"They have been very busy working on hundreds of different bills . . . that have nothing to do with the budget," Schwarzenegger told reporters last week with evident frustration.
Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) said legislators had other important issues to handle, and all of them couldn't negotiate the budget at once. Likewise, he said, Schwarzenegger decides for himself how much else he can do.
"If the governor feels like he can go to the Border Governors Conference and still negotiate the budget, then go ahead," Levine said.
But state Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter) said Schwarzenegger should cancel his other events. "I think the reason the governor is frustrated is because he actually has to sit in the building and figure it out with us," Florez said.
Jack Pitney, a professor of political science at Claremont McKenna College, said the problem was not only time but also public perception.
"The more he's out of the capital or out of the state, the more his critics can say, 'Look, Arnold is traveling all over while California workers are being asked to take a huge pay cut. If the budget is such a crisis, why is Arnold getting in his jet?' " Pitney said.
Dan Dunmoyer, the governor's cabinet secretary, said that in scheduling the Border Governors Conference for mid-August, the administration believed the budget would be finished a month and a half into the fiscal year. Instead, the governor was in Sacramento negotiating, and filing a lawsuit to compel the state controller to cut the pay of state employees.
Schwarzenegger chose "Building Green Economies" as the theme of the conference, to be held at Universal Studios, reflecting his interest in the environment and business.
The event is expected to cost up to $3 million and is sponsored by General Electric, which owns Universal Studios and also lobbies the state government, along with other private companies. G.E. and other sponsors will show products at a "Green Tech Expo" of environmentally friendly products.
The conference alternates between the Mexican states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora and Tamaulipas, and the United States, whose members are New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and California.
The governors are expected to be among 3,600 attendees this year, Schwarzenegger's aides said. The purpose is to build relationships and forge agreements to work on issues of mutual concern.
The delegates will agree to tackle the issue of scrap tires, which pollute the border, and are likely to discuss how to deal with sewage treatment, smog, managing wildlife and shortening border crossings for commerce and tourism, according to Dunmoyer.
The governors in the last year traveled to meet with officials in their respective federal governments to collaborate on border issues, and top Bush administration officials are expected to attend this week.
There will be celebrities, movies and attractions far removed from the nitty-gritty of Sacramento. The governor's wife will lead a forum on human trafficking. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is catering the event. The conference will feature a screening of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" and a visit to CityWalk.
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michael.rothfeld@latimes.com
