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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger collected an estimated $800,000 at a corporate- and celebrity-attended fundraiser shortly after a legislative session in which he vetoed an armful of bills opposed by big business. The private "celebrity roast" in Beverly Hills on Wednesday had all the hallmarks of Schwarzenegger style: Hollywood stars like David Spade, Jon Lovitz and Kelsey Grammar mixed with influential business leaders and state-government regulars. Tickets started at $500, but the invitations promised extras such as VIP seating or photographs with Schwarzenegger for supporters who agreed to donate or raise larger sums. At least 11 people signed on to donate or...

The Governor’s vision for health reform is an accessible, efficient, and affordable health care system that promotes a healthier California through prevention and wellness and universality of coverage.” --Governor’s Health Care Proposal As a resident of Southern California I am the fortunate beneficiary of nearly year-round clement weather, picturesque beaches and majestic-yet-accessible mountains. The downside of living in the Golden State is that I am subjected to ghastly, quasi-socialist political ideas -- not just from the Democrats in state government, but also from my Republican governor. Case in point is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s health care proposal, which boasts the rather innocuous...

-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has his own views on what the United States should do about the war in Iraq -- namely, set a timetable for getting out. But he's in Washington, D.C., this week telling federal lawmakers that whatever solution they ultimately choose, they should learn from California and stop their partisan bickering. The American people, he said, don't like it. "The key thing is that Congress and the White House get together rather than attacking each other continuously and always using this in a political way," the governor told moderator Bob Schieffer on the CBS show "Face the Nation"...

SACRAMENTO—If Arnold Schwarzenegger had been born in Austin instead Austria, he might be president today. But because that office is denied him by the U.S. Constitution, he is concentrating on other things. He told me in a 45-minute interview in his office in the state capitol Thursday: He will not rule out running for future public office including U.S. senator or mayor of Los Angeles when his term as governor expires in January 2011. He will not endorse a presidential candidate until after the Republican Convention in September 2008, even though he thinks Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are strong...

After declaring himself a proud Republican last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hedged his answers Wednesday when asked whether he will endorse a Republican in the 2008 presidential race. The governor remained coy about his presidential preferences in his annual Sacramento Press Club appearance while insisting California should play a greater role in shaping national politics by moving up the state's primary next year from June to February. Schwarzenegger, a celebrity governor in the nation's most populous state, could affect the presidential race by campaigning on behalf of a candidate. "We have to look at all the candidates and just listen...

• ‘Will not wait’ for federal government to act • To share research, information The state of California and the government of Great Britain have signed an agreement to collaborate on clean energy and ways to fight climate change. "California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming," says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a written statement following a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the chief executive officers of more than a dozen California-based companies Monday. "Today, we are taking an unprecedented step by signing an agreement between California and the United...

One of the most promising developments early on in the Schwarzenegger administration was the new governor's willingness to tackle the issue of prison reform – especially in the wake of Gov. Gray Davis' administration, which acted like a wholly owned subsidiary of the ham-fisted state prison guards union. The prison guards, which pumped enormous contributions into Gov. Davis' campaign, received oversized pay hikes and were given undue power over the correctional system, where a code of silence among guards made it impossible to root out abuse and corruption. Under Gov. Schwarzenegger, the state proposed wide-ranging and sensible reforms. But as...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this week rejected a request from the Bush administration to send an additional 1,500 National Guard troops to the Mexican border, the governor's office confirmed Friday. The National Guard Bureau, an arm of the Pentagon, asked for the troops to help with the border-patrol mission in New Mexico and Arizona, but Schwarzenegger said the request would stretch the California Guard too thin in case of an emergency or natural disaster. Schwarzenegger spokesman Adam Mendelsohn confirmed the governor's decision Friday after two California National Guard officials revealed it to The Associated Press. Mendelsohn said...

/09/2006 - Californians for Schwarzenegger announced the release of new television ads. "House" highlights Governor Schwarzenegger's leadership in moving California forward. "Bird" highlights the clear choice California voters have in this election. Both ads will be released in Spanish versions.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to appoint an influential Democratic operative as his top staffer is the first step as he negotiates a tricky path to re-election. Now he must hold onto the conservative Republican right, furious with the appointment, while winning back independents and Democrats, many furious with his agenda in the recent special election. Schwarzenegger's hiring Wednesday of Susan Kennedy -- Cabinet secretary for his Democratic predecessor Gov. Gray Davis, a leader in the state's abortion rights movement and a lesbian who has married her longtime partner -- has already set off alarms among conservatives, whose leaders suggest they...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders met for about two hours Sunday but couldn't reach agreement on the state budget. The governor and his Republican colleagues are locked in a struggle with the Legislature's Democratic majority over a tiny fraction of the overall budget expected to exceed $115 billion next year. Schwarzenegger has proposed a spending plan that includes no new taxes and no new borrowing. An improving economy has provided the state with almost $4 billion in unexpected revenue that the governor wants to use to cover state services and increase funding for schools and transportation...

Since California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger is already using his own movie lines in political speeches, we figured rather than actually interview him, we'd just use more of his film quotes to answer our questions. So here goes: Q. What the heck will you say to voters to convince them that you're the right man for the job? A. I'm not into politics, I'm into survival.1 My mission is to protect you. Come with me if you want to live.2 You fall behind, and you're on your own.3 Q. Whoa. That's pretty chilling. So, Mr. S., you're an Austrian native....

Schwarzenegger Wrong for Gun Owners, Wrong for CaliforniaBy David Codreacodrea4@adelphia.netAugust 28, 2003“Where else do gun owners have to go?”—Former Republican Party National Chairman Lee AtwaterKeepAndBearArms.com -- In their zeal to rid California of the catastrophic Gray Davis and to prevent the equally loathsome Cruz Bustamante from assuming the governorship, the Golden State’s “centrist” Republican establishment has cast its lot with Arnold Schwarzenegger. On the surface, their reasoning is obvious. Famous, rich, successful, admired by millions, the superstar actor had but to cast his hat into the ring to command international attention and a multitude of star-struck followers—without ever defining where...