Now the Hard Part: Governing California

"He has all those skills," Cox said. "He couldn't have gotten where he's gotten without those skills."

No doubt, Schwarzenegger will face a tougher time forging ties to Democrats.

After talking to Burton and Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson (D-Culver City) by phone on Wednesday, Schwarzenegger said they told him: "Yeah, we look forward to working with you, Arnold. It will be terrific. I think we can accomplish a lot together."

"And I believe that," Schwarzenegger said.

Wesson recalled a portion of the conversation not emphasized by Schwarzenegger; it suggested the new governor's political honeymoon might not last long.

"I told him, 'You've got to be careful what you wish for,' " Wesson said. "The easiest part of getting in politics is actually being elected. The hard part is governing."

State Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Los Feliz) warned that the governor-elect should avoid forming a starkly Republican administration populated by Schwarzenegger advisors close to Gov. Pete Wilson, a figure particularly reviled among the powerful Latino caucus.

"If it's a retread of the Wilson administration, you're going to see a lot of Democrats saying this is just business as usual," Frommer said.

A potential asset for Schwarzenegger is charisma. Given the force of his larger-than-life personality, he might be more willing than Davis "to step in and really knock heads or twist arms or pat people on the back and try to encourage them to work together," Frommer said.

The challenge that will overshadow all others is the state's fiscal mess.

By repealing the increase in the car tax -- the vehicle license fee -- Schwarzenegger could swell the state's budget shortfall next year to at least $12 billion. With the state's borrowing tactics under court challenge, the shortfall could soon grow billions higher.

But Schwarzenegger renewed his vow Wednesday not to raise taxes.

Ken Khachigian, a onetime Reagan campaign advisor, said Schwarzenegger's best option is to propose austere fiscal solutions early in his tenure to ensure a more favorable political climate for a 2006 reelection bid.

"He's going to have to make a very strong case for the public not having everything it wants in one bite," Khachigian said.

On Wednesday, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, a potential Democratic contender for governor in 2006, began to elbow Schwarzenegger on the budget. He called on the governor-elect to lay out a plan that would meet an array of campaign spending promises, including a blanket protection for education spending.

"All of us need to hold Mr. Schwarzenegger accountable," he said.

His remarks were clearly aimed at raising doubts about Schwarzenegger's ability to live up to his word without raising taxes or driving the state deeper into a swamp of debt.

"There is going to be no honeymoon for any of us," Angelides said. "The genuine debate about the state's future begins today."

*

Staff writers Matea Gold, Evan Halper, Allison Hoffman, Scott Martelle and Nancy Vogel contributed to this report.