Two years ago, political novice and action film star Arnold Schwarzenegger toppled Gray Davis, the consummate insider and career politician as governor. In contrast to the dour, uncharismatic Davis, Schwarzenegger demonstrated himself as an unconventional independent who announced his candidacy on Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show. The amiable and former bodybuilder boiled the recall election down to sound bites more suitable for his action movies than the policy pace of the State Capitol.
After the recall election, Congress members were rushing to amend the U.S. Constitution in hopes that Schwarzenegger would become the second coming of former actor Ronald Reagan. But in the irrational exuberance of Arnold-mania, people forgot that the new governor had to govern.
This year, the governor’s popularity has waned. He might be the “Apprentice,” but it’s not a reality show anymore. It’s realpolitik where his fickle California audience could give him a vote of no confidence on his November package of state propositions and fire him next year.
Early in his administration, the governor appointed a handful of Asian Pacific Americans to high positions like Cabinet Secretary A.G. Kawamura and Sophie Wong to the powerful Alcoholic Beverage Appeals Board.
Since then, APAs seem invisible in his administration, even though APAs make up 12 percent of California. With the political heat on him, the governor now more than ever will need to build bridges to Asian Pacific Americans.
The appointment of Garrett Wong to the Superior Court in San Francisco was a welcome but belated start after an outcry by the APA legal community this spring. Since the outcry, four APAs –– Wong, San Mateo County’s Elizabeth Lee, Siskiyou’s Laura Masunaga and Los Angeles’ Sanjay Kumar –– have been appointed statewide. That’s progress, but more needs to be done, considering, for example, San Francisco’s Superior Court has only five APAs out of more than 50 judges in a city that is more than one-third APA.
For the grand political stage of California, this governor has the lead acting role. But he must govern with a supporting cast of Asian Pacific Americans.