`POST-PARTISANSHIP' ERA GOVERNOR PLEDGES NEW COOPERATION.

Byline: KATE FOLMAR and HARRISON SHEPPARD Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- Arnold Schwarzenegger took the oath of office for his second term as governor Friday, imploring Californians and the nation to join him in an era of ``post-partisanship'' and a time when bold ideas will trump party labels.

Appearing in public for the first time since breaking his right leg in a skiing accident before Christmas, the Prada-clad former actor and bodybuilder entered Sacramento's ornate Memorial Auditorium to the soaring notes of Aaron Copland's ``Fanfare for the Common Man.''

Schwarzenegger, California's 38th governor, walked with the help of metal crutches, then passed them to his eldest child, 17-year-old Katherine, before taking the oath from California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George.

With first lady Maria Shriver steadying him, the governor placed his left hand on an English version of his family's 1878 Bible. He stood on his own while delivering a 16-minute inaugural address full of big ideas, if not policy details, before the crowd of 3,000.

``I believe that we have the opportunity to move past partisanship, to move past bipartisanship, to move to post-partisanship,'' the governor said.

``Post-partisanship is not simply Republicans and Democrats each bringing their proposals to the table and working out differences. No, post- partisanship is Republicans and Democrats actively giving birth to new ideas together.''

No longer, he said, should the best minds hew to extremes.

``It is time we combined the best of both ideologies into a new creative center,'' Schwarzenegger urged. ``But this is a dynamic center that is not held captive by either the left or the right or the past.

``Centrist does not mean weak. It does not mean watered down or warmed over,'' he said. ``It means well-balanced and well-grounded. The American people are instinctively centrist ... so should be our government. America's political parties should return to the center. They should return to the center where the people are.''

The next four years will bear out whether the governor's call is prescient or naive. His political agenda for the coming year will touch on several issues that stir partisan passions.

Schwarzenegger hopes to dramatically expand access to health care for the more than 6 million Californians who lack it. He's expected to call for insuring all children -- even those in California illegally, which is anathema to many Republicans.

The governor is also calling for lawmakers to give up the power to draw their own legislative districts and hand it over to an independent panel. Lawmakers of both parties say they favor the idea, but they have so far failed to enact it.

Los Angeles officials who attended the governor's inaugural ceremony -- including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and City Controller Laura Chick -- applauded the governor's vision, saying he has been successful as bipartisan and has had good relations with city government in his hometown.

Villaraigosa, who was seated on the stage behind Schwarzenegger with several other big-city mayors, said afterward that he expects his friendly relationship with the governor to continue in the second term.

``I thought it was vintage Schwarzenegger,'' Villaraigosa said. ``I thought he hit the pulse of California. People are tired of partisanship that prevents us from fixing the problems that we face.

``They're looking for leaders who are willing to reach across the aisle and get things done.''

Villaraigosa, who is widely seen as a future gubernatorial contender, laughed and shrugged off a question on whether he saw himself taking that same oath of office in four years.

``I'm having fun as mayor of Los Angeles,'' he said.

San Fernando Valley businessman Bert Boeckmann and his wife, Jane, attended the swearing-in ceremony and a private luncheon with dignitaries afterward. Boeckmann, owner of Galpin Motors and a former Los Angeles police commissioner, said he appreciated the governor's message of bipartisanship.

``I think the key today is really whether he's able to deliver on that balance that he hopes to deliver on, and not have the extremes either way,'' Boeckmann said. ``And I hope he's very successful there.''

Boeckmann is a prominent donor to Republican causes who supported Schwarzenegger during the recall campaign. He also hosted a rally for him at his dealership in North Hills shortly after the former action star took his first oath of office in 2003.

Chick said Schwarzenegger, as an Angeleno, understands the needs of the city and has treated it well.

``I can't tell you how optimistic I am,'' Chick said. ``The leader of this state and his bipartisanship, I think, is doing politics the way politics were meant to be done.''

Schwarzenegger's vision of bipartisanship is expected to be put to the test early in his second term.

In his first term, particularly throughout 2006, Schwarzenegger was able to work with Democrats in the Legislature to strike deals on a wide range of bills, from attacking global warming to increasing the minimum wage.

