Welcome Back, Governor

When last year’s cobbled-together state budget was approved, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called it “fantastic.” This year his adjective of choice was “terrific,” which is just as off course for a lame and uninspired status-quo spending plan. At least there is a budget, ending an unnecessary deadlock.

We hope Californians can take the chief executive at his word that he wants to continue negotiating to avoid an unnecessary, nasty and expensive campaign over his Nov. 8 special election.

“We have gained some tremendous momentum here” in the budget negotiations, he said Tuesday. “I think we should use that momentum.” The governor and the Legislature’s Democratic leaders have about a month to agree on compromise measures that would undercut the more partisan initiatives on the ballot. It’s already an election voters never asked for and didn’t want.

Schwarzenegger won praise last year for negotiating workers’ compensation reform and a debt-limit plan ratified by voters in November. But a conservative and combative Schwarzenegger emerged in January. His often insulting rhetoric against his opponents, including nurses and teachers, was a factor in his steadily sinking poll numbers.

What remains of his once-ambitious agenda are Proposition 74, a measure to make it tougher for teachers to obtain tenure; Proposition 76, a spending-control measure, and Proposition 77, a proposal to have an independent panel draw new legislative districts after each census.

It is a relief to see the old Schwarzenegger returning. His position on global warming, as described elsewhere on this page, is in line with the state’s long commitment to environmental protection. He has made moderate judicial appointments, avoiding the sort of rancor President Bush incurred in picking judicial nominees. Schwarzenegger strongly backs a far-reaching solar power program

He can bring this same moderation to the bargaining table, and he should expect Democratic leaders to do the same (particularly in redistricting, which must be independent in order to have competitive races).

If the package that emerges from their talks also includes a loosening of legislative term limits, so much the better. These limits are another cause of the rigidity and shortsightedness that particularly mark the Assembly.

Then, as they did after negotiations in 2004, the governor and Democratic leaders can go arm in arm to win passage of the negotiated ballot issues. Then the governor could say that’s fantastic, and he’d be right.