Letter Complains of Lack of Meeting : Governor Riled by Bush’s Calif. Schedule

Gov. George Deukmejian, a strong Republican supporter of President Bush in last year’s presidential campaign, has complained to White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu about the planning for the President’s recent trip to California, it was reported today.

Citing informed sources, the Washington Post said Deukmejian sent a letter to Sununu expressing his unhappiness with the failure of the White House staff to schedule time for him to meet with Bush while the President was in the state.

Deukmejian, for a time among those being considered as a running mate for Bush, also complained to Sununu that the White House failed to consult with him on what themes and events should dominate the visit until the schedule was already set, the Post said.

Bush spent two nights in California during his four-day cross-country tour last week. But Bush did not see Deukmejian, although he was accompanied by Republican members of Congress. Bush gave speeches on high technology in Palo Alto, visited a ranch seized from drug traffickers in Orange County, spoke briefly to Latinos, attended a baseball game and met with former President Ronald Reagan.

The newspaper quoted a Republican source as describing Deukmejian’s letter as “having a polite, respectful tone, but the message was clear: We are not pleased. This is no way to run a railroad.”