Republican lawmakers -- whose votes weren't needed for most bills -- were often left out of the process. But not wanting to criticize the governor when he was facing re-election, they mostly kept quiet. This year, they are expected to be more assertive.

``I think governing from the center is going to work for him until we get to some hard decisions,'' said San Jose State University political scientist Larry Gerston.

Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines of Clovis wasn't entirely sold on the notion of ``post-partisanship'' ... especially if it involves ``socialized medicine'' and ``business taxes.''

``I saw where he was going,'' Villines said. ``The governor is really committed to bipartisan work, and I credit him for that. The point is real bipartisan work is when both caucuses agree to come together.''

Underscoring the governor's themes, the inauguration was emceed by an iconic Democrat -- former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, who joked that, as a lawmaker, he had helped contribute to making California nearly ``ungovernable.''

Lately, Brown said, ``a revolutionary thing has taken place. Things are getting done.''

The two-day inaugural celebration was paid for by private donors who contributed more than $2.5 million. Donors who gave $50,000 or more included American International Group, AT&T, BP, Chevron, Cisco Systems and Oracle.

Many of the donors have a financial stake in Schwarzenegger's policy decisions but the governor and his aides have maintained that donations do not affect his actions.

Following the governor's swearing in, he attended a luncheon with legislators at the Capitol. Later, the festivities were to conclude with the ``Celebrate the California Dream'' gala. Singers Donna Summer and Paul Anka were scheduled to perform at the $500-a-person black-tie event.

Staff Writers Steve Harmon, Steve Geissinger and Mike Zapler contributed to this report.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

BEFORE THE SEQUEL

ACTION, ACTION, ACTION

Schwarzenegger reduced the so-called car tax; got voter approval for a bond package to restructure the state's debt; signed new, revenue-generating deals with gaming tribes; overhauled the workers' compensation system; backed Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's school-takeover legislation; and lowered the structural budget deficit.

SPECTACLE, SPECTACLE, SPECTACLE

Schwarzenegger also brought his sense of Hollywood spectacle to the staid Capitol. He has collected petition signatures at Costcos and tried to banish a cape-wearing Count Car-tax-ula for a Halloween stunt. Lately, more subtle events reign: A global warming event with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and an appearance against the genocide in Darfur with Hollywood's George Clooney and Don Cheadle.

BUMPS AND BRUISES

But it hasn't been without some bumps. Since taking office, Schwarzenegger has gotten stitches to his upper lip after a motorcycle crash (during which he was not properly licensed) and fractured his right thigh bone while skiing. First lady Maria Shriver broke her foot after jumping up in excitement during the Red Sox's 2004 championship run.

NOT IN THE SCRIPT

Still, after years of following movie scripts, Schwarzenegger has shown a tendency to ad lib in office. Schwarzenegger has said he has ``plenty of money -- no one can pay me off'' and gone on to raise more than $110 million. He has derided lawmakers as ``girlie men''; described nurses as a special interest whose ``butts'' he kicked; and speculated about how a mixture of black and Latino blood yielded a ``hot'' temperament. He has called for closing the borders (later amended to ``securing'') and praised the ``terrific'' job performed by the Minutemen border patrollers (a comment from which he later distanced himself).

THE COMEBACK

And much like an action hero, Schwarzenegger recovered from a disastrous 2005 special election in which voters rejected all of his proposals. ``Message received,'' Schwarzenegger told voters at the beginning of 2006. Time to play nice with the Dem-controlled Legislature. And they played along, yielding a bounty of success: $37 billion in voter-approved infrastructure bonds, a higher minimum wage, a discount drug plan, landmark global warming legislation, and a landslide re-election.

Compiled by Kate Folmar, MediaNews Sacramento Bureau

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger waves while standing on crutches after walking on stage to be sworn in for his second term during ceremonies held in Sacramento on Friday. This was Schwarzenegger's first public appearance after he broke his leg skiing and had surgery to repair the damage.

Rich Pedroncelli/Pool

(2 -- color) Maria Shriver and children are introduced during the inauguration ceremony at Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento on Friday.

Kristopher Skinner/Contra Costa Newspapers

Box:

(1) ARNOLD'S WORDS

(2) BEFORE THE SEQUEL (see text)