A governor who governs

ALTHOUGH CALIFORNIA still was buzzing Monday over Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cushy deal with the muscle magazines, the governor actually was behaving like a governor. Schwarzenegger was joined by lawmakers as he signed legislation to end a yearlong dispute over financing completion of a new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Nice photo op, but nothing over the top.

Schwarzenegger needs to do more of these real things that normal governors do. No more sideshows.

The financing of the span, damaged in the 1989 earthquake, and its design were bitter issues negotiated by the governor and legislators, led by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland). Area lawmakers agreed to raise local bridge tolls to help foot the $6.3-billion bill. The governor yielded to the Bay Area’s desire for a more costly, dramatic design. Pretty hum-drum, meet-in-the-middle stuff, but that’s basically what governing is.

Schwarzenegger raised expectations during the 2003 recall election that he couldn’t deliver on, considering the political polarization in Sacramento and his own ego. The problems were far deeper than former Gov. Gray Davis’ inability to cope with an energy crisis followed by a budget crisis.

Now, Schwarzenegger’s failure to disclose the scope of his multimillion-dollar deal with a publisher of muscle magazines and tabloids further damages his prospects for reforming state government. That’s why he should camp in his Sacramento office with legislative leaders in the next few weeks until they can work out compromises that would eliminate the need for a Nov. 8 special election. Then the Legislature and governor should approve a bill that would cancel the election altogether, assuming that it is found to be legal. Every issue on the Nov. 8 ballot could wait until the statewide primary election next June.

Even if passed, Schwarzenegger’s worthy redistricting initiative, which would put the drawing of congressional and legislative district lines in nonpartisan hands, could not be implemented in time for the 2006 election. And it isn’t even clear that the proposal, intended to encourage more competitive elections, would be on the ballot this November. Thursday, a Superior Court judge in Sacramento knocked it off because some of the wording of the version of the proposition signed by petitioners is different from what was originally submitted to the attorney general’s office for approval. This dubious decision will be appealed, no doubt, but the added uncertainty should motivate the governor to try to reach an agreement with the Legislature.

Schwarzenegger took a medium-sized step with the bridge deal. He should just keep on stepping.