state's public pension system. The four - Mark Battey, Jim Gray, Miguel Pulido and Gloria Hom - were appointed to the board in April. In letters to the state Senate Rules Committee, the governor withdrew their appointments; the four had not yet been confirmed by the Senate.
Ashley Snee, a spokeswoman in the governor's office, could not be reached for comment. Jack O'Connell, CalSTRS board member and state superintendent of public instruction, said in a news release that he is "extremely disappointed in Gov. Schwarzenegger's action. The STRS Board has a record of acting in the best interest of teachers, rather than blindly following political agendas." The California State Teachers' Retirement System, Sacramento, has $125 billion in assets under management. Spokeswoman Kirsten Macintyre said the CalSTRS staff had no comment.
