the payback continues

As polls continue to show that Arnold Schwarzenegger is marginally less popular than the average meter maid, it's amusing (to me, anyway) to see that disappointment with him is dragging down the political futures of even A-movie actors

The growing disappointment with Schwarzenegger may be pulling down the numbers of the two actors rumored as Democratic candidates, Rob Reiner and Warren Beatty. Potential Democratic primary voters put the pair behind Angelides and Westly, although neither Hollywood figure is an announced candidate.

"The public is a bit turned off, or at least a little less interested in bringing an actor or an outsider into office," DiCamillo said. "That initial burst of enthusiasm for someone outside the system, someone different, has waned."

What is less amusing is the appointment of an industry lobbyist to the California Air Research Board (CARB).

"As a lobbyist for major oil companies and the power plant industry, who has opposed every major air quality law passed by the Legislature in recent years, Ms. Tuck is not the right person to help the board carry out its mission of protecting the air our families breathe," [State Sen. Don] Perata said in a brief statement.

CARB has been an impressive force against air pollution in California for years. But more importantly, it is part of the system that makes California the leader in environmental regulation. In many ways, we set the standard that the rest of the country follows. Appointing an industry stooge to CARB is not the way to carry on this legacy, especially as environmental protections are under attack.

Tuck, a Sacramento lobbyist for nearly 20 years, has for the last eight years worked with a coalition of business and labor interests that focuses on environmental issues.

The group, called the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance, opposed several bills important to clean-air advocates, including a first-in-the-nation effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions from cars and one to override an effort by the Bush administration to undo a requirement for environmental upgrades on some power plants.

What worries me is that if people think Arnie's a short-timer, they'll start demanding payback now, even as they pour money into his initiatives.

There will be plenty of important positions left to fill. Wonder what the going price is?