EDITORIAL COMPROMISE SURPRISE SACRAMENTO PUTS POLITICS ASIDE -- FOR A CHANGE.

THERE are sure to be some downsides to a hike in the state's minimum wage, just as there are sure to be benefits for many working Californians. But the bipartisan spirit that forged a compromise on wage-hike legislation Monday is all good.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratic leadership of the California Legislature could have played election-season politics on this divisive issue. They could have dragged out the fight through the November campaign season and used it as fodder for mailers and TV ads and radio spots. It's an issue that embodies the classic differences between business-friendly conservatives and give-away-the-store liberals.

Yet, instead of sticking to their parties' respective larger agenda, the governor and the Legislature came to a sensible compromise that actually benefits the public rather than just their own political careers.

The deal raises the state's minimum wage to $8 over two years, making it the highest in the nation, though still a barely livable wage in pricey California. But the deal does not contain future raises tied to the inflation index, which was a provision that had many businesses worried.

It wasn't the ideal deal for either side, and that's what makes it right for California. When the ideologues of both parties can meet in the middle, that's when it's most likely to benefit the public the most.