Governor Participates in Q & A at Hispanic Journalists' 25th Annual Convention

MODERATOR: Wow, those are some boots.

GOVERNOR: Don't get jealous.

MODERATOR: Don't get jealous?

GOVERNOR: Don't get jealous. I had to catch that python myself, it was not easy.

MODERATOR: From what, from one of your movies?

GOVERNOR: It's nice to be here. It's nice to be at your 25th Convention here, this is really great. And especially to talk to—oh, finally my mike is coming on, great—to finally talk to all the Hispanic journalists here. How many do we have here?

MODERATOR: Several hundred. I don't know what the final count's going to be, we still have some registration. But we have them from all over the country, and this is the 25th year in San Jose. It'll be a great four-day convention. So thank you so much for joining us, taking time for doing this.

GOVERNOR: Absolutely.

MODERATOR: Governor, I'm just going to get right into some of the questions, and we can just do this in a give and take. I was listening earlier today to CNN, and the polls came out on national politics. President Bush is at 29 percent popularity rating, Congress 23 percent popularity rating. Only 19 percent of the country said we're on the right track. When you ran for re-election you weren't quite in those numbers, but you turned it around, and you won one of the biggest re-election victories in recent memory in California politics. Part of that has been by taking your nonpartisan approach. What advice do you have going forward on a national level for trying to reverse the trends of the public not having confidence in government?

GOVERNOR: First of all, let me just say that when I was elected in 2003 we had similar numbers. There was almost 80 percent of the people thought that we were on the wrong track, California was going in the wrong direction. As a matter of fact, I was asked by many of my friends not to run, because they thought that it would be impossible to turn it around and to bring the state back. They felt that Democrats and Republicans will never get along, they have been fighting for years and years and years in Sacramento. It was the same situation as we have right now in Washington. And what we did after I was elected, we slowly turned the whole thing around, with the help of Democrats and Republicans working together.

Now, I also went in the beginning in the wrong direction, because I was confrontational, I tried to do things too fast, I was kind of—I thought of the public sector being like the private sector, where you set certain goals, and say in two months it has to be done. Well, that's not the way it works in Sacramento. You know, you have to bring people on board, you have to be inclusive, you have to compromise, and all of those things. So we all had to learn.

But in the end, when it came to the re-election, the one you're talking about, at that point people, two-thirds of the people said now we are going in the right direction. So we totally turned things around. People got the feeling in California that Democrats and Republicans are working together, and we are truly public servants that are serving the people, rather than party servants serving just the parties. And this is why we were able to come together.

So I think that if the politicians in Washington want to learn something about how to get things done, I think California is a good model of how Democrats and Republicans are able to work together, even though they have their own philosophies. And we don't want anyone to sell out or to change their philosophies, or their opinions, but one has to recognize, and everyone will say that in politics you've got to compromise, because you have two opposing points of view. And the only action really there is the action in the middle. That's why in the center is everything, where everything is happening, and we have to just bring people together.

MODERATOR: Well, your own party, in your own party, there is division over whether or not you're following the right path. Recently California Congressman Duncan Hunter said that he doesn't want the Republican Party nationally following your post-partisanship lead. Is he right that you're a member of the Ted Kennedy wing of the Republican Party?

GOVERNOR: Well, just imagine who is saying it, right? That says it all. But I think that there is no wing, there is only one thing in the end. If someone calls me that I make sometimes moves that appear to be moves that are Democratic moves, and sometimes they say I make moves that are Republican moves, it's all bogus talk. It's all nonsense, because in the end we have to make moves, and we have to make decisions that are based on what is best for the people, what is best for the people of California. That's all I think about. I don't think about, is it a Democratic idea, is it a Republican idea? I think you have to take ideas from both parties and put them together, because as soon as you exclude one party, you're excluding 50 percent of the talent that is out there. And I think that's the wrong thing to do, and at that point you're not serving the people well.

So what I do is I bring both of the parties together. And this is why we were able to do the kinds of things that we are doing, and this is why we were able to turn the economy around, and go from a period where we literally were almost bankrupt in 2003, and we were able to turn the economy around and reform Workers' Compensation, and create 866,000 jobs, and have the highest revenues. This year we have the highest revenues in the history of California. So those are remarkable accomplishments. And then simultaneously protecting the environment, and making a commitment to roll back the greenhouse gas emissions and to protect our oceans and our rivers and water for the future, and our air in the future and all those kinds of things. So I am very proud of both of the parties.

