GLITZY GOVERNOR'S MAGIC RED-CARPET RIDE SOARS TO COSTLY HEIGHTS

Be it movies or politics, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger likes to do
things in a big way.

And we do mean Big.

Unlike past governors, who often made do with little more than a
podium and a cranky P.A. system, when Arnold does an "event" -- be it
filling a pothole, staging a town hall meeting or just saying a few
words about Nobel laureates at UC Berkeley -- it's usually a four-
star production.

A costly one.

In the first six months of the year, campaign records show that
Schwarzenegger and company spent $622,000 to stage his various events.

Individual billings are not available, but Schwarzenegger spokesman
Rob Stutzman estimated that a full Arnold event can run anywhere from
$10,000 to $20,000 a pop.

It's all paid out of Arnold's political committees, so at least
taxpayers are spared the cost.

"It's by far the best operation I've ever seen short of the
president," said veteran Democratic advance man Ed Emerson, who saw
the productions close up while working with Team Arnold in the
bipartisan Proposition 57 and 58 campaigns last year.

"The lighting. The wireless mikes. An 18-foot black velour backdrop.
A fully carpeted stage, with where everyone should stand clearly
marked out, full plasma screens and a crew of 15 to 20 guys to set it
all up," Emerson said.

"Three trucks full of stuff ready to roll whenever the call comes in.
They even have portable generators in case the event is out in the
middle of a field somewhere," Emerson said.

The brains behind the operation is Hartmann Studios, a premier events
and theatrical company with offices in Atlanta and Richmond. Its
other projects have included setting up Oracle's high-tech Harmonic
Convergence meeting and staging the wrap-up party for production of
the movie "The Incredibles."

They even did an event with the Dalai Lama.

At times, the show (whether it's by Hartmann or another company) is
so smooth, you barely notice all the equipment.

Other times -- as in Schwarzenegger's Aug. 19 appearance at UC
Berkeley, where the governor spoke only briefly and took just three
questions -- the multitrack sound board looks as out of place as a spaceship.

But big or small, it's top drawer all the way.

"And," Emerson said, "it's all very expensive."

No kidding. In addition to the $600,000-plus for staging events, in
the first six months of the year Team Arnold forked over $341,000 for
travel in and out of the state and $30,000 for a speechwriter.

Schwarzenegger's never-ending red carpet ride has some Republicans
rolling their eyes and grousing that the money could be better spent
elsewhere. But so far, no one we talked to wanted to go on the record
- -- let alone bring it up with the governor.

"In Hollywood, this is how they do it, so he just thinks it's how you
do things," said one Team Arnold insider. "He brought it with him to
the recall campaign, and it's just continued ever since."

The goal is always the same -- to show Arnold in the best light.

"The heavy makeup. The walk. The lights. The camera angles. Arnold
uses all of it -- and knows just how to use it right down to the
right angle for his face," said Laurence Leamer, author of the
Schwarzenegger biography "Fantastic."

"It's something he learned as a bodybuilder," Leamer said. "You get
up on stage and twist and turn your body to always look good and hide
your flaws. And that is precisely what he's done all of his life."

Schwarzenegger spokesman Stutzman says that although the theatrics
may draw critics and cost big bucks, the effort pays off.

"The events communicate in a variety of ways -- the spoken word, the
visual -- and we don't bypass the opportunity to communicate in the
visual. In fact we invest in it. After all, sometimes it's the
visuals that get you into the news," said Stutzman, in his best
Marshall McCluhan-ese.

"And these events generate good photos. It's all about communicating."

No Time for the Times:

Speaking of communicating, last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did
a series of round-table interview sessions with newspapers, TV and
radio stations from around the state.

With one notable exception -- the Los Angeles Times, which was
pointedly not invited to attend.

According to Capitol Weekly, which monitors such intrigues, the Times
"was intentionally snubbed by the governor's office as part of a
running feud with the paper over their coverage of the governor's
contract with American Media Inc."

In addition to muscle magazines, American Media owns the National
Enquirer and other supermarket tabs -- and, according to the Times,
bought up unflattering stories about Schwarzenegger during the recall
election and kept them mum.

So is that why the Times got the cold shoulder?

"I'm not going into the reasons," said gubernatorial spokeswoman
Margita Thompson.

Up in Smoke:

Despite calls at City Hall for a moratorium on medical marijuana
clubs, a majority of San Francisco voters don't see the dispensaries
as a problem.

At least, that's the finding of a recent poll of 400 voters by Evans
and McDonough -- a survey paid for by the pro-pot National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

It said 30 percent of those surveyed felt the clubs were a nuisance
and crime magnet, while 52 percent said the clubs were not out of
control. The rest of those surveyed didn't know or didn't have an opinion.

A majority of voters, however, also felt that neighborhoods should
have a say in where the clubs go.

Olympic Effort:

After his visit to San Francisco's sister city Cork, Ireland, Mayor
Gavin Newsom will swing down to London, where he plans to meet with
track star Sebastian Coe and get a few tips on putting together a bid
for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Coe was the big force in London's winning the 2012 Games, and the
mayor hopes he'll have a few sound words of advice.

Speaking of advice, the U.S. Olympic Committee has told cities to put
a lid on publicly talking about plans to bid until a national
strategy can be pulled together.

Seems L.A., which announced its intentions Sept. 7, went a little too
public, too fast.