SACRAMENTO — In his first speech as governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger positioned himself Monday as a populist reformer who would cut through the state's political dysfunction to restore its fiscal health and revive its economy.
The Republican cast the October recall election as a mandate to change not only the occupant of the governor's office, but "the entire political climate of our state." Laying out his initial goals, he pledged to work with Democrats and "put aside years of partisan bitterness."
Much as he did in his abbreviated campaign for the governorship, Schwarzenegger suggested that optimistic and firm-handed leadership, more than anything else, was the key to polishing the luster of a state he called " the golden dream by the sea."
But as in his campaign, details were few. Apart from reminding lawmakers that there was a "public hunger" for comity, Schwarzenegger gave no hint how he would prod the sharply polarized Legislature into changing the way it does business. Given the depth of rancor between the Capitol's warring camps of die-hard liberals and die-hard conservatives -- and signs Monday of wariness on both sides -- political experts were skeptical of Schwarzenegger's prospects for ushering in a new era of harmony.
"The odds are against him, but what he's doing is obviously a worthy experiment," said Bruce Cain, director of UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies. Schwarzenegger's apparent premise, he said, is that lawmakers are not split by "fundamental ideological or cultural differences," but by an "us-versus-them" mentality.
Schwarzenegger's rhetorical flourishes and the absence of many details were in keeping with the tradition of inaugural speeches, which tend to emphasize broad themes.
The new governor lost no time Monday in taking action on a few issues that had formed the bulwark of his campaign. Shortly after he was sworn in, he signed an executive order rescinding the hugely unpopular hike in California's vehicle license fee.
"This is action, not just dialogue," he told reporters as he signed the executive order rolling back the increase approved by his predecessor, Democrat Gray Davis. "This is action."
He also called a special session of the Legislature to consider budget and workers' compensation reforms, as well as the repeal of a law allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. He suspended all proposed state regulations and launched a review of those adopted under Davis.
