SACRAMENTO — Signaling a more moderate turn in his government, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday appointed to the finance director's job former congressman Tom Campbell, known for his bipartisan instincts and eclectic policy ideas that include legalizing drugs and abolishing the national income tax.
Campbell, now dean at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, is a familiar figure in the Capitol. A Republican, he served in the state Senate from 1993 to 1995, and is respected by Democratic leaders with whom the governor has sparred over the last year.
"My advice to the governor will be not to have any increase in taxes," Campbell said at a morning news conference.
Schwarzenegger, who made the announcement, said: "What I like most about Tom is that he thinks the same way I do -- the way we want to approach our challenges, our fiscal challenges. And he is going to be very, very helpful to continue on with California on the road to recovery."
In choosing Campbell as his chief budget aide, the governor appears to be recalibrating his top staff after a year in office. More changes are coming. Marybel Batjer, a senior aide who is the governor's main link to state agencies and departments, has announced that she is leaving.
One person who has been approached by administration officials about possibly replacing Batjer is environmental secretary Terry Tamminen. Tamminen ran a Santa Monica conservancy group before joining the government and once described himself as a "tree-hugger."
Campbell succeeds Donna Arduin, who was recruited by the governor from Florida and resigned after 11 months in the job. She was perceived as a committed conservative and outsider who faced criticism for an aloof style and comparative unfamiliarity with California's complex budget process.
Even some of the governor's Democratic critics described Campbell's appointment to the $131,000 job as a promising hire at a time when California is weathering a persistent budget crisis.
Senate Democratic leader John Burton (D-San Francisco) said, "After calling Democrats obstructionist girlie men, now he [the governor] is appointing someone who will reach out to them. I consider it an olive branch to obstructionist girlie boy Democrats."
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) said: "Donna was a hard-liner." Campbell will more faithfully reflect the governor's ideology, Nunez said, and that "will make all of our jobs easier. But more importantly, it's going to make the inner workings of the governor's lead team easier."
