ARNOLD RALLIES CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION CALL FOR FEDERAL HELP MARKS GOVERNOR'S 100TH DAY IN OFFICE.

Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - On his 100th day as governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger rallied California's congressional delegation in a fight to increase the state's share of federal dollars and keep local military bases open.

About 15 Democrats and Republicans attended the morning meeting, where they also discussed health care, transportation funding and the state's chances of obtaining a long-sought exemption from federal mandates requiring ethanol in gasoline.

``The governor made an appeal for all of us to get together as Californians to try to fight for federal dollars for our state,'' said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles.

In addition to the 25-minute bipartisan meeting, Schwarzenegger also met privately with Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora; Rep. C. Christopher Cox, R-Newport Beach, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee; and Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Lewis said that private meeting focused on the Pentagon's 2005 round of base closures and how to save military installations in California. They talked about creating a policy group of aerospace industry officials, lawmakers and others to make California's case to the White House.

Schwarzenegger also entertained a private delegation of the American Insurance Association to discuss workers' compensation.

Spokesman Rob Stutzman said Schwarzenegger does not believe that meeting - the governor's only audience with a private interest group - created the appearance that insurers were obtaining special privileges in exchange for campaign donations.

``As you know, the governor is not concerned about doing any favors for anybody,'' Stutzman said.

Schwarzenegger flew to New York after Tuesday's Capitol Hill sessions for a $500,000-a-plate fund-raiser to help pass Propositions 57 and 58.

And despite boasts about his powers of persuasion and predictions that California would flourish in the 2005 federal budget, Schwarzenegger left town without any concrete funding commitments.

Neither he nor local members of Congress expressed concern.

``Let me just tell you, there's a lot of money the federal government owes us. Every time I come here, I make great progress,'' Schwarzenegger said.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, said Schwarzenegger's accomplishments are intangible but real.

``He's only been governor 100 days. The most important thing he has done in 100 days is that he's given people new hope the problems of California will be solved,'' Rohrabacher said. ``You've got a spirit of optimism that just follows the guy.''

Indeed, Democrats as well as Republicans praised Schwarzenegger for trying to work with all 53 of the state's often fractious Congress members.

``So far he has brought a cross section of us together,'' Lewis said. ``When David (Dreier) and I came to Congress, the delegation never met together. We were like six different states.''

Added Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino, ``I wish Gray Davis would have had as many meetings trying to bring us together.''

Lisa Friedman, [phone]

lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com