So no matter what anyone says from Washington, I pay very little attention to that. I think we should pay attention to what's going on out here in California, and we are a model for the rest of the nation. (Applause)

MODERATOR: Governor, how have your wife Maria and her family, the Shrivers and Kennedys, influenced your thinking as governor? Did Maria encourage you to take your strong action on global warming?

GOVERNOR: No. We have—Maria and I, we have been partners, I would say, since we met. Maria is a very smart woman, and she has her own vision about things. And she grew up in a political family, and she also has been very familiar with show business, because her grandfather was, of course, in show business and was a producer, and has produced many, many movies. So she was very familiar with all of those things, and with sports, so she was very helpful in my bodybuilding career, she was very helpful in my acting career, and she is very helpful in my political career, and me being a public servant.

So we talk about all of those issues. But I myself have always been very interested in the environment. I come from a country where we have beautiful rivers and mountains and clean air and all this. So I want the same thing here in California. And even though sometimes people think because I drive a Hummer I'm not an environmentalist, but it has nothing to do with that. It has to do with that we have to go and protect the environment and make sure that we all look for technology that will give us the Hummer, but a clean engine. That is really the bottom line, rather than—because it's not the size of the car, or the size of the airplane. It's what kind of engine do we have in that car, that's really what counts. (Applause)

And by the way, one of my Hummers is a hydrogen Hummer now.

MODERATOR: Yeah, you retrofitted it.

GOVERNOR: One is a biofuel Hummer, and another one is right now going through a special treatment where we take the greenhouse gases out of the engine. So technology, in the end, as I always say, will save the day. That is the most important thing.

MODERATOR: So how many Hummers do you have?

GOVERNOR: I have five Hummers. But I have to say that I have not had a chance to drive them much, because I always drive with the CHP.

MODERATOR: Well, Congress is considering a global warming legislation that would preempt the law you signed in California, aimed at reducing the greenhouse gases. You're opposing the national legislation. But doesn't it make sense to have one national standard and require more states to participate, rather than having each state go it alone? Or is California, do you see it as being the leader?

GOVERNOR: What you just said is the ideal situation, that we have a national standard, because companies or car manufacturers, it's very difficult for them to adapt to each one of those different standards. But the federal government is asleep, they're not doing anything about the environment. We are struggling, we want them to go and participate and make a commitment to roll back the greenhouse gases. We want them to make a commitment to really have the kind of new carbon fuel standards, the Low Carbon Fuel Standards that we have here, the Executive Order that I signed.

They won't do it, they want to do another two years of studies. And I think that we have done all the studies. We know that we have global warming, we know that we are in danger. We see already in California right now the affect that it has with the early fires that we have, with the lack of water that we have, the impact it has on our farming and our agriculture, and in many, many different areas. And I think that we are taking a huge risk if we continue waiting and do studies, and wait and do studies. I think that the studies are over, the science is in. We know there is global warming. Let's act now and let's protect our world for future generations.

MODERATOR: In the case of driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, you indicated during the recall campaign that you didn't oppose the concept, just the way Gray Davis had handled it. Yet once you got into office you said you wanted to wait until federal REAL ID regulations were enacted before approving a California law. Then you said you wanted to wait until the federal government passes comprehensive immigration reform. Why do you want a national standard on driver's licenses, but not on global warming?

GOVERNOR: No, I think that it is very important that the federal government is already almost there. As a matter of fact, they have just passed the National ID Act, and I think that we are around the corner of having that, and also immigration reform. And I said in 2003 when I ran, we should make sure that we have immigration reform where we can bring people in legally from outside the country so they can drive here legally, so that we know their background, we check their background, they can own cars legally, they have bank accounts legally, go through the airports legally, and travel back and forth legally, and do all of those things legally. It's not good to piecemeal the whole thing, and now just to go and have a driver's license when we don't have the background check, and when we don't even know who they are.

So this is why I said, let us go and do it the right way, and I still say this today. Let us push the federal government so we have true immigration reform, so that we can move forward and do everything in a legal way, and people don't' have to live in fear anymore in America.

MODERATOR: We'll talk a little bit more about immigration when our other panelists join us. I'm going to go into something that you came into office promising, to clean up the money-driven political system in California. But you've found it necessary yourself to raise millions of dollars to promote, oppose initiatives, to compete on the ballot. Have you given up on reforming the political process? Do you think that can be done?

