Governor Questioned by Univision Audience

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stood before a Spanish-language television audience Tuesday to sell his package of special election initiatives, but instead faced questions about such issues as driver's licenses, relations with Mexico and the cost of a college education.

The governor's critics quickly denounced the hourlong appearance, which will air Saturday morning on Univision stations statewide, as a "gift" from the network's chairman, who is Schwarzenegger's largest single campaign donor.

At Univision's Sacramento studio, Schwarzenegger answered questions from an audience of 60 people selected by the station for an episode of the public affairs show "Voz y Voto."

"During the recall, you all recalled the governor, but not the broken system," Schwarzenegger told the audience, referring to the 2003 ouster of Gov. Gray Davis. "Now on Nov. 8, you have the chance to recall the broken system."

But no more than six of the 17 questions the governor fielded dealt with propositions on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Audience members asked about a range of topics, including the cost of public university tuition, why he has not signed legislation authorizing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses and why he has not visited Mexican President Vicente Fox. He promised to try to arrange a meeting soon.

Schwarzenegger said more than once that immigration and related topics are a federal concern.

"The federal government has just too long looked the other way, and has lived in denial," the governor said. "It is a federal issue. It is not a state issue. If it was a state issue, believe me, I would be on top of this issue."

One pointed question came from attorney Gabriel Vivas, who asked about the fairness of Proposition 77, which would strip legislators of the power to draw district boundaries and turn the task over to retired judges.

Vivas, a Democrat who works for the state Department of Education, noted that few retired judges are Latino and that the governor has appointed two Latinos among the 94 judicial appointments he has made.

Schwarzenegger answered by saying that if judges were empowered to redraw districts, Latinos could pick up one or more congressional seats, particularly in the Los Angeles area. He also said he has tried to be bipartisan in his judicial picks. An aide later said his judicial appointments include 45 Republicans, 36 Democrats and 13 who declined to state a party affiliation.