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According to KABC News, Governor Schwarzenegger is set to appear today at an undisclosed location in Southern California to announce his "bipartisan budget plan." Arnold might not be our first celebrity Governor, but he's certainly got more of a Hollywood P.R. instinct than Reagan ever had.
Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez (D-L.A.) says that he and the Democrats have reached a budget agreement with the Governor but that recalcitrant Republicans are preventing the plan from going forward. He gives his view on the problem:
"Is the governor having a difficult time corralling the Republican leadership? No question," Nunez said. "But are Republican leaders being helpful? Absolutely not."
The Democrats appear to have budged on two pro-labor laws signed by Gray Davis days before his recall. Senate President Pro Tem John Burton has signaled that there might be ways to amend the two rules (rather than repealing them) that would keep Democrats happy. One wonders - were Arnold's recent shots at Democrats in the media a mere smokescreen? Were they a few pleasing scraps to throw to conservative voters, while he quietly works out a centrist compromise?
Additionally, this story has gone national, with an AP story showing up on the CNN.com front page. Think that would have happened without our movie star Gov? We'll check back later today to see if Arnold can fulfill his promise and forge a "new era of cooperation" up in Sacramento.