GOVERNOR: No. I mean, I think that it is two different issues you're talking about. One is to raise money for initiatives, which everyone has to do, or to raise money for a campaign, for a political campaign. We all have to do that. When we talk about what should not happen is that of money in and favors out. That is where things go wrong. We should never go and do favors for money we get from somebody, a campaign contribution. We should not go and feel obligated that we have to give favors back to that person or to that company and so on.

So that is what we have to stop, and this is why I have, since I have come into office now, for three years in a row I have tried to get a bill through that deals with finance reform, which means that before we do the budget, or during the budget time—like right now is budget time—we should really all have a commitment that we should make, and not raise money during the budget negotiations. Because it doesn't work if you go and negotiate and work on the budget until 7:00 o'clock at night, and then at 7:30 you go to a fundraiser and simultaneously meet people that maybe have a stake in the budget. So I think that we should ban fundraising for a month during the time we negotiate the budget, and also the month when I do bill signing. During that time there should be no fundraising activities.

So those are kind of simple kind of political reforms that we should all try to accomplish. We were not able to accomplish it, because Democrats and Republicans have not voted for it. And so I think we are trying it again this year, to put it on the ballot, as a matter of fact, in February, and hopefully we can get all of those three political reforms accomplished, which is:

• To do redistricting reform so we have finally redistricting done by ordinary citizens and not by the legislators, because there's a conflict of interest;
• No. 2, to have the term limits changed, and;
• Campaign finance reform.

MODERATOR: Do you think, though, that money that people, when they give you money, or they give a politician money, that they expect access? The larger the contribution, the more that they expect to be listened to? Have you found that?

GOVERNOR: Well, it's not the access. I mean, I walk up and down the street, and people come up to me and talk to me about their various different issues. So access, anyone can have access. But the problem really is to do favors back. That is really the problem. We have had, for instance today, or yesterday, union leaders in there, we have had business leaders in there. I don't check if anyone contributed or not contributed. As a matter of fact, I've never taken any money from any of the labor leaders, or labor at all, but I still have them in my office. I want to hear their concerns, I want to work with them, because it's very important that we work together, for instance, when it comes to career-tech education, and to educational issues and so on, and labor issues. So I think there are a lot of things that we can do together. But it doesn't mean that they have to give me money in order for me to go and listen to them and work with them.

MODERATOR: Would you like to find a way to stay in elective office, beyond your time as governor, run for another office that might not be the head of government? Maybe US Senate, or do we see you go back into movies? You got another Terminator in you?

GOVERNOR: I'll be back. (Applause)

You know, I have been kind of a public servant for many, many years. I, as an immigrant, always felt very strongly about that I should give something back to this country. And that's why I worked with Special Olympics for 30 years and was the National Coach and the International Coach, to work with people that are intellectually challenged. I have worked on After School Programs, to establish After School Programs all over the country, in 15 different cities, and then ran with the initiative, Prop 49, to provide extra 428 million dollars of after school programs in the state of California. I have worked with the President's Council on Fitness and traveled through all 50 states, being the Chairman of the President's Council on Fitness and promoting health and fitness. All of those kinds of things I have done because I want to give something back.

This job now gives me the ultimate and the best opportunity to give back. But after this is over, I will again do the things that I have always done, which is to serve the people in one capacity or the other, continue working with Special Olympics, After School Programs, promote fitness and the kind of issues that I'm interested in. But I'm not that eager to run for another office, because I can serve the people, like my mother-in-law.

MODERATOR: M-hmm?

GOVERNOR: Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Remember, she started Special Olympics.

MODERATOR: Right.

GOVERNOR: And she has now an organization that is in 164 countries, and she works tirelessly in this organization to provide equality for people with mental disabilities, and to provide tolerance for them, and inclusion, and health care, dental care, and the ability to have jobs, and the ability to live anywhere they want to live, and fight for them. And she's not an elected official, so you don't have to be an elected official in order to be able to serve the public. So I will always do something to give something back to the people of California and America, if I'm elected or not elected.

