Capitol Marquee Adds a New Stop to Tourists’ Star Maps

Once again, Arnold Schwarzenegger has put his name above the title.

For the first time in memory, a California governor has ordered that his name be added -- in large gold-painted letters -- to the marble wall above the double-door entrance to his office on the first floor of the Capitol. This week, “ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER” debuted -- in a spot directly above a long-standing engraving in the wall that had said, more modestly, “GOVERNOR.”

The new installation comes in addition to a small glass sign next to a U.S. flag outside the door that reads “Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.” Together, the two signs have helped turn the hallway outside Schwarzenegger’s office into a tourist attraction, with visitors snapping pictures of themselves in front of the governor’s name. In some of the photos, the California Highway Patrol officer who guards the door can be seen -- the Golden State’s answer to the sentries at Buckingham Palace.

“It’s good to know where Arnold is,” said 15-year-old Zach Livingood, who was visiting the Capitol on Tuesday.

Aides rejected any suggestions that the governor, a longtime movie star, sees himself as being bigger than the office he holds. They cast the placement of the letters as another populist outreach effort by the self-proclaimed people’s governor.

“Prior to the placement of the lettering, it was nearly impossible for Capitol visitors to recognize that the double doors are indeed the entrance to the offices of the governor of California,” said spokeswoman Terri Carbaugh. “It is a way of notifying the public that Gov. Schwarzenegger holds office in the state Capitol and they have access to that office.... You haven’t seen that with prior administrations. It’s a good thing.”

Gubernatorial aides said the name was placed above the engraving because there was more room than there was below. The letters, which are plastic, cost a total of $80, aides said. In an acknowledgment that Schwarzenegger will not rule forever, aides noted that the letters were glued on and can be removed.

“We certainly wouldn’t engrave his name into the marble wall,” Carbaugh said.