Governor's high-flying commute draws flak
Like many of the Californians he represents, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now spends more than three hours commuting because he lives so far from the office.
But his ride is a private jet.
After flirting briefly with buying a Sacramento abode for his family, then living alone for a while in a 2,000-square-foot hotel penthouse across from the Capitol, the governor has decided to stay nearly every night at his Brentwood mansion.
FOR THE RECORD:
An earlier version of this story placed Gov. Schwarzenegger's home in Bel-Air. It is in Brentwood. —
The commute costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, which aides say the governor pays for himself. Some environmentalists say the trips expand his carbon footprint enough to undermine his image as a crusader against global warming, although aides say he buys pollution credits to offset the damage.
Abandoning more glamorous parts to settle in Sacramento has long been a trade-off governors made for the privilege of running the state. But Casa de los Gobernadores, the 12,000-square-foot suburban ranch home that Ronald Reagan and his family had built when they ruled the town, did not lure Schwarzenegger and kin, despite five visits to the home by California first lady Maria Shriver and a Realtor.
"I just don't have a home in Sacramento," Schwarzenegger said in a recent interview at a Starbucks in Washington, D.C., where he had flown -- by private jet -- to attend the winter meeting of the National Governors Assn.
"The question is how can I be with my family, because that is extremely important, to be with my kids. They are all growing up. They are in their teens. They need their father around," the governor said as he sipped a decaf espresso drink and ate an oatmeal cookie. "I felt it took a toll on my family not being at home every day. So what I am trying to do is find that balance between the family and running the state."
It is unclear whether the commute affects the governor's ability to do his job; legislators and advisors were reluctant to risk alienating Schwarzenegger by publicly criticizing him for it. But there have long been complaints in Sacramento that his attention is too often focused elsewhere.
Schwarzenegger has used his vast financial resources to create a kind of roving governorship, with almost constant travel in and out of California. He spent more than $591,000 in campaign funds, donated mostly by special interests, for travel in 2007 -- a year in which he was not running a major campaign.