MODERATOR: Okay. Joining us now will be two more panelists, Jodi Hernandez, reporter for San Jose's KNTV/NBC11, in their Oakland bureau. Jodi will join us. (Applause)

And Pilar Marrero, Political Editor of La Opinión in Los Angeles. (Applause)

MODERATOR: Governor, we're going to start the conversation with one of immigration. Your rebound in the Latino community in your re-election campaign was really quite amazing. At one point, as we recall, you were in one poll, a San Jose State poll, I think, had you only supported by 12 percent of the Latinos, mainly on your conversations on the Minutemen, you had some words of praise for the Minutemen. You had supported Proposition 187; you had talked about having a closed border. And you reversed yourself on some of those issues, or really all of them in varying degrees, and you actually ended up getting almost 40 percent, or 40 percent of the Latino vote, a historic level for a Republican in recent times.

What happened there? Did you apologize in many of these cases? Did you see the light somewhere? What happened with your relationship?

GOVERNOR: I would say that—you know, when you're not brought up kind of in the public life, or I should say being a politician, you don't sometimes say exactly the things that are politically correct. And like for instance when I said we should close the borders, it was the wrong usage of words. What I meant was secure the borders. And I remember that my press secretary came to me right afterwards and said, "Did you change your policy?" I said, "No." I said, "Why?" "Well, you just said closing the border." And I said, "Well, that's what I always said." "No," she said, "You said securing the border." I said, "Well, that's what I mean, securing the border." And she said, "Well, there' a big difference." And so the intention was not to say to close the borders, and no one should get in and out of the borders. It just meant securing the borders. So it was misspoken, and I had her go back to the press and say this is exactly what I meant. So there are situations like that, or I did not explain myself well enough.

But I think that I was always very clear about the driver's license issue. And I was always very clear about that I felt very strongly that we should have a temporary working permit for people, because we need workers here in this country, farmers, or construction workers, or restaurant owners, whatever business it is, or high-tech, whatever it may be, they can't get enough talent here in this country, and therefore we should be able to go outside the country, employers, and get the workforce from outside the country. And that's how I came into this country, because they needed a bodybuilding champion that spoke German and English. So everyone has their talents. So therefore, you know, I'm always for that.

I'm also for, have always been for securing the borders, and about having a fence, electronic and highest technology and securing the borders. Not because of Mexicans as much as because of terrorists. Because you know with the Mexicans, I always said we have to be sensitive that these are our friends. We're not talking here about the enemy on the other side.

So those things sometimes are taken in one way or the other, and some people get upset when you say securing the borders and build the fence. Other people then from the other side say, "Well, you're saying bring in people legally, we don't want that." I think the whole thing has become so divisive and so political. I have always said that the center is where the action is, which is to let people come in here legally, to secure the border, and to let people earn a way to apply for citizenship and to pay a certain amount of money for that, and to learn English and do the kind of things that are required, that they are proposing. So I think that is where the center is, and I think this is where the action really is.

MS. MARRERO: Governor, we in La Opinión, we have very fond memories of the day you came and you changed your position on 187. Those positions are now in the minority, according to recent polls, in the LA Times yesterday, for example. Even conservatives and Republicans, and of course Democrats, support immigration reform, they support the bill that's in Congress right now. And look what happened. Last week that bill was stuck. And I'm wondering if you're going to do something, if you're going to go out there with your clout, with your public voice, and say something, knock some sense into some of those Republicans and maybe some Democrats. Do you talk to them? Do you say something?

GOVERNOR: Well, first of all, you've got to analyze why is it stuck, why didn't it pass? It's not because people don't want to have this issue resolved. I think the latest polls were very clear, that it is over 60 percent, 65 or 68 percent of the people say yes, you should be able to go and work your way towards citizenship, people that live here and have not broken the law, that have worked here, have contributed to this country or to this state. I think that the large majority of people are there on this issue.

I think that what a lot of the legislators and a lot of the politicians still have a problem with in Washington is the way it is written. Because I myself have a lot of questions about it, and I am—right now, the way the bill is, I would not sign it myself, because I would ask myself, wait a minute. How do we enforce all of this that they are talking about here? Where is the money for all of this? Where is the money to really go and say, when someone comes in here legally to work, on a temporary working permit, what happens to the person that says, for instance, "I'm not gong to go back."' What happens then? What happens to the people that have been told that from January 1st, if you have come to this country before January 1st, then you can go and apply for citizenship if you do certain things. What happens to the people that have come after January 1st? There are thousands and thousands. What happens to them? Who is enforcing all of those kinds of details that you are writing down here? I have not seen that anywhere in that legislation or in that bill. And the same is with the border situation, with all of those things.

It needs to be a little bit worked on, it needs to be fine-tuned. Everything is in place right now. The pieces are in place, I think. And I trust Senator McCain, I've had many conversations with Senator McCain about this issue. He is a great, great Senator and a great leader on this issue. I trust him, but I think we still have to fine-tune, to make everyone kind of feel good about the bill. It just should take another week or two, and I think they can do it. So what we have to do now is encourage them to work on it and not to give up, to work on it, because they are so close. We're literally 5 minutes to midnight when it comes to that kind of reform.

MS. HERNANDEZ: Governor, you've made it very clear that health care reform is at the top of your agenda, and included in your plan is coverage for the state's undocumented children. As you know, it could be very challenging --

GOVERNOR: You see? Anyway, go ahead.

MS. HERNANDEZ: It could be very challenging for you to convince Republican lawmakers to sign on to that portion of the plan. How committed are you, Governor, to keeping undocumented children in the plan?

GOVERNOR: Well, it's not only children. I think that we should deal with the whole thing, even though it is specifically for children, but I mean, let's be honest. We have a chance here to reform health care. This is the year of health care reform. We have 6.5 million people that are uninsured. And I think that the federal government has talked about it for almost 100 years, since Teddy Roosevelt, since 1912, that we should have universal health care in America. Well, now it's almost 100 years later, and we still don't have it. So that's why I brought together Democrats and Republicans and I said, "Let us be the first state that really has comprehensive health care reform."

And for me, comprehensive health care reform means everybody. Everyone ought to be insured, no matter who it is, and everyone ought to get medical care. And the reason why I think I believe very strongly in that is because the federal law already says that no one should be turned away when you go to an emergency room and you go and get medical care, if you need medical care. If you have an accident, you're sick, or whatever it is, you should be able to go to an emergency room and no matter who you are, documented or undocumented, you should get then treatment, as much as if I maybe am ending up in Mexico and have a motorcycle accident, I wouldn't want anyone to ask me for my passport. I want to get to the hospital, I want to get to the emergency room and get the care, if I'm in Africa or the Middle East, wherever I am. And I think that is what I believe should happen.

And therefore, now the question is, since everyone is by law already getting care, shouldn't we find a more efficient way to give people care? Because right now in the emergency room we are paying five times the cost of a regular medical center. So what we really should do is have medical centers where people can go and get their treatment, if they're here legally or not legally. They should get their treatment if they need treatment, if they want care for their children, or for whatever it is, because we can get it for one-fifth of the cost and in a much more efficient way, rather than crowding up the emergency rooms and getting the emergency rooms and the hospitals stuck with unpaid bills.

MS. HERNANDEZ: Governor, would you veto a bill that did not include the undocumented? Undocumented children?

GOVERNOR: Well, I never talk about what I'd do or not do with any of the bills. But I can tell you one thing, it would make absolutely no sense to do that, because what we will do is, we will continue to treat the undocumented immigrants, but at a much higher cost, five times the cost that we normally can get. That's as simple as that. So it is really a question of money and more efficiency. What I want to do is treat everyone I the most efficient way. That's the bottom line.

MS. HERNANDEZ: So that's something you'd be willing to drop from --

GOVERNOR: Well, you never go, when you're in the middle of negotiations, what I'm willing to do, and to draw the line in the sand or any of those kinds of things. Because what I want to make sure of is that we move forward in an aggressive way. And I understand that when, as I said earlier to you, that when you deal with two parties, that you always have to compromise, and you have to meet somewhere in the center. So I cannot tell you. There are all kinds of conversations going on right now. And by the way, the Republicans, this is not the only thing my Republicans colleagues don't like. There are many other things in my health care bill that they don't like, so it's all up for negotiations. And there are certain issues that the Democrats don't like, like mandatory health care insurance. I believe very strongly that we should make it mandatory that everyone in the state of California has to have health care insurance, because as soon as one person doesn't have it, that person is basically saying, "I want you to pay for me," and that's not the right way to go.

MS. MARRERO: I want to insist on immigration, and in particular on the future of the Republican Party with Latinos, because I believe that, as the situation is now, they see Republicans in Congress as the ones that are stopping the reform. And President Bush is trying to push this reform forward, and some people are commenting on the fact that they might lose Latinos for a couple of generations if they don't really support immigration reform and some of these issues that are important for Latinos.

You know how important is the Latino vote; you recognized that during your election. Is there anything you think the Republicans should do in Congress to regain this support, to have Latinos recognize that there's another party there?

GOVERNOR: Well, first of all, let me just say that there is Republicans that are not voting for this bill right now, and there are Democrats that are not voting for this bill right now, because you have the two extremes. And what they don't realize is, you have 20 percent on this side, and 20 percent on this side, left extremists, 20 percent, on the right extremists 20 percent, and the action really is in the middle. So the bottom line is that what we have to do is fine-tune the bill so that they both, Democrats and Republicans, feel more comfortable in signing this bill, and move forward and have then comprehensive immigration reform.

MS. MARRERO: What would you do, what would you change in that bill?

GOVERNOR: Like I was saying earlier, I think it just has to be worked so those questions that a lot of Members still have are being answered, and it is being drafted and is being included in the language. And I think, like I said, myself, I have a lot of questions about it, and I think it is important that we answer those questions, that we make it very clear. Because remember that the devil is in the details, because we will not have a chance to redraft this for anther 20 years. Look, the last time we have dealt with this issue was during the Reagan administration in the late ‘80s. And now we are in the late 2000s, we are almost 2010, and we are now addressing it once again. So it's 20 years later; the next time we will do it is probably another 20 years from now. So I think we have to get it right, right now, and it is better not to rush it. It's important to do it this year. I think it's absolutely important to do it this year, because next year is election year, and then it will get all caught up in politics again. It's already caught up in politics, but it will be more severe then next year.

MS. HERNANDEZ: Changing topics, Governor, it's graduation time, as you know. In fact, at this very moment students at Richmond High School in the East Bay are on the stage receiving their diplomas.

GOVERNOR: Congratulations to all of them.

MS. HERNANDEZ: However, many of their classmates are not there. About a third of the high school senior class at Richmond High did not pass the state exit exam, and most of those students are English learners, they've only been in the country for a short time. What do you propose we do to turn that around?

GOVERNOR: Well, one of the reasons why I was so adamant about after school programs is because I think it helps minorities, and especially English learners, because they do not have enough time during the day to catch up with the English. Because I know when I went to school, I started at Santa Monica City College, I had to take extra classes, I had to spend extra hours, I had to get tutors to help me. So all of those things are very important. And I think that after school programs are meant to go and provide tutoring and homework assistance, two very important academic components that are apart of after school programs, in order the get funding in the first place for school. So you can't just go out and do three hours of sports programs, you have to do academic programs like homework assistance and tutoring. So those that are learning English should go to after school programs and learn English and get extra tutoring. Our administration put extra money, millions of dollars, into tutors so they can go and help those that are English learners, because we have to get them up to speed as quickly as possible.

The other, the second most important thing is that you've got to turn off the Spanish television set. It's that simple. You've got to learn English. You've got to listen—I know this sounds odd, and this is politically not the correct thing to say, but here I am, getting myself into trouble. But I know, I know that when I came to this country, I did not, or very rarely, spoke German to anyone. Not that I didn't like Austria, my heart was always in Austria, but I wanted to as quickly as possible learn the English language. And I felt that through immersion, and just really sitting in front of the television set—and I remember I watched all the comedies and the news programs. I couldn't understand a word they were saying, but nevertheless I watched it, and eventually I got with it, and I learned. And I remember that the teachers at Santa Monica College also told me the same thing. They said, "Read the LA Times, even though you don't understand it. Look at your dictionary and learn, and look at books that are English, look at comic books that are English, watch television, listen to radio that is English." And it really helped me, that within a year and a half or two years, I really got my act together so I could read the paper and I could understand the news and really get with it also in school. So it is a drastic way of going about it, but it's the only way I can think where everyone, where you yourself can help, the school has to help, and the parents have to help.

MS. HERNANDEZ: Is it realistic to expect a high school student to master a language in a couple of years? I mean, do you think --

GOVERNOR: Yes. It is realistic, absolutely. It's just very difficult for Spanish speaking people because they have family members that speak Spanish, when they go to the store they speak Spanish, they listen to Spanish television, they read the Spanish newspaper—and of course I know you like to sell your newspapers, so I'm sorry about that. But you know, I just want to tell you that it can be done. That's why I said many times that people that come from Europe have it easier, because you are on the other side of the continent now, and you make a much more commitment to go and to just go all out to learn the English language. And so a lot of people that come from Europe are much quicker, and it's because they don't speak French, or they don't speak German, because they don't have that many people around to speak German to. So you're just forced to speak English, and that makes you be able to learn the language faster.

It makes it much more difficult and much more challenging when you are, let's say, Latino, because you have so many Latinos. I see it here at the capital, in Sacramento. There are just so many Latinos that speak Spanish all the time, they speak to each other in Spanish. So it makes it difficult to then perfect your English skills as quickly as possible.

MS. MARRERO: They're busy working; they don't have time to learn. (Applause)

MODERATOR: We're going to go to questions from the audience right now, and these questions have been written out on these cards and I'm just going to ask them. And this one actually seems to segue nicely, and this is from the audience: "How much Spanish do you know?"

GOVERNOR: I've been down there, I made four movies in Mexico, and each time I learned a little bit of Spanish. And then, of course, you forget it again when you don't use the language much. But enough that I made my phrase, "Hasta la vista, baby," very famous, world famous all over the world.

MODERATOR: How has your career as an actor informed your career as the governor? And what's more genuine, Hollywood or politics?

GOVERNOR: I think they're very tough, both of them, I can tell you. But I think I cannot imagine doing this job without having had the training that I have had in show business, because I tell you, the amount of times you are in front of the camera, the amount of times you do public appearances, and the rules of acting, which means you've got to be believable, and you've got to reach out and grab the audience. It's no different when you give a political speech and when you do a public speech, or deal with people in this arena, because you've got to be real, and you've got to reach out and you've got to have the people—you've got to reach out to the heart of the people rather than to the brain, and really grab them and bring them in, in order for them to follow your ideas and your policies that you're trying to sell out there. So when I go up and down the state—right now, for instance, I go up and down the state and talk a lot about health care and health care reform—it's very important that I connect with the people so that they go and call their legislators and say, "We need this health care reform, we believe in what the Governor is saying, vote with him, stay with him, stand with him," and so on. So that is all connecting with the people. It's extremely important in show business, and it's very important also in the political arena.

MODERATOR: Again from the audience: "Why did you come forward with your health care reform package this year? Are you afraid that the CNA will add a single-payer proposition on the 2008 ballot in an election year?"

GOVERNOR: No, I'm not worried about that. I think that we have had for too long those kind of legislations put on the ballot. We have had, as you remember, SB 2, which was Proposition 72, and that failed. The people have voted on this issue several times. It has failed at the Capitol. All health care reforms have failed at the Capitol. The single-payer has failed year after year, because we didn't get enough people on board, there was only 22 percent of people that believed in single-payer. So that has always failed.

The reason is simply because I felt like this is the year of health care reform. Let's take on another big challenge, like last year we took on the challenge of rebuilding California and investing 42 billion dollars in California's future to build more highways and more freeways, tunnels, bridges, to fix our levees, to build more schools, more career-tech educational facilities, expand our university system, to do more affordable housing and so on. So this year I felt, let us tackle this year another big issue, which is health care. And like I said, we have 6.5 million people uninsured, we have this enormous hidden tax, which is 14.7 billion dollars that businesses are paying right now because they're paying for the uninsured. Each and every one of you that is insured is paying right now a hidden tax, if it is through premiums, or deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses, co-pay, all of those things, you pay a hidden tax on that because you're paying for the uninsured. What we want to do is insure everybody so we can drop this hidden tax, No. 1, and make sure that insurance companies cover everyone, that everyone has access to health care. That is to me the most important thing, that no insurance company can ever turn anyone away because of age or because of some kind of history, medical history, or something like this. So I think those are very good causes to fight for.

MODERATOR: And this will be the last question for the Governor: "If you were an undocumented worker, what would you do if faced with the possibility of being separated from your American-born children? Would you risk deportation, or leave? You come from a foreign country, so I'm curious."

GOVERNOR: I would try to do everything that I can to stay with my family here in America. You're saying that if someone has children, American-born children?

MODERATOR: Right, American-born children is what the question was.

GOVERNOR: And you're the parent?

MODERATOR: Right.

GOVERNOR: And you're the parent. I would try everything that I can to stay together with my family. (Applause)

I'd try to apply for my visa, do everything that they ask me to do to apply for the visa, if it is to pay a certain fee, to learn the language, whatever it needs to be to go and stand in line to get this visa, even if it takes 10 years. But to go through a system so I can be connected with the family, obviously, yes.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, for joining us. Thank you very much.

GOVERNOR: Thank you very much. Thank you.

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