Hasta La Vista

NeverMIND the budget deficit. In a matter with substantial implications for Earth and stars, one of Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger's first duties may be deciding whether to say hasta la vista to a pair of state Park and Recreation commissioners named Eastwood and Shriver. Clint Eastwood has served on the nine-seat state commission since Gov. Gray Davis appointed the actor-director in late 2001. His term expires Jan. 15, and the new governor gets to choose who will occupy the job next.

The only celebrity able to upstage Arnold Schwarzenegger during the Great California Workout at Disneyland on Sunday was Mickey Mouse himself, and the muscle-bound "Terminator" had a few words for him. "Don't steal my show, Mickey," the athlete-actor said before an appreciative crowd. "When I say, 'I'll be back,' you'll be in trouble."

Arnold Schwarzenegger would have been a most unusual candidate even for California--a onetime Mr. Universe, a native of Austria, star of "Conan the Barbarian," in which he mostly grunts, and "The Terminator," in which he's mostly molten. He's also a Republican married to a member of the Kennedy clan. On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger announced (again) that he would not be a candidate for governor next year. Lost for now is a whole new level of political humor.

Re "Tribe's Measure Offers Tax Deal," Jan. 22: In response to the Indian tribes' offer to pay a mere 8.84% tax in return for a vast expansion of their gambling monopoly, our governor should say: "No way. It's 25% and no expansion or we'll legalize gambling, and then it's hasta la vista, baby!" Arthur Hansl Santa Monica Amazing -- an estimated $5 billion to $6 billion a year in untaxed revenues from the tribal casinos (editorial, Jan. 18). Let's do some planning, with real follow-through by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former judge Daniel Kolkey, to legalize Nevada-style gaming in California.

Former Los Angeles City Councilman Arthur K. Snyder, facing felony charges of laundering thousands of dollars in secret campaign contributions, asked the judge in the case if he could take a trip abroad. Superior Court Judge John Ouderkirk said yes, Snyder could leave the country. Ouderkirk pooh-poohed the notion that the legendarily wily Snyder is likely to flee or has "a plot to go live in some foreign country." Of course the judge must be right.

Hasta la vista, jackets . . . and T-shirts. . . . and watches. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger cannot be pleased by the events of the wee hours of Sunday morning, when a display window outside his trendy Planet Hollywood restaurant was broken open and some valuable contents, including three one-of-a-kind leather jackets, vanished.

They come, they go, and sometimes they come and go in a hurry. Say hasta la vista to left-hander Randy Choate, who reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals on Wednesday for $7.5 million . Which goes to show you, those Richie Rich Dodgers are not going to sign every free agent they desire. Choate came over in a midseason trade with Hanley Ramirez from the Marlins, and like deadline-acquisition Shane Victorino from the previous day, has now shown to be a simple two-month rental.

Republican Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy articulated Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political plight during a heated floor debate over illegal immigrants. If Schwarzenegger were to sign a bill giving them driver's licenses, Mountjoy shouted, it's "Hasta la vista, baby." How times have changed -- political strengths squandered and shriveled.