Capital braces for the frenzy

Inside a sparsely furnished, first-floor office on L Street, a few blocks from the Capitol, the phones rang incessantly. Staffers bustled from one makeshift workspace to another, stepping absent-mindedly over a series of extension cords that zigzagged the room. The mood was buoyant with anticipation. People were smiling and hugging.

Work here at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Swearing-In Committee headquarters began at 7 a.m. Saturday, and spokesman Nick Garcia expected to be desk-bound until midnight. But by late afternoon, he was still smiling. “We’re getting ready for one of the biggest events in California political history,” he gushed.

At the dawn of Schwarzenegger’s reign, Sacramento is braced for a new kind of governor: One who warrants a celebrity look-alike (albeit not a very convincing one) on the Capitol grounds; one who draws media from a dozen nations, including Russia, Vietnam and at least nine crews from Japan; one who inspires fan worship even from the people who didn’t vote for him; one who, the local paper says, can bench press 225 pounds at age 56.

On this cold, wet Saturday, however, locals were grumbling about being left out of the fun. This morning’s inauguration on the west steps of the Capitol and accompanying luncheons and parties were invitation only. Public service organizations, nonprofits and campaign contributors were among the lucky ticket holders. But none was available to the public. For one woman, Schwarzenegger’s swearing-in was downright “un-California.”

It’s just the locals’ luck that an international movie star comes to town and all they get is the lousy traffic.

“The downtown area on Monday is going to be out of control,” said Internet broker John Bersin, leaving a K Street movie theater with his two kids. Authorities planned to close streets and reroute buses near the Capitol grounds, causing tie-ups for morning commuters. And as for the promise of a “low-key” event when a man known to the world as “the Terminator” is to be sworn in as governor, Bersin added, “I hardly think that’s possible.”

Eight thousand people were invited to the ceremony, and more than 675 media applied for credentials to cover it. More TV satellite trucks were expected on 10th Street than there is pavement in front of the west steps of the Capitol, said CHP spokesman Tom Marshall, who was working at a desk in the Swearing-In office. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything quite of this magnitude as far as media turnout,” he said. “It’s overwhelming.”

Yet Marshall and his co-workers spent much of Saturday clearly underwhelmed by the amount of work they had to do. They killed time by tallying up the nations that would be represented by foreign press (13), and waited for journalists to claim their credentials. “The BBC was here,” he said. “And an Austrian media outlet.”

A few blocks away at the two largest downtown hotels, the Sheraton Grand and Hyatt Regency, wedding parties and conference attendees packed the lobbies. The swearing-in guests weren’t expected until Sunday.

But at the Sheraton, where Schwarzenegger was expected for a Sunday night reception, the front-desk manager had his hands full. He answered the phone while handing off a stack of envelopes marked for West African superstar Cesaria Evora. (The singer, a hotel guest, performed that night at UC Davis’ Mondavi Center.) “It’s going to be a hectic weekend,” he said.

At the hotel bar, Los Angeles residents Richard and Doris van Dusen enjoyed their hamburgers and took it all in. They had driven the 6 1/2 hours to Sacramento to beat the hordes of inaugural guests.

Doris van Dusen said she landed her invite by volunteering at the Schwarzenegger campaign’s Santa Monica office. But she didn’t get party invitations. In fact, she said, they felt lucky to get a room at the Sheraton.

“The Hyatt was full almost immediately,” she said. “We were told the Hyatt is all Republican because it’s non-union. That’s the first thing we heard on our way to getting our luggage. It’s politics wall to wall!”

Meanwhile on the downtown streets, locals puzzled over Schwarzenegger’s celebrity and the role Sacramento might play in it. Some said he’d draw European tourists. “They’re thinking the whole year’s going to be busy,” said retired teacher Stan Lowell.

Still others struggled with the idea of Schwarzenegger, the action hero, becoming Schwarzenegger, leader of the world’s fifth- largest economy. “I like him as an actor and all,” said bus operator Anthony Fisher. “But governor ... that’s something different.”

Software engineers Sudhakar and Shubha Khare from the nearby suburb of Roseville stood in the rain to pose for a picture in front of the risers outside the Capitol. They had come to see what the excitement was all about. “We always wanted to visit,” Sudhakar said. As for Schwarzenegger, he said, “I think the right leadership is in place.”

When asked if he’d ever seen the governor-elect, Sudhakar replied, “Yes. In ‘Terminator.’ ”

Sipping a coffee as he huddled near a building waiting for the rain to stop, waiter Troy Chilcott said his co-workers at Il Fornaio in downtown Sacramento just want to bask in the celebrity: “Everyone’s saying, ‘Maybe he’ll come here and eat and we can meet him!’ It’s like Hollywood moving up here ... It’ll definitely be interesting to see if he can accomplish anything.”