SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is tapping the investment, insurance, real estate, manufacturing and construction industries as he continues to raise money at a faster clip than any California politician before him, campaign finance reports show.
In turn, Schwarzenegger is proving to be a boon for political consultants, media specialists, pollsters, attorneys and others since taking office last year, according to the reports filed with the state.
Since the beginning of 2004, the Republican governor has collected at least $12.9 million from an array of interests. He also has donated $4.5 million to his causes from his own funds.
He has raised an average of nearly $2 million a month since January. Gov. Gray Davis, a prodigious fundraiser, averaged $1.6 million a month during his five years in office.
Schwarzenegger has $1.4 million in the bank to wage fights over ballot measures, pay for a possible 2006 reelection campaign and cover leftover debt from the recall campaign.
Given his demonstrated fundraising prowess, he quickly can pump up his coffers. He has a fundraising event set this weekend in Napa Valley and another in the Bay Area later this month.
"Is there support for his policy agenda and what he is trying to do for California? The answer is absolutely, yes," said Marty Wilson, one of Schwarzenegger's top aides.
Others take a dimmer view of his fundraising activities.
"The reason all these big special interests are giving him money is ... they want something from him," said Doug Heller of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Consumer & Taxpayers Rights. "Hewlett-Packard doesn't give $250,000 to get his autograph."
That Silicon Valley computer firm is one of at least 40 donors, including corporations, individuals and trade groups, that have given six-figure checks to Schwarzenegger's California Recovery Team, which he established to help pay for ballot measure battles, and to other funds he controls.
Hewlett-Packard spokeswoman Monica Sarkar said the company gave because its executives believed passage of March ballot measures to help restructure California's debt was "important for the economic recovery of the state of California."
The governor is using his money to pay political aides to help him campaign. He paid one vendor, Hartmann Studios, $636,000 to help arrange his public appearances and spent more than $130,000 on fundraising activities. An additional $446,000 went for travel for himself, his campaign aides and some gubernatorial staffers